The thing with Harmony is that if you've no experience of anything better, then what it offers as a brand seems like a big step up from multiple remotes. For what it is, it's inexpensive. It's easy to program thanks mostly to the wizard and online driven programming system. It has macros, and they even have a solution for PS3 Bluetooth.
There are other products around. Philips Prestigio has been mentioned. There's also product from URC and RTI. The latter two are entry-level products in the respective manufacturer's ranges. Those ranges go way above the capabilities of Harmony, and way above in price too. They're products for people who want something more comprehensive and bespoke, and are happy to pay what it costs for that level of customisation.
A big part of the cost of all these solutions is the handset; particularly those with large touch screens. So it makes sense to try and use the sophistication of a smartphone and cut down on a major expense. Several companies have tried marrying app programming with Bluetooth to wireless converters. On the whole these haven't been very successful though.
The best known is perhaps the Gear4
UnityRemote. It's hardware and an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The problem with it is two-fold. First, the app feels clunky and disjointed. It's more like a collection of remotes on your iPhone rather than a tailored control solution. Sadly that's the problem when stepping out of the confines of the neat self-contained app world. The number of variables increases at an alarming rate. Suddenly there's issues such as a device didn't respond or something takes too long to change mode so the follow-up codes get ignored.
The second is a problem of maintaining a reliable connection. Bluetooth is okay if two devices can buffer. But when you just want volume down or channel up then you don't want to wait for a handshake because the connection went to sleep. It needs to be instant. The review casts the product in a positive light. However, I have a couple of customers who tried the Gear4 solution themselves. What I have said above is taken from their experiences with the product. When it worked it was okay for basic control. The trouble was the software was too simplistic for more than basic control and trying to maintain a Bluetooth connection and juggling the power drain just proved to be too big a hurdle for reliable operation. Direct infra red from a handset doesn't have these limitations. If you're still keen to try this though, I can put you in touch with one customer who has the UnityRemote languishing unused in his cable box.
Harmony is experimenting with an app solution at the moment. The
Harmony Smart combines a conventional remote control with an app for IOS or Android and a mini IR blaster. The idea is to port the control interface to a larger screen. The solution has been available for a year now. The reviews are still mixed. The problem is the same issue that Harmony has with all it's customisable remotes: You have no real control about where buttons end up. There's only so much physical space on a remote. So the touch screens have multiple pages that can be tabbed through to expand the button count. The problem comes when you start to populate those pages. If you need buttons for sound processing, or for picture modes, or just to use something more than the basic device controls, then those buttons could be scattered anywhere throughout the tabbed pages. It then becomes a chore to keep flicking through pages just to change Dolby mode or to call up your Sky favourites channels. Because the software has to be "one size fits all", then it manages never to fit anyone.
Over all though, the budget Harmony remotes do a decent job so long as your needs are simple.
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