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The Family Remote. If you want your entire family to be able to use the entertainment system to its fullest, the simple layout and one-touch Activity Buttons makes the 659 the ideal choice. Main Features Manufacturer: Logitech Manufacturer Part Number: 966179-0403 Manufacturer Website Address: www logitech dot com Product Type: Universal Remote Wireless Technology: Infrared Interfaces/Ports: 1 x USB (Receiver) Dimensions: 8.1" Height x 2.3" Width x 1.3" Depth Weight: 5.8 oz

This was a replacement for a Harmony that I accidentally dropped on the floor, shattering the display. The new unit arrived, I plugged it into my computer to reprogram it, and was back using it in under 5 minutes. Perfect.

I had this remote for less than 9 months before it stopped working entirely. It's fine as a remote, although the software is finicky in connecting to the remote for updates. However, one day it wouldn't connect to the computer at all and within a week, the remote wouldn't power on. Not worth it unless you can get it for pennies on the dollar.

I bought this one as a gift as I own another model. This remote is extremely easy to use and will be the last remote you ever need to buy. Your components are all easily controlled with this one remote and the set-up is straight forward using prompts to on the web and through Logitech's program. Easily update the remote for new components in your system. I was very impressed. Everyone with a complicated surround sound system should own one.

I wore out my first 659 and am now using my second. I'm not in love with it, but I would not be without one. It does what it does very very well. Of course controlling everything from one remote is the way things oughta be. That's a given. And this remote does that very well. The only thing I do NOT like about it is the number buttons are at the very bottom of the remote and require extreme manual dexterity to operate with only one hand. It uses 4 AAA batteries and battery life is acceptable. However, Harmony now does a rechargeable all-in-one and I'm shopping! The batteries NEVER fail at a good time - like cordless mice. We have four LARGE dogs who routinely manage to tromp on the Harmony, knock it around, have once chewed on it and it's like a Timex watch - takes a lickin' and keeps on clickin'.
The real "magic" behind the remote is the concept. I did NOT like this at first, but now that I get it, I think it's brilliant. There are two aspects of the concept of operations: programming and activities. Programming is not "automatic", although it has gotten much better. The concept is you select your peripherals (TV, DVD player, AV Amp, etc) from devices on the Harmony web site. A LOT of devices are already there - which is good. This means things like AV Amp sources are probably already listed for your AV Amp. So all you need to know is how each device needs to be set in order to create an "activity" from your list of installed devices. For example, When you watch TV you have to turn on your satellite receiver (because no one who is cool has cable), your AV Amp and your TV. Your AV Amp must be set to SAT or something similar to use the satellite receiver to display sat TV. When you create the "Watch TV" activity an online "wizard" pretty much walks you through settings. In fact, it CAN automatically set up devices for an activity, although I chose not to use that. If you have unique settings, you can add these as well.

Unless your device (AV Amp, DVD player, etc) is one of the first production models, there is a very good chance it is already on the Harmony web site list so you do not have to enter all the possible settings. If you're on the bleeding edge, you may have to manually enter settings and that is a chore. Other users who purchase the same device will be grateful you got there first though!
So, you list devices online for your remote and then create "activities" for the things you do with the devices - Watch TV, Watch Movies, Listen to music, etc. You can even add iPod adapters (or "docks") for devices like Yamaha AV Amps who support these options. So people who are willing to tolerate Apple devices will be happy to know they can control avtivities using these devices.
In case this is not already obvious, all the programming and activity creation/modification are online. Remember, this is working with a shared database of devices used by all Harmony users. You connect the remote to a USB cable when all the online work is done and the programming data is sent to the remote. The online software is MUCH MUCH better than when I first started using a Hamony. It's almost easy and intuitive - but not quite. When you get to the part where you transfer data to the connected remote, it CAN be a little tricky. You may have to take matters into your own hands. The good news is, when this has happened to me the online software recovered and picked up where it needed and pressed right on. If your a Windows and Internet Explorer user, you should also watch for the download file warning that internet exploder will put up letting you know it's blocking the download. It's easy to miss and Microsoft deserves a kick in the backside for implementing that the way they did.
Overall, the Harmony is a great concept. They do what they're supposed to do and they do it pretty well. Direct TV, Mitsubishi and Yamaha remotes all try to be all-in-ones, but they fail in their approach because they use coding to try to make switches on the remote control devices instead of using the "activity" concept. The Harmony I have - 659 - is close to the bottom of the line and probably close to going end-of-life. The newer remotes probably do some things much better (like rechargeable battery support). Nevertheless, I've been very happy with my 659s and highly recommend Harmony remotes to anyone who wants to get rid of the basket of remotes and the frustration that comes with using them.

The Harmony 659 is an excellent universal remote. I have never found a universal remote that would control my cd player, and this one does. The program for setting up the remote is easy to use and after a few minor modifications and a short amount of time, my remote was set up how I wanted it.

The only complaint that I have is that the lcd display is always on (even when no components are on). This makes the battery die fast.

The remote is expensive, though the lowest priced Harmony remote I could find, but worth it; the price of batteries will add up as well.