Logitech Harmony
Logitech Harmony is a line of remote controls and home automation products formerly produced by Logitech. The line includes universal remote products designed for controlling the components of home theater systems and other devices that can be controlled via infrared, as well as newer smart home hub products that can be used to additionally control supported Internet of things and Smart home products, and allow the use of mobile apps to control devices. Logitech stopped manufacturing Harmony remotes in 2021 and discontinued support for older models in 2025.
History
The Harmony remote control was originally created in 2001 by Easy Zapper, a Canadian company, and first sold in November 2001. The company later changed its name to Intrigue Technologies and was located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Computer peripheral manufacturer Logitech acquired it in May 2004 for US$29 million, turning Harmony remotes into a worldwide phenomenon.In April 2021, Logitech announced the decision to discontinue the manufacturing of Harmony remotes. In 2025, they announced that support for older models that depended on the Harmony Remote software would end on May 28, 2025., models that are compatible with the newer MyHarmony app are still supported.
Features
All Harmony remotes are set up online using an external configuration software. For all models this can be done using a computer running Microsoft Windows or MacOS to which they need to be connected via USB cable; the Elite and Ultimate models can also be configured wirelessly using a smartphone app for Android or iOS.Each remote has infrared learning capability, and can upload information about a new remote to an online device database. 5000+ brands of devices were supported.
All Harmony remotes support one-touch activity-based control, which allows control of multiple devices at once. For example, a home theater setup might include a TV, a digital set top box and a home theater sound system. Pressing the 'Watch TV' activity button on the remote will turn on the TV, turn on digital set top box, turn on the sound system, switch the input of TV to the digital set top box and switch the input of the sound system to the set top box. In addition, the volume buttons would be mapped to the sound system, the channel buttons would be mapped to the digital set top box, and other controls to the most appropriate system component for the activity. The remote would remember which devices were powered on or off and which inputs devices had previously been switched to, allowing it to transition the devices from one activity to another without sending redundant or incorrect commands.
Programming
Older-model Harmony remotes used Harmony Remote software, which allowed users to update the remote configuration, learn IR commands, and upgrade the remote control's firmware.Version 6 of the software required a web browser; newer versions are Java-based. The software required constant Internet connectivity while programming the remote, as remote control codes were downloaded from Logitech. This method allowed updates to the product database, remote codes, and macro sequences to be easily distributed. This also allowed Logitech to survey their market to determine which products to investigate and research. Harmony Remote software was available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
On March 31, 2010, Logitech launched a new website and app called "MyHarmony" which replaced the Harmony Remote software for newer-model remotes. The Harmony 700 and Harmony One remotes were compatible with either software. Other remotes from 2009 and earlier were only compatible with Harmony Remote, while later remotes were only compatible with MyHarmony.
In 2025, Logitech announced that support for older models that depended on the Harmony Remote software would end on May 28, 2025. Remotes will continue to work, but can no longer be reprogrammed. Models that are compatible with the MyHarmony app can still be programmed.
Products
Harmony remote model numbers are not sequential, but are grouped into "series" reflecting their cost and performance.;200 and 300 series: Released after 2010, these are very basic universal remotes that use the Harmony software and design.
;500 series: Released between 2005 and 2008, the 500-series remotes are mid-range products with a squared-off physical design. These remotes offered control of up to 15 devices at a more affordable price than some later models. The remotes have a back-lit monochrome LCD screen.
;600 series: These mid-range remotes have an "hourglass" shape designed to fit well in the hand.
;700 series: The 700-series remotes offer higher performance than the 500 and 600 series models. They were released throughout the time Harmony remotes were produced. They came in various shapes.
;800–1000 series: These remotes were high-end products aimed at audiophiles with complex audiovisual systems to control.
;Home automation products: Logitech released a variety of products designed for control of home automation as well as audiovisual systems. Many of these products had names rather than model numbers.
First generation
First-generation Harmony remotes use the Harmony Remote software, rather than the MyHarmony software used by newer models. In March 2025, Logitech announced that it was dropping support for its first-generation Harmony remotes. As a result, it is no longer possible to reprogram these remotes.2004–2006
;Harmony 520: The Harmony 520 is a mid-range remote with a squared-off physical design compared to the hourglass design of the 6xx series. It has a blue back-light and monochrome LCD screen. These 5xx models are equipped with an infrared learning port to learn IR signals of unsupported or unknown devices. By pointing an original remote control at the Harmony's learning port, it is able to copy and reproduce those codes and, in the case of supported devices, it is able to figure out what the remote is used to control and imports that device. They require 4 AAA batteries. A mini USB port is used to connect these to a computer for programming. The 520 was sold in the United states. It can control up to 15 devices.;Harmony 525: The Harmony 525 is the European version of the 520. It has 50 buttons compared to the 520's 46. The added buttons are red, green, yellow and blue buttons that are used for things like teletext and PVR control. The 525 can control up to 15 devices.
;Harmony 550: The harmony 550 remote is a variant of the 520 remote, made of higher-grade materials with different colors. It has 52 buttons. The added buttons are up arrow, down arrow, A, B, and sound and picture buttons that change the button mapping on the remote, allowing for reuse of the same physical buttons for a different set of functions. The remote has a blue backlight.
;Harmony 555: The Harmony 555 is the European version of the 550 with four color buttons like the 525 instead of the up/down arrow and A/B buttons. The backlight is orange.
;Harmony for Xbox 360: This member of the 5xx series was marketed as a companion to the Xbox 360. It runs the same software as other 5xx-series remotes. The Harmony 360 is pre-configured to be used with the Xbox 360 console and has special buttons, X, Y, A, B and media center control, correlating with the buttons on native Xbox controllers. It has a back-lit LCD screen and uses four AAA batteries.
The hardware layout is mostly the same as the 550, but with the extra up/down arrows of the 550 removed to make room for the colored X, Y, A and B buttons beneath the play and pause rows. The Harmony for Xbox 360 has the most hardware buttons of any in the 500 series: 54, counting the four direction arrow keys. It can control up to 12 devices.
;Harman/Kardon TC 30: The Harman/Kardon TC 30 appears to be a redesigned, rebranded Harmony 52x with a cradle and a color LCD. The LCD has eight items compared to the four of the rest of the Harmony 5xx series. Images exist of the TC 30 both with and without the teletext color buttons, indicating that there were separate American and European versions. It seems to require different software from the Logitech branded remotes — the software was available from Logitech via harmonyremote.com.
;Harmony 720: The Harmony 720 was initially offered exclusively through Costco in 2006 and featured a color screen and backlit keys. It was designed as an inexpensive replacement for the earlier Harmony 880, with few differences except for the ergonomic design and key layout. It was later made available through other vendors, but was not listed on Logitech's product page.
The Harmony 720 remote is closely related to the 500 series, with a square shape and a layout akin to those remotes. The buttons above the LCD are similar to those on the Harmony 525. The 720 has a colour LCD with six buttons/activities instead of four. The eight play/stop etc. buttons have been moved to the lower part. The Mute and Prev buttons have been moved and in their place there are extra up and down buttons as on the 550. Compared to the 500 series, the glow button has been removed. These remotes do not have the Sound and Picture buttons to change key mappings, like the 550/555 remotes do. Lacking red, green, yellow and blue colour buttons, the 720 has 49 buttons. It can control up to 12 devices.
;Harmony 745: Logitech sold the original Easy Zapper Harmony remote for a while as the Harmony 745. It had much of the functionality of later models and could control up to 15 devices, but lacked the stylish design of later models.
;Harmony 880: The Harmony 880 was the first Harmony with a color LCD screen and a rechargeable battery. There was a short-lived 880Pro that had the picture and sound buttons. This remote did not feature multi-room/multi-controller support like the 890Pro.
;Harmony 885: The Harmony 885 is the European version of the 880, with four color keys used for Teletext and some set-top boxes instead of the up and down arrow keys.
;Harmony 890/895: The Harmony 890/895 is the same as the 880/885, but it adds radio frequency capability, enabling the remote to control devices even without line-of-sight to and from different rooms, up to a range of 30 meters. This remote control cannot control proprietary RF devices, but it can control special Z-Wave RF devices, as well as IR devices without line-of-sight via the RF extender.
;Harmony 890Pro: The 890Pro adds multi-room and multi-controller support, as well as a different color scheme. It also adds two buttons — picture and sound — that allow for quick access to picture- and sound-related commands. It was not listed on the Logitech Web site and was sold through custom installation companies. The 890Pro was not shipped with the RF extender.