Reviews for Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: So far, seems to work exactly as we wanted. We needed all controls on one remote and one that no one could mess up. A Help button is available and programs the remote.

Weakness: I gave up on programming after spending 3 hours. My college-age daughter worked for a couple of hours and also worked with the tech team. It was easy to reach them and they are very helpful.

On our current surround sound system with about 8 components, we had managed to reduce 4 or 5 remotes into 2 remotes, but one still had to know the procedures in order to change channels, music, dvd, etc. My son recommended the Harmony as one remote, user friendly, and almost impossible to confuse anyone. My husband has used it exclusively since my daughter and I programmed it (Christmas gift) and it appears to be just what we wanted. As of today, I would buy this item again. On the negative side, I ordered over the internet the H659 model and received the SST659 model. After calling Logitech, I found that the SST659 model is older stock that was produced by the Canadian company that Logitech bought out last year. The software had to be updated and is easily done on-line so there was no problem. I just was not aware that I would be receiving old stock.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: This is simply the best universal remote that I have ever owned, and I have owned many! It controls all of my devices without a problem, and it is user friendly enough that even my in-laws can use it

Weakness: My first unit had a glow light out, but Harmony took care of it without a hitch

If you are looking for a remote control that is easy to program and easy to operate, then look no further! I love this thing. It has made life so much simpler for my hi-tech,home entertainment system. It does great with TIVO. Their customer service dept. is second to none! They are the best that I have ever dealt with.

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Your wife and visitors will love you

Strengths: One remote, one button! I have purchased the more expensive Harmony remote after owning this one for two years and sent it back. My wife and friends loved the ease of use and setup.

Weakness: Tech support is outsourced :-( , but they do answer quickly and resolve ANY questions. Also, for DVR users, the record, FF, RR, and stop are located at the bottom of the remote.

Although on the weaknesses I stated the button locations, they did move them up to the center in the next models up. I didn't like the location of the other buttons on those remotes though.
After entertaining at my house, Three family and friends purhcased the same remote.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Extremely strong web support and setup. Excellent instructions and customer service is awesome.

Weakness: None that I can think of. This remote rocks.

I had my entertainment system setup in about 20 minutes after answering the questions. I would advise anyone buying this remote to not load in the CD and just go to the website and download the necessary program, since the CD included is already outdated. Works like a charm and excellent battery life unlike my Kameleon battery-aholic.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: So far, seems to work exactly as we wanted. We needed all controls on one remote and one that no one could mess up. A Help button is available and programs the remote.

Weakness: There doesen't seem to be any

On our current surround sound system with about 8 components, we had managed to reduce 4 or 5 remotes into 1 remote, but one still had to know the procedures in order to change channels, music, dvd, etc. My son recommended the Harmony as one remote, user friendly, and almost impossible to confuse anyone. My husband has used it exclusively since my daughter and I programmed it (Christmas gift) and it appears to be just what we wanted. As of today, I would buy this item again. On the negative side, I ordered over the internet the H659 model and received the SST659 model. After calling Logitech, I found that the SST659 model is older stock that was produced by the Canadian company that Logitech bought out last year.The software had to be updated and is easily done on-line so there was no problem. I just was not aware that I would be receiving old stock.

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Logitech Harmony 659H

Strengths: Easy to use. Help button & screens fix most problems effortlessly. Can (still) use individual device remotes when occasion arises.

Weakness: Effort & time consumed to setup. Two ways to program (PC app & web or web only) unnecessarily confuses user.

After switching to HDTV, it was difficult for my wife to use our hodgepodge of AV devices of various vintages. She is happy now thanks to this programmable universal remote.
We're both very pleased with our present setup thanks to Logitech's Harmony phone & web assistance. I'm in the USA and used LogiTech's 1-866 toll free line for two calls (to Toronto, Canada) that lasted a total of 3+ hours. Initially, I worked with their 1st level support and then was switched to 2nd level support who worked through the programming changes to get everything working in "harmony" between my Digital Cable Box, TV, DVD player & VCR.
The time invested gave me enough knowledge & experience for me to add activities to this remote to listen to a favorite TV Music Choice channel played via my stereo. I also managed to get a number of audio feeds to my stereo (FM, CD, Media Server) to work every time.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Fully customizeable, great layout and feel, controls everything you can throw at it

Weakness: Font of function labels on LCD display too large - hard to differentiate similar functions

I have tried a bunch of affordable universal remotes over the years, and have dumped every one of them because none of them controlled every function of every device I use. Even if they had learning functions, it was too much of a hassle to program them, and then I would forget which custom key controlled which new command.


The Harmony Remote is the best universal remote system ever, in my opinion. Its ingenuity is the use of a Web site that methodically asks the user about each device controlled - which buttons need to be pressed to turn on a device, which inputs are used, which channels are watched, etc. The website creates the necessary macros, programs all the keys, and then sends a file which is uploaded to your remote (similar to a PDA hotsync).

I think the very best-designed remote is TiVo's peanut-shaped model. The Harmony shares a lot of characteristics with the TiVo remote, from the peanut-shaped design that fits the hand to the layout - major commands on the top, playback functions on the bottom.

If you have been frustrated by universal remotes in the past, give the Harmony a try. You'll become a believer!

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: +Activity-based organization of remote +LCD screen for custom of buttons +Retains up to 2 weeks of TV listings for display +Backlight +Utilizes punch-through technology +Internet set-up of IR cod

Weakness: Haven't found any

I have owned many upper-end remote controls including the Sony 2000 and the HomeTheatreMaster MX-500. This is the best by far. AND, my wife actually likes it too (that says alot!). All buttons and configuration of the remote are done over the internet using a very friendly wizard. Type in the Make and Model number of ALL of your components and the correct IR codes will be downloaded!!! PLUS, it utilizes punch-through cababilities. Example: you're watching a DVD, so the remote control buttons are set to control the DVD player. However, you can have it set up so that the volume control buttons at the same time control your receiver. This way, you don't have to tell the remote control to switch back and forth between being a remote for one component or another.

Plus, you have plenty of customization in the LCD screen. AND, any of the "hard" buttons can also be completel customized to fire of whatever IR code you want.

The LCD screen also displays the current TV listings (the TV guide), so you can virtually channel surf on your remote, find the show you want, then push the button next to it and it will change the channel correctly. (wife loves this!)

Finally, this is the first remote I've seen that is ACTIVITY-based, not component-based. This means that if you want to watch a movie, you press the "Movie" button and it will turn on all the components necessary to watch a movie (e.g. TV, DVD player, receiver) AND have each of those components tuned to the correct configuration (Video input, etc.). It's great.

Finally, again, the 2 times that I have had questions about something, I have called the 800 number (they're hours open are until 10PM EST!!!) and talked to a live person on the 3rd ring and each time the question has been addressed or resolved within 3 minutes. I wish all places had tech support like this!!!

It is absolutely worth the money. You won't regret it.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Extremely simple to use. Painless to program. Easy updates. Your configuration is stored on the website for easy reprogramming. Buttons light up, and can be turned on and off with a button press.

Weakness: Can't tell if your components are on or off, but their method of synchronizing the power states is really nifty. Just press HELP and it makes it's best guess, which somehow has been right every time.

I really like this remote. I've seen the more expensive ones, and they're neat too, but this one is much cheaper and does a great job, and it's easy enough for the family to use. It's super easy to setup and program. Their website walks you through a series of questions that completely eliminates the old process of creating macros and programming specific buttons. It couldn't be easier. And the remote works perfectly every time.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Remote controlled all of my devices right after the first upload of codes.

Weakness: None so far.

I just purchased this remote last week. So far I cannot find any problems. The remote operated all of my devices right after the initial programming. This included my Linksys media adapter.

It did require some tweaking through the help menus on the remote and through the online programming. After about an hour I was able to get my most used buttons and commands available adn up front. Once I got used to the online programing the process became easy.

I have not tried any command-learning because all of my devices worked.

I working with Tech Support to fix problem with the Media function that lets you see what TV Shows are on. Tech support has always responded within 24 hours and we seem to be progressing towards a resolution. The problem is software related not hardware.

Beware: where you purchase this device not all online retailers are authorized retailers and if they are not authorized then you have no warranty.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Great Remote Has every device you'll ever need

Weakness: Web Interface for setup is a little klunky.

After getting through the setup procedures through the web, the remote worked great. At first the remote wouldn't turn on my components because it thought they were already on. However, the remote has a unique help feature that takes you step by step through your components, asking questions like; "Is you television on?" and you answer yes or no and the remote fixes it accordingly. Very handy for those who have lots of remotes.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: *Does what it says it does *Easy to set up *It "remembers" the activity that you are on

Weakness: *None so far

I LOVE this remote.
I have been juggling 5 remotes for quite some time, and finally got tired of it.

The setup took about 20 min, and then another 30 to "tweek" (using it and discovering that I wanted to add some functionality to certain buttons), however the setup was NOT frustrating. I didn't have to look up codes, etc. The website did everything for me.

I have the following on the system, receiver, RePlay, VCR, DVD, TV, and cable box.

My TV is an HDTV, and in the "old" days, to watch HD I would have to use about 3 remotes and push several buttons to watch, then when I wanted to go back to regular TV (using my RePlay), I would have to use the remotes again to switch around. Now all I have to do is hit 1 button, its great!

I also like the fact that this remote is activity based. I had tried other universal remotes, and found it annoying that in order to turn the sound down, I would have to hit receiver first, then turn the sound down, then to change a channel, I had to activate the TV button. I could never remember what device the remote was on. With the harmony, everything is centered around an activity, so when watching TV, the remote knows I use the receiver for sound, so I don't have to select the receiver to mute, I just have to hit mute.
Believe it or not, this remote is worth every penny!

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Very easy to program and can control all of your electronic equipment.

Weakness: The LCD menu does not differentiate between specific devices.

I would definitely recommend this remote to anyone who wants something that is simple to program and use. It is so easy to use that it is not for those who are very technical and want something they can completely customize.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Wonderful for replacing all remotes. Ease of set-up via the web. And most important is thier customer sevice. They go out of thier way to help you.

Weakness: I admit it is one ugly remote. Wouldn't be so bad if it came in other colors than black. Also it could have been designed to feel better in the hand.

After having this for a few days I called their customer service to tweek it. They walk me thur the setup and even called back a few times when they had to look up an answer. Would I buy it again? You bet. It's an excellent remote....period. You can try a test dive at their web site.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Easy setup

Weakness: Haven't found any yet

I gave this remote to my husband for a Christmas gift, mainly because I got tired of seeing him trying to manage three separate remotes, something that I couldn't do. Now we both can use our sound and TV system. It represents a simple button system.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Easy to use, easy to set up, ergonomic design.

Weakness: None so far.

I owned this remote for 3 days. So far, I have been able to control all of my system components. It is very easy to set up the remote and really easy to use it. Would recomment to anyone.

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Good, but problems with on/off control of devices

Strengths: One button control of all devices makes it very user-friendly for the family.

Weakness: Devices always out of phase (some off, some on) so it is necessary to continually use the Help feature. Missing some features for my components. Small text & mediocre ergonomics make it difficult to use.

Overall very good. Was able to find most devices in their software lookup, and it's nice that you only have to press one button to perform a function, e.g. "Play DVD".

My primary gripe is that, with most components having a single button for on/off, the remote is unable to know if they are on or off - and therefore turns off components frequently when it should be turning them on. The result is that, for example, the receiver and TV are on, but the cable box is off, therefore you're looking at a blue screen.

A simple fix would be power on/off buttons for the major components. Right now we have to go through about 5-10 steps in the help menu to turn the offending component on, or get up and do it manually.

Other nits and nats:
o Difficult to find the lighting switch in the dark.
o Most buttons are the same shape, so it's hard to figure out what to do without turning lighting on.
o When lighting is on, the text on the buttons and the screen is too small for anyone using reading glasses.
o Missing some button features from other components' remotes, and difficult to program them in. For example, it has all of the Comcast main features for the cable box, but not the hidden buttons that let you control on-demand (pay per view) shows.

All in all happy, but the power button issue is a pain.

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logitec harmony 659 remote

Strengths: Consolidated 5 remotes down to 1. My wife can control the whole entertainment system with one remote.

Weakness: Some of the buttons occasionally will tip one way or the other and stick.

I have titles of all the movies in my 400 disk changer loaded in the "media" section of the remote. I can pick a movie title in the remote and have it go to that movie and start it.

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Remote makes using electronics simple

Strengths: It's a user friendly remote that is capable of correcting itself with a handy "HELP" feature.

Weakness: Seems to get "out of sync" sometimes, but can be easily fixed by using "HELP" feature.

Best part of the remote is that it is organized by activity, so that when you are watching TV, it knows you use the amp to control volume and the cable remote to change channels and retains the most used signals from your TV remote. Therefore, there is no need to remember to hit any other buttons just to change channels or volume. The buttons are marked, "Watch TV", "Watch a Movie", "Listen to the Radio". It can't get much easier for a guest to pick up the remote and use it without any instructions from you.

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Logitech Inc Harmony H659BLK

Strengths: Multi-function

Weakness: None

This remote is very handy. I can use it for all the devices in my house. All the codes are available for download. The download and setup are very straight forward. The backlight feature is very good as well.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Setup - Lightup keypad - Shape - Updating

Weakness: For a DVR, VCR, CD and DVD the pause, play, rr, and ff should be moved up higher on the remote. After doing some looking around, the next next model up did just that!

Gentlemen, your wifes will love for this purchase! Even though I listed a weakness, it doesn't bother me at all. Initial programming should take about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the number of components and is real straight forward.
I had to call tech support once weeks later to ask them a question and they were great!

I've told 7 people about this remote and 5 have already purchased one.

YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: one button macros

Weakness: small reading of buttons

I like this remote because it is easy to program, you just simple by answering some internet questions about the brand and model of your equipment and how it is connected, you program the remote to work with your system. Easy to use, it also has LCD screen, and glows in the dark. excellent buy for custom components up to 15.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Easy to use once it is setup. Easy to use with one hand compared to larger lcd touch screen remotes. Reasonable price.

Weakness: Need to hook it up to a computer to change even the smallest thing.

I have only had this remote for a couple of days but so far it has passed most tests with flying colors. Setup was fairly simple; all you do is pick your device from a list and answer a few questions about that device and your set. The layout of the remote is good with the channel and volume buttons near each other along with the directional keys. My only complaint would be that you need to plug it into your computer to make changes. I would like to be able to learn a command without having to plug into my computer every time. Over all I am very pleased with my new purchase and my wife can finally use the TV or put in a DVD for the kids without calling me at work every other day.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Easy to program and tweek. Easy for wife and inlaws to use.

Weakness: Custom buttons are a bit too small.

Amazingly, before I purchased this remote, tech support returned my call and answered my questions! I bought the remote online and had it mostly set up using the Web site by the time it arrived. When it arrived, I plugged it into the USB, installed the software and was up and running. I've been back to the Web site several times to tweek, and things are working great. I have both a new SIRIUS satellite radio and an OLD VCR. Both are controlled by the remote. Even with my fairly complex system, I did not have to teach the remote ANY codes. I even set up an activity to switch the receiver to my iPod input (though the iPod has no remote).

I will still keep all my original remotes for advanced set-up features, but this remote is great for the family to use day-to-day. It also saves wear-and-tear on my original remotes. The Harmony is very customizable and guides the user in plain english. I could handle macros and complicated remotes like the SONY, but this is the best remote by far for my wife who just wants to use the system without advanced training!

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Love this remote easy to use and simple to program would recommend to friends and family. The price was a factor also lower than some other brands that do the same functions.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Eronomic Shape, Very Large Database, No long macros to set up. Customer Support is GREAT.

Weakness: Setting up discrete codes can be difficult, Can be slightly difficult to set up if you vary from the standard web based menu prompts (ie specific discretes for a newer TV)

I recently bought a new Samsung DLP TV. I was looking for a universal remote to control it alon with DVD, cable box, TIVO, etc. So far it has fit the bill great. I had a little trouble setting up the TV to always change to the correct input (Component, HDMI). This could be because the TV is a brand new model? I called customer support, got right through, told him my setup, he made chages through the web bas program, I connected my Remote to USB, and now it works like a charm. I press one button, and it does everything to get ready to watch a DVD, or TV. It even accounts for my TV's 25 second warm up period. The vcr type keys are not very ergonomic as the rest, being at the bottom. Overall I would buy again.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Easy setup via website, very flexible command and control of units.

Weakness: Not every hard-button on previous remotes (those getting replaced) are replicated on the Harmony; setup takes a bit of tweaking to get right.

Overall, I really like this remote. I ordered the 659 to replace a couple of remotes, and so far it is working like a champ. It's a little different getting used to "one remote to rule them all", but after getting my setup configured via the Harmony website (which worked pretty quickly and painlessly), I now have multiple "actions" which successfully control my components. I can also access detailed component controls through the "device" button on the remote. I like.

Downside is that the Harmony doesn't have all hard-buttons that my prior remotes have (obviously, it couldn't, otherwise it would be the size of a brick). So, I have to configure the options that show on the screen to replicate frequently-used options (like PIP or Display for the TV, or Chapter +/- for the DVD). It all works out in the end, but it takes a little time to get it set up.

Overall, I'm satisfied. Can't speak to the knocks on battery life for the unit, since I haven't had it long enough. The keypad illumination switches off, but the LCD display remains enabled. I might have given this 5 stars, but I don't have a basis of comparison to rate it "one of the best". YMMV, etc.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Web based set up, plenty of well spaced buttons, activity based controls, backlight is awesome!

Weakness: VCR/DVD controls placed near the bottom of the remote (although you do get used to it)

This is by far the best remote I have ever owned. I have successfully replaced the TV, Stereo, DVD, Satellite PVR, and VCR remotes with this one remote! More importantly, I can actually use it!!

Setup was a breeze using the online configuration tool. I had to gather up my model numbers and tell the online utility what inputs I had set to what devices and it did the rest.

Since the remote is activity based, I can reconfigure my equipment when I feel like and update via my stored configuration on Logitech's website. When my wife wants to watch a movie after I change the DVD to output to component, she still presses the "Watch a movie" button and everything is transparent. The online utility also makes these changes easy since you don't actually program macros, you just tell the web config know how your devices are connected.

I really like the hard buttons since they are laid out very nicely and I don't have to look down to figure out what buttons to press. The lcd is perfect for allowing for almost infinitely more buttons that can be organized without getting in the way.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this remote to anyone who is looking for a great remote to replace all of their existing remotes!

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: With a touch of a button the DVD will play a movie and the stereo will come on in surround mode

Weakness: Small Buttons

Set-up can be difficult as the web interface is not clear. I was able to set up my tv to switch between HDTV and cable with surround sound. This would usually take 4 remotes, but now I can do it with a touch of a button.

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Logitech Harmony 659 Family Remote Control

Strengths: Once it is setup, it's great. Perfect for family members who can't keep track of how to switch everything on for all the various functions (i.e. watch a DVD, watch cable, etc)

Weakness: Initial setup with their website was not as easy as promised

The Harmony is a great product, and works even better than advertised. It controls the stereo, cable box, DVD, and even the Playstation 2 flawlessly. Their web site is really clumsy (too newbie oriented) and unnecessarily cumbersome. Took about four hours of twiddling and probably a few more to get everything just right. But it’s definitely worth it.

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Logitech Harmony 659

TestSeek.com has collected 7 expert reviews for Logitech Harmony 659 and the average expert rating is 80 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use TestSeek.com to find all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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