Logitech Harmony 885 review

The slow transformation of the living room from a comfy chair by the fire into a high-tech home entertainment hub isn't without its problems.

A shortage of mains sockets is certainly one, but for most people, finding - and then figuring out - the right remote control from the half dozen that sit on top of the telly is more pressing. Logitech's Harmony 885 universal remote won't help with the power problem (it comes with its own mains-powered docking cradle to recharge its batteries), but it should make controlling even the most complicated TV setup straightforward.

Unlike many universal remotes, the Harmony looks very user-friendly, and its light, rounded shape fits neatly in the hand. The most-often used buttons fall neatly under the thumb, but they don't do anything until the Harmony has been properly set up - and for that, you need to plug it into a USB port and head to the Harmony website.

Here, you start by choosing the devices that you want to control, and the list of manufacturers and models covers every device imaginable. This done, you then create one or more 'activities' that specify how your devices are used. For example, 'watch a DVD' might involve turning on the TV and switching to its DVD player input, turning on the amp and switching to its DVD input, then turning on the DVD player and pressing Play. Where this would usually involve at least three different remotes, the Harmony does it with the push of a button.

Setting up each activity takes some time, but the website explains each step clearly. Unfortunately, the setup procedure isn't entirely trouble-free and while most problems can be fixed with the troubleshooting tools, some are less easy to solve. For instance, commands that use buttons not found on the Harmony are mapped to 'soft' keys at each side of its colour display and some devices end up with page after page of mostly useless commands. Conversely, some commands are skipped altogether and while adding new ones is possible, you need to use the website's more convoluted advanced configuration pages.

The palaver involved in getting the Harmony working exactly how you want is a little at odds with its eventual idiot-proof operation, but if you enjoy fiddling with such things, you'll love it.

If you just want a universal remote that handles the basics and doesn't take two hours to get working though, you'll be better off with something simpler - and cheaper.