Logitech's been in the universal remote game for a long while now, and while many of its efforts have been solid, they've never been complete game changers. Enter the Logitech Harmony Elite remote, the latest flagship device in the Harmony line-up that sports Wi-Fi powers, a touchscreen and a slick recharging dock to keep it topped up. Is it the ultimate remote for your home entertainment centre though? We fired one up to find out.
The good
Logitech's brand new top-of-the-line remote, the Harmony Elite, is the latest in the universal remote line-up, comprising of the hefty touchscreen and button-equipped remote itself, a charging dock and the Harmony Hub, a small little puck that shares much in size with a Roku or an Apple TV. That's all included in the box, along with some RF blasters to control older equipment, and while it might already sound a bit more complicated than your standard all-in-one remote, it's well worth setting up everything right.
The Hub itself is where the magic happens - it's an IR blaster itself, it can control additional wired remote IR blasters too, and it can hook up to your Wi-Fi and take control of plenty of other connected devices, from Philips Hue lights, to other set-top boxes, your Sonos system, game consoles, thermostats and more - Logitech's always teaching it new things, so it'll alway be learning new tricks as other hardware makers hop onto the Harmony standard. It also links up with the Elite remote over RF, meaning you can tuck things away, and you can control the volume from a room away if needed.
Getting set up is as easy as charging up the remote (battery life is great too, as we saw it barely go below halfway even with a week away from the dock), plugging in the Harmony Hub and downloading the Harmony app onto your smartphone (it's on iOS and Android) - you're pretty much good to go from here. Once you've fired up the app, you'll have to press one single button on the back of the Hub, choose a Wi-Fi network on the app for your Hub to connect to, and you're pretty much done. Once it's on your network, you can then choose for what devices for the hub to connect to, as it'll pick up plenty of what it can see already, such as a Roku box or your internet-connected Smart TV, and you can then add others too with a quick search, such as your Xbox One, Nest thermostat or Amazon Fire TV. Bluetooth devices like your PlayStation 4 need an extra pairing step, but it's a minor quibble to get through to then use the remote.
Once you've set up your devices, you can then set up 'activities', which are comprised of one or more functions to get you right into what you want. Create an activity called 'Play Xbox', for example, and you can set the Harmony to turn on your TV and Xbox and automatically switch to the right video input on your telly - and you can do that for plenty of other options, such as 'Watch Netflix', or 'Turn on all lights' - which can be handy for when you're arriving home late. You can use the app to switch things on even when you're not at home, as you can connect through the cloud while you're out and about and you can switch off the lights you forgot about or get the coffee machine going before you arrive home.
The remote itself is a great piece of kit with solid feeling buttons, a sensible layout and a responsive touchscreen that actually works - you won't get frustrated with this remote at all. There are even dedicated buttons at the bottom for lightbulbs or remote sockets, which is ideal if you want to switch your lights on without leaving the couch.
The bad
While the Logitech Harmony Elite excels at replacing practically all of your remotes, it is pretty pricey. At £279.99, you'll need to really take your home entertainment seriously if you're going to make the most of it, as you need plenty of devices to control to make it worth the price of admission. If you do have an exhaustive amount of gadgets to control, it's a total lifesaver, and you'll leave all your extra other remotes to gather dust in your drawer.
That said, while Logitech's catalogue of devices is exhaustive, there may be the odd chance it won't have what you need included - but that can be solved with programming step. Just direct the remote you want to use to the IR receiver on the underside of the Elite remote, and it can start to learn quickly and easily. The touchscreen itself on the remote isn't quite as crisp as the latest smartphones either, but it does the job well but we couldn't help but wish it was a bit better.
The bottom line
Logitech's Harmony Elite is an essential piece of kit if you've got far too many remotes lying around and you want to consolidate them into one slick piece of hardware. It's smart, user friendly and its multi-device functions are a life-saver. It's very pricey though, with the Elite kit costing £279.99, but you can grab most of the functionality from the cheaper £119.99 Harmony Companion which lacks the touchscreen, or from the £99.99 Hub to just use your smartphone as a remote. The Elite set though, while pricey, is well worth checking out if you have far too many gadgets you need to rein in - you'll never need to hunt for a remote again.
