For Cyber Monday 2019, Amazon has reduced the price of the most powerful user-programmable universal remote control on the market: The Logitech Harmony Elite. Instead of the list price of $349.99, you can pick up the Harmony Elite including hub brand new for $229.99.
Here's the link:
Back in the day, there were many choices for universal remote controls. Whether it was the department store "7 in one" remotes or expensive custom-programmed touch-screen based universal controls for the well-to-do, there were a sea of choices for your universal control needs. And while the expensive custom-programmed touch screens remotes still have their place, there is one company who makes powerful universal remote controls that even a mere mortal can program: Logitech Harmony.
Based on simple straightforward "activities," the Harmony remotes can control any A/V system, from a simple cable box, TV and soundbar to a complicated multi-room multi-component home theater system. Using the mobile app, a PC or Mac, you can walk through a series of simple questions about what gear you have and how you are using it, and the remote does the rest. It assigns complex multi-component activities to a simple button like, for example: "Watch TV" or "Listen to Music."
Press a button and the remote will turn on your TV, start up your Amazon FireTV stick, Roku or cable box, power up your receiver, set the TV to HDMI 1 and the Receiver to HDMI 2, all automatically. Then once the activity is started, the remote knows that the "Home" button should take you to the Fire TV home screen, the pause and play buttons should control your video streaming app, while the volume up/down and mute buttons should operate the receiver and speakers.
And while there are a few good remotes sporting the Harmony brand name, there is only one that truly does it all: The Harmony Elite. It comes with its own color touch screen so you can customize the names of your favorite activities, such as "Watch Netflix" or "Play a Record." It comes with a hub included which allows you to operate your equipment through walls or closed cabinet doors with RF, Bluetooth or WiFi. Of course, it also includes IR blasters so it can operate all of the your existing gear like Blu-ray Players, receivers, set top boxes and more.
But what sets the Elite apart from its Harmony brethren is that it has the best, most ergonomic button layout. You can easily switch between fast forward, rewind, pause and play, volume up and down, etc. with one hand without taking your eyes off the big screen. And because it has a color screen, you can take advantage of Harmony's powerful guided "Help" function in case anything goes awry in the activity. Also, Logitech has expanded the Harmony platform over time to now operate and control hundreds of smart home devices such as lighting systems, thermostats and wireless speakers. So in addition to setting all your A/V gear to the right inputs, it can also dim the lights for you automatically.
The Harmony Elite is a good deal even at its list price of $350 due to the value and simplicity it brings to a complicated A/V or home theater system. But at Amazon's Cyber Monday price, it's a steal.
Pricing and availability was current at the time of article publication (12/2 at 11:30 AM), but check on Amazon for latest pricing and availability:
