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Universal Remote Controls

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Universal Remote Control

Since the debut of the entertainment center there has been a need for the universal remote control. It is not uncommon for a household to have 4 or more remotes. One for the TV, DVD Player, Home Theater (Got to have that 5.1 Digital Audio, Right), and Cable Box.

That was defiantly me. Watching a movie at my house required a process map and flow chart of what to turn on and what remote to use. It was a daunting task for anyone who had never done it before, once people saw the all the remotes they needed they just gave up and said, "never mind, you do it".

I finally had enough. I set out on a journey to find the perfect Universal Remote for my needs. After trying many out the cheaper remotes in the past, I knew they simply wouldn't cut it for my current situation. So, I decided to research the mid range remotes in the $150-$500 range.

After reading countless reviews on on many different websites and visiting Best Buy numerous times I came up with a list of four universal remotes that met my needs. Which were:

Affordable: Did not exceed $500.

User Friendly: It had to be intuitive to use and easy to set up. It must use a computer assisted setup and be compatible with all my devices.

Bells and Whistles: The best bang for my buck. Has many if not all the features of the super high priced "home automation" universal remotes without the super high price.

Battery Life: Long battery life and/or comes with a rechargeable battery pack.

LCD display: Built into the remote, preferably touch screen.

Listed below are the four universal remotes that I decided met all these criteria.

Contents at a Glance

Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal...
Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal...
Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal...
Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal...
Universal Remotes on Amazon
Universal Remote Control

The Harmony 880 is the cheapest and oldest of the group. I think it was Logitech's first real advanced universal remote. However I included in my search because it was the cheapest and has many great features.

But with the mixed reviews I read all over the internet and the fact there were a few bugs with the design and functionality. Such as, the battery doesn't quite fit right in the remote which causes it to lose contact and reset the remote from time to time. All made me ultimately decide against it.

But if you want cheap it is the best your going to find.

Click here for my full product description of the Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control

Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control

The Only Remote That Utlizes RF Technology

I had been eying the Harmony 890 for awhile. Mainly because of the RF technology it uses. Which allows you to control your devices from anywhere in the house and your lights too (if you have automatic light switches installed, I don't but it would be cool).

It has received many great reviews on the internet review sites and was a in very serious consideration for my next remote.

However price and the fact I don't really need RF technology made me decide against it. Specialy when there was a cheaper better alternative. Keep reading below.

Click Here for my Full Product Description of the Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control

Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote Control

The Harmony 1000 is the most expensive of the bunch, but has the most features (bells & whistles), which I wanted. However, I couldn't justify the price and I really wanted a remote not a tablet computer, so even though it is the most equipped universal remote it was not the one I chose.

Take the Harmony 1000 Product Tour

Click here if your interested in the reading the full product description of the Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote Control

Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control

Saving the Best for Last

As you can probably tell from the subtitle the Harmony One is the remote I chose.

This remote really is the best bang for your buck. I paid $199 for it making it the second cheapest remote of the group. I think you can get it even cheaper now. I have been using it for about 6 months and absolutely love it.

The Harmony One has been one of the few products I have purchased that actually did everything it said it would.

Set up was a breeze and I really like the fact that that everything is internet based so all my setting were stored online so I can retrieve them if anything were to happen to my computer.

Plus, the fact that all my devices were supported means no more putting two remotes end to end and pressing learn command for me, which never seems to work right.

View the Harmony One Video Demo

You can can chech out my full description here Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control

Universal Remotes on Amazon