Logitech to unload Harmony line after 'disappointing' quarter

[Rich_Guy]

Logitech is looking to sell its Harmony brand.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57565558-92/logitech-to-unload-harmony-line-after-disappointing-quarter/

[Youthman]

Someone else will buy the brand and likely move forward with it. Not sure I buy the "continued weakness in the global PC market was the primary factor in our disappointing Q3 results" excuse.

[ivanhurd]

Hopefully someone will pick it up, I would like continued support for my 1100...

[etc6849]

I thought that was funny too. The CEO sounds like a moron. PC business is bad [so we're going to quit making remotes that you don't use on your PC]!?! Wouldn't you want to make less PC stuff if the PC business was bad or try to become more efficient at making PC stuff to reduce cost? Of course, there must be more to it than what was stated as a CEO can't be that stupid, right?

Now that Phillips left the remote business, we are losing Harmony too?!? You'd think a CEO could look past a few bad quarters and realize a major competitor is already gone, so this is a great opportunity to steal more market share...

I bet a lot of over paid URC dealers are happy though!

Now all we are left with is URC which is overpriced garbage in my opinion. They wouldn't replace my MX-900 remote due to a button defect that was their fault since they can't figure out the simplest of manufacturing processes. Then, I called back a year later and all of a sudden they will replace the buttons...what the ^&@* couldn't they have done the right thing a year ago!?! URC remotes also get the worst battery life I've ever seen, and then there's the famous "there's a workaround for that" to programming their older remotes. There's also the whole not giving you software because you aren't a dealer; like you need to be a dealer to program a remote. I bet I could teach any high school student how to do it in less than an hour.

Funnier yet, these "dealers" think they are integrator's because they can program a remote. In my opinion if you can't do custom jobs that aren't out of box solutions, you are not an integrator.

Someone else will buy the brand and likely move forward with it. Not sure I buy the "continued weakness in the global PC market was the primary factor in our disappointing Q3 results" excuse.

[Rich_Guy]

URC remotes are a huge step up from Harmony both by design and also made to a much higher quality and with a much higher life span. As far as battery life the 4 AAA batteries in my continuously used remotes normally last about a year.

My URC remotes are the easiest remotes I've ever programmed to do complex programing and the only remotes which could do everything I wanted my remote to do without some form of limitation. Not to mention they do everything better than any original remote, they have a better quality feel in hand, better response, more powerful IR, more reliable RF.

I agree that URC should support the hobbyist and DIY customer and not just direct their remotes toward professional installers. URC has the best enthusiast DIY remotes made they just are not marketed that way.

I haven't shopped for or priced URC remotes recently, but it use to be easy to get a new URC remote for well under half its normal retail price. When I bought my remotes software wasn't an issue although now it can be, but I have the software for every URC remote.

[etc6849]

The much longer lifespan remains to be seen for me and 1000's of folks. If you look around on google, you'll see 100's if not 1000's of complaints on defective MX-900 buttons. Imagine paying $499 (I didn't pay that much but that is what dealers were charging at the time) for an MX-900 remote only to have the buttons fail a few years later. Then to be initially told by URC that I needed a new remote!

Thank goodness URC is replacing the defective lots (finally). Also, for a $499 product, I expect to be able to order parts like the button pad, but they do not sell parts! So basically if it happens again, URC has told me I'm SOL!

If you haven't gotten into the glitches of the URC software, you are lucky. Their engineers still haven't fixed basic issues that were present in the MX-900 originally. Let alone the fact that folks still have to use XP laptops to program an MSC-400! If I had to choose, I would buy RTI, but they are more expensive if you're not a dealer.

PS: The link below shows what I'm doing with my MX-900's. It is true they are highly versatile when paired with an MSC-400. Without the MSC-400, I would say they are just slightly versatile as I do a lot of RS232 stuff with them. Even with RS232 you cannot have true two-way feedback with any of URC's remotes as they still haven't released an SDK for their new line.

However, the MX-900's successfully talk to my home automation system via the MSC-400 to control anything in my house! The RF range is great too, but batteries every 3-6 months are required!

http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/18691-advanced-rf-and-ir-control-for-premise/

[Rich_Guy]

You have a completely different experience than I have with URC.
Also I believe there are probably more working older URC remotes than
any other brand high end remote. My own MX-800 and MX-850 are about 7
years old now still look and work like new fresh out of the box and I
could probably sell them for more now than I paid for them because I
paid far less than their $499 msrp. They have performed flawlessly since
day one and everyday between. I use them for my whole system including
my HTPC and my home lighting, they can control ON/OFF DIM/BRIGHTEN and SCENES every
light in my home as well, and from anywhere in or just outside of my home and do it 100% dependably.

I
have software for every URC remote as well as the complete training
manuals, documentation, installer newsletters etc. which URC provides for their
custom installers, no I am not a seller or installer of URC remotes or in anyway affiliated with URC, but I do have registered installer access.

I have owned many remotes none have compared to my URC's, there is no Harmony and no RTI I would trade my URC's for.

BTW I feel that RTI is what you called URC "overpriced garbage".

My only gripe with URC is that they should market all of their remotes to the DIY enthusiast, instead of trying to make their best remotes only to be programmed by professional installers.

[etc6849]

Are you using an MSC-400 with them? Most of the bugs I don't like deal with how RS232 drops packets. Try pressing the same button 10 times real fast while observing the RS232 output in hyper terminal. It will drop packets! Maybe I expect too much, but for me to get excited about a remote, it needs full two-way RS232 and never drop packets upon repetitive button presses.

[Rich_Guy]

Are you using an MSC-400 with them? Most of the bugs I don't like deal with how RS232 drops packets. Try pressing the same button 10 times real fast while observing the RS232 output in hyper terminal. It will drop packets! Maybe I expect too much, but for me to get excited about a remote, it needs full two-way RS232 and never drop packets upon repetitive button presses.

My system has been 100% reliable, but I can't say I have ever needed to
rapid press any button on my remote 10 times since almost everything normally
requires only one push I rarely have to push more than a couple button pushes to
accomplish anything no matter how complex.

I don't use an MSC-400, I use two MRF base stations to utilize URC's RF. I
also don't use any RS232 my home automation does not need it. I use Insteon home
automation which is two-way to know what is ON or OFF and correct for missed
signals etc. My Insteon does not use any RS232 it works with its own RF, the
inwall electiical wiring (with both the RF and electrical wiring backing each
system up independently) and also USB to my computer.

I can control my lighting (every light and lamp in my home) with of course
the light switches, either of my URC remotes, 3 different table top control
panels and my computer. At my computer I can see the status of every light
ON/OFF and % of Brightness. Also at my computer is my main software which can
control complex timers for any of my lights, my computer does not need to be ON
for timers to work.

For instance on work mornings my bedroom has an artificial sunrise which
starts approximately 20 minutes before it's time for me to wake up, over the 20
minutes my bedroom light starts to light about 2% at a time every minute
gradually increasing giving the impression of a sunrise so even when I need to
wake up well before the sun has rose it appears to have already risen, makes it
much nicer to wake up early this way. Also other lights also come on
automatically throughout my home at certain times so it always seems as if the
sun has risen even though it may be pitch black outside.

Other lights have variable timers for security purposes and to make it
appear as someone is home. On my nightstand table top controller I can control
lights throughout my home as well as turn ON/OFF every light in my home with the
push of one button.

Scenes to control multiple lights and backlighting for home theater.

Insteon can control most forms of home automation and is very dependable
working with its 2 systems RF and in wall electrical wiring backing one another
up as well as being a two-way system so it knows once something has turned
ON/OFF or if it hasn't to resend commands.

Of course these are two different systems URC (remote) and Insteon
(home automation) but they work together very well to accomplish running both my
home theater and my home automation.

[Youthman]

I've always loved home automation (although I currently have none). Sounds like you have a super sweet setup Rich. I've read on Crestron's website about the "artificial sunrise". I personally would need an automation that would flip my mattress upside down in 3 seconds to wake me up. []

[Rich_Guy]

I've always loved home automation (although I currently have none). Sounds like you have a super sweet setup Rich. I've read on Crestron's website about the "artificial sunrise". I personally would need an automation that would flip my mattress upside down in 3 seconds to wake me up.

Thanks, yeah I still pretty much need the alarm clock to wake me, but it is so much nicer to wake up early when it seems like the sun is shinning outside rather than be woken in complete darkness. I was never a "morning person" now I don't mind waking early.

But I will be over next weekend to wire up your mattress flipper over machine. []

[etc6849]

I do a lot of custom integration work with a free PC program called Motorola Premise. It's very powerful. My home automation (HA) system is simply a Windows PC running Motorola Premise Home Control software.

Some of the stuff I've integrated into my HA system:

Elk M1G alarm system, full two-way feedback. Keypads display HA system messages (weather, etc), buttons can control whatever is connected to my PC. HA system can use all sensors to trigger occupancy timers, so lights and other things are now fully automatic. PC can use the Elk's speakers to send voice messages.

W800RF32 X10 RF receiver: I use X10 palm pads as cheap remotes. I also use a DS10A installed in my mailbox to know when the mailman has come.

Betabrite LED signs: I wrote a driver for them to display text like home status, what’s playing etc...

Global Cache products (GC-100 and WIFI2IR): for network based IR communications

EventGhost: I can control my PC with my automation system. I can on-screen messages, open programs, etc… -all for any PC on my network! I can also use WOL to wake any PC up.

URC MSC-400: I have written a custom RS232 protocol to integrate MX-900 remotes into my system. I can control anything I want with the MX-900 remotes! For example, a goodnight soft button turns everything off in the home (TVs, lights, etc) and arms Stay mode.

HVAC: Z-wave thermostats with two-way feedback.

Locks: Z-wave locks with fully integrated two-way feedback. For example, if you turn the deadbolt to lock from the inside, stay mode is armed. If locked from the outside, away mode is armed and all lights go off.

Touch-screens: Any touch screen with a browser can be used!

A/V components: I wrote a true two-way driver for my Onkyo TX-NR905 receiver. If you walk up to it and hit a source button on the front, the receiver comes on, the projector comes on and the lights dim. You can change the volume using the receivers original remote and see the volume change in the HA software. You can also control all A/V components with the PC as I’ve integrated every A/V component I have.

All macros, even the simple ones for the MX-900 like “Play TV” are coded within Premise. The MX-900 remotes just send an RS232 command letting Premise know which room you are controlling and what button was pressed.

Lantronix WiBox: for network based RS232 control

Windows Media Center: working on a full two-way driver. So far I can send HA system messages to WMC and control it. I get pop-ups when someone calls or the doorbell is rang, playback is paused and I get a pop-up message. The ultimate goal is full two-way feedback from WMC. For example, if someone pauses WMC using the mouse, the lights brighten.

Obi110: full two-way driver for using the Obi110 as my home telephone service. When a phone is off hook, Premise knows. When someone calls, Premise pauses all sources that are playing and even sends me an email, in addition to sending pop-ups with caller ID data to various devices (like WMC).

Lighting: full two-way communications, along with scene and group control using Leviton Vizia RF+ (Z-Wave) line. A VRC0Pv3 hooks to my PC and for the most part works well.

[Rich_Guy]

Yep there is a lot you can do with home automation, you can control or monitor all types of things throughout your home and yard and you can do it automatically, remotely from anywhere in your home or anywhere in the world.

Insteon is my favorite for home automation control but there are lots of options and so many things you can do. Anyone interested in home automation I'd recommend http://www.smarthome.com