Logitech Harmony® 520 LCD Remote Control

Pros: Works well. Telephone support is friendly and effective.
Cons: Minor user interface glitches on Mac OS. Slow telephone support.

After buying a new flatscreen TV then hooking up our game console, DVD player, VCR, and stereo system, we had 5 remote controls to deal with. Even our modest setup required remembering how our devices are interconnected then using 2 or 3 remote controls ...

Pros: Nice design, functional, blue backlights.
Cons: Web-based interface without which the remote is totally useless. Broken buttons after a year.

I'll preview this review by saying: Remote - 4 stars Method of programming remote - zero stars The Logitech Harmony series of remotes rely on a web-based interface to set up the remote. When reading other reviews, it wasn't clear that this actually ...

Pros: It works.
Cons: Set up somewhat time consuming; possible low battery life.

(And before you accuse me of being politically incorrect, I AM a woman – and not only female, but that rarest of breeds, a middle aged woman who appreciates the “cool’ factor in techno gadgets that work). :) Despite the fact I swore I would ...

Pros: Very powerful idea, extremely flexible design
Cons: Getting to work can be something of a chore

After using a Sony learning remote for years, my system recently got much more sophisticated and I needed to upgrade to something with a little more brains. Enter the Harmony remote. All of the different remotes in the Harmony line run in the exact ...

Pros: Functions as advertised; good looks; good price
Cons: Black surface shows fingerprints; buttons seem flimsy; less hot buttons than 600 series.

I purchased a 676 in late December. The upper right button didn't work consistently so I returned it for a second 676 which worked fine. The build quality of the 676 is excellent. You could easily drop the remote and expect it to work. It had a nice ...

Pros: Sets all your components at once. A screen.
Cons: The physical design is a deal breaker. Buttons are laid out really bad.

What this and other Logitech remotes do is set all your devices to the on and/or correct input channel - with one push of a button. So say you want to watch cable tv? You push one button and it turns your tv on, makes sure it's on the right input, turns ...

Pros: Powerful, flexible, easy, combines multiple button steps into one "Activity" button, short setup time.
Cons: A little expensive, could run into computer or hardware compatibility issues.

I purchased this remote for my father-in-law. I had purchased a combo DVD/Surround system for them to use with their TV and DirectTV box. Unfortunately, switching from DVD to TV with "stock" setup required multiple menu changes from 2 remotes, and ...

Pros: slim
good looking
it REALLY controls all my electronics and even APPLIANCES
easily upgradeable
Cons: buttons are delicate
you must be patient with programming

I got this remote as a gift.  I aways wanted to have one remote for all my electronics.Over the years I had a bunch of them but no one REALLY delivered the promise..I was skeptical about this one but then I discovered how powerful it ...

Pros: Nice looking,easy to read,excellent backlighting.
Cons: Plastic buttons too small,rubber buttons are squishy and non positive.Bad balance.slippery and cheap feeling.

I owned a harmony 880 for about a week before returning it. Decided to try the less complex 520 with hopefully fewer software bugs. I liked this remote and it seemed to work a bit better than the 880. It still didn't like to learn as it should. After ...

Pros: Easy programing
Cons: Intrusive software ,luck of support

A universal remote that will replace all your other remotes…not exactly. It looks nice and it is balanced well . Very light in front with all the weight at the back .Easy to handle. The remote requires having a computer to operate properly. ...

Pros: Price. Looks. Internet based programming allows customization and programming storage.
Cons: Squeaking. Poor back-light operation.

Depending if you have internet access and think that spending multiple hours programming electronics is a fun afternoon or not will mostly determine if you like this product or not. I think Logitech might have accidentally disappointed some customers ...

Pros: Looks good, nice backlighting, compatible with almost anything
Cons: cheap feel, odd ergonomics, didn't do what it said it would

I bought this remote hoping to consolidate the four remotes I now have to use to run my stuff. Not too hard: Sony receiver and DVD, Dell TV, and Dish satellite box. That's all. The remote found all the devices through its internet interface, so that was OK. The problem I had was that it refused, under any circumstances, to switch inputs on my TV when changing "activities." I would have to manually change from av3 to av4 to transition from TV to DVD. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but if I pay a hundred dollars for a remote, it better work. Aside from this, it felt weird in my hand and I was always worried about breaking the buttons -- not a very sold feel to it. Customer service was also slow and a bit apathetic.

Pros: I give the styling 3 out of 5 stars
Cons: off balance, poor backlight, doesn't program fast/well, won't control devices consistantly, etc

I normally believe "you get what you pay for" but woah, not here.
This remote takes an hour and a half to setup, start to finish.
Then during testing, all kinds of problems. It won't consistantly perform the same operations. It loses settings. There is considerable "tuning" to this remote to get it to perform how you need it to. Just to operate the DVR, DVD-R, Radio, and the general settings the Amp has....
What a headache.
Then you turn the lights out to watch a movie and you can't see the buttons on the remote, poor backlight.

Theres gotta be a better remote for this sort of money...

Pros: None.
Cons: Poor interface software, cheap-plastic feel, non-intuitive button placement, slow updates.

In hopes of retiring about 7 remote controls, I purchased the "universal" Harmony 520 from Logitech. I have several other Logitech accessories, but this was the first remote control. I was NOT at all pleased. The web-based interface (I'm using XP Personal on a 1.8GHZ Dell with 1GB RAM) stalled repeatedly, necessitating a re-boot of the system. To boil it down, I could NOT get this remote control to work correctly with my equipment (Pioneer PVR, Pioneer A/V receiver/amp, Pioneer LaserDisc player, Toshiba TV, Toshiba VCR, Motorola digital cable box). The "Activitites" function never worked correctly no matter how many times I reprogrammed the thing. I tried the "automatic" setup and the "manual" setup, removed and re-installed the software, and still no luck. I paid $159.00 Canadian and returned it for a 90% refund about 12 days later. I have since replaced it with a different maker's remote and am quite happy with that, so far.

Pros: It's a Logitech Harmony.
Cons: The screen is virtually unreadable.

I already owned a Harmony 720 for my main AV system. I LOVE that remote, but I couldn't justify the cost of another 720 for my bedroom system, so I bought the 520. I really wanted to like it, but couldn't. There's nothing wrong with the functionality, but the font on the screen is too small and too dim to read easily. The backlight doesn't help it any - in fact it makes it worse. I finally took it back and purchased a Harmony 550 for only about $10 more. The Harmony 550 remote is a great compromise between the 520 and 720. Although I love Harmony remotes, I do NOT recommend the 520.