Range on Logitech Harmony remotes?

[Jermyzy]

I have a bell dual-tuner PVR satellite receiver. Main receiver is in the living room and my second TV is in the bedroom. My bell remote for the bedroom is not working (for some reason, it eats through batteries in a week, even if I`m not using it. I managed to pick up a Harmony 200 remote for cheap, and just before I opened it up, I wondered whether or not the remote would work in my bedroom since my main receiver is in the living room. Do I need a UHF remote for it to work in another room, or will the Harmony work? Alternatively, does anybody know why my remote is eating through batteries so quickly?

[Cman333]

You're Harmony remote basically should work more or less exactly like your Bell Remote. So if your Bell Remote works now your Harmony should work too. It is basically using the same signal.

Pretty easy to program too. Download the software from logitech, create an account,plug in via USB, select what products you want to control. Make sure you have the brand and model #'s of the things you want the remote to control.

[winson604]

Just open it and try it out. If you don't like it you can return it anyways. I finally ended up getting one about a year ago. Forget which model but it was like the $100 one. It was easy to program but I had a horrible experience with it. It was quite a while ago so I don't remember exactly what it was that bugged me but it had something to do with when switching betweem devices and doing certain things were really more of a hassle then a convenience. I returned it and just went back to using multiple remotes. I know a lot of people have a really godo experience with the Harmony so I'm not sure if it was just my model that sucked or not.

[Jermyzy]

Originally Posted by Cman333

You're Harmony remote basically should work more or less exactly like your Bell Remote. So if your Bell Remote works now your Harmony should work too. It is basically using the same signal.

Pretty easy to program too. Download the software from logitech, create an account,plug in via USB, select what products you want to control. Make sure you have the brand and model #'s of the things you want the remote to control.

I thought Harmony uses IR only whereas the bell remote uses radio signal which allows it to work through walls? I bought it from staples, their return policy says the product has to be in saleable condition in original packaging, so I don't want to open until I'm sure it works

[Culverin]

Originally Posted by Jermyzy

I thought Harmony uses IR only whereas the bell remote uses radio signal which allows it to work through walls? I bought it from staples, their return policy says the product has to be in saleable condition in original packaging, so I don't want to open until I'm sure it works

Why don't you return it and buy it from a place with a better return policy so you can actually try it out first?

[Great68]

Harmony 200 will not work from another room.

Only the Harmony 900 can do RF.

[DJ Milk]

Originally Posted by Great68

Harmony 200 will not work from another room.

Only the Harmony 900 can do RF.

The Harmony 900 can do RF but it doesn't directly control the Bell receiver with RF. The remote sends RF signal to an extender which converts the signal to IR. So I don't think the 900 can even control the RF side of the Bell dual tuner receiver.

I just found this on the Logitech website
http://blog.logitech.com/2010/04/06/...ol-rf-devices/

Will Harmony remotes control my RF (Radio Frequency) device? We get lots of emails from customers asking this question. Customers want to know if Harmony can control devices like their RF ceiling fan or RF fireplace. Well, the answer is no. All Harmony models, including the new Harmony 300, can only control IR (infrared) devices. Harmony remotes cannot control RF devices.

This may seem contrary to what you may have read about some Harmony models including the Harmony 900 and 1100 remotes, using RF (when used with the RF Wireless Extender). So if Harmony can’t control RF devices, how does the Harmony Remote use RF?

The Harmony 900, 890, 1000 and 1100 use RF technology, but none of them use RF to directly control the device. They all use a combination of IR and RF. Here’s how it works:

You press Watch TV on your Harmony remote to start watching the news
The RF signals are sent from your Harmony Remote to the RF Wireless Extender or Harmony RF System which can be located inside your cabinet
The Harmony RF Wireless Extender or Harmony RF System then converts the RF signals into IR commands which are relayed to the devices
The IR commands reach your devices
RF allows you to control devices that are hidden inside closed cabinets — so you can get the clean and minimalist look that is so popular with home entertainment setups today.

[Manic!]

If you can run another cable you can use this.
For only $2.56 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 5ft IR Extender Cable (Receiver) | IR Extenders

you can extend the cable with a 3.5.m male to female cable.

[Cman333]

Originally Posted by Jermyzy

I thought Harmony uses IR only whereas the bell remote uses radio signal which allows it to work through walls? I bought it from staples, their return policy says the product has to be in saleable condition in original packaging, so I don't want to open until I'm sure it works

If that's the case your $20 harmony won't work.

Not sure which ones do RF, or if there's any other brands that do. Most remotes are IR.

Might be better off asking Bell for a new remote. Most the times they give it to you free. I know when I had issues Shaw just gave me a new remote. Or look online for a used one.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by Snoop Monkey Monk

The Harmony 900 can do RF but it doesn't directly control the Bell receiver with RF. The remote sends RF signal to an extender which converts the signal to IR. So I don't think the 900 can even control the RF side of the Bell dual tuner receiver.

I just found this on the Logitech website
Blog.Logitech | Harmony Tips and Tricks: Does the Harmony Remote Control RF Devices?

Bell receivers can take both an IR and RF signal. My uncle can control his bell PVR with his harmony 750 via IR.

So the RF extender of the harmony 900 would work.

[MTV Cribs]

I think what's he's means is the Bell receiver uses IR to control the main tv which any Harmony remote can do. But OP wants to control a tv in another room which uses RF signal for its command which the Harmony 900 can't do. The Harmony 900 can control the main tv with RF by converting it into IR via the extender but can't control the bedroom tv.

[twitchyzero]

is this something you are looking for?
Logitech Harmony® - RF System
Logitech Harmony® - RF Wireless Extender

pricey but you can probably find something similar on monoprice. I got my ps3 harmony adapter in the states for $45...it goes for like $70-80 here.
not sure if you are willing to shell out that money considering you bought your H200 for $20 lol

[Jermyzy]

Thanks for all the advice guys, i think cheapest way is to return the harmony 200 and buy a used bell remote off ebay or craigslist (too bad, my mom switched from bell to shaw a few months ago and threw out all her remotes already )