Remote Automation: Logitech Harmony 1000

The Logitech Harmony 1000 universal remote is a beautiful device, but it's a little on the overkill side if you're just planning to use it for your home entertainment system. This touch screen device is intended to be used for home automation: temperature control, automatic blinds, and lighting that can be adjusted remotely. The standard for controlling these high-end home devices is called Z-Wave, and the Logitech Harmony 1000 is built to control Z-Wave devices plus your home entertainment gear. 

The Logitech 1000 remote uses the same online programming methods as the other Logitech remotes: you connect them up to your computer using the included USB cord and Logitech software. The software walks you through an online creation of a Logitech account. You define what brands and models of electronics you have, and then tell the website how they work together. You create activities, for example ‘when I want to watch a DVD the TV is set to input 3, the amplifier is on the optical input, the DVD player is turned on, the blinds are lowered, and the lighting is dimmed." All of this information is downloaded to the remote via the USB cable. You hit the "watch DVD" button on the remote, and all the appropriate actions happen so you don't have to fumble with the details.

The one problem I had with the Harmony 1000 remote is that it doesn't have many hard programmed buttons on it—almost everything is done via the touch screen. The controls on-screen are limited, so you often have to dig into the menus to find the command you want. It's more time consuming than just pushing one of the 50 or so buttons on a traditional remote. I don't have any Z-Wave devices in my home, so I only used the 1000 for my home theater, and despite it's fantastic looks and space age design, I switched back to the Logitech 890 remote for ease of use.

Related Links:
More on the Harmony 1000

Yahoo!Tech Product page for the Harmony 1000