Do you have a pile of remotes on your coffee table for each of the items in your home theater? Tired of universal remotes that don’t have enough buttons? Here’s how to solve all your remote control woes with a single Logitech Harmony remote.

Logitech Harmony 300 Download
Logitech Harmony 300 Remote Setup
How To Program The Logitech G300s Mouse
Logitech Harmony 300 Remote
How To Program The Logitech Harmony 300 Programming Manual

Logitech’s Harmony line is designed to take the hassle out of controlling your home theater (and, on certain higher-end remotes, your smarthome devices, too). While it doesn’t really eliminate the hassle entirely–since Logitech’s setup software is a little awful–it does give you far more control over the movies, music, and other devices in your living room. Here, we’ll show you how to set up your Harmony remote to control everything at once.

Note: These instructions should work with any Harmony remote using Logitech Harmony Remote Software 7. Step 1: Add the Device. - Select Add Device. - Select Device --> DVD --> DVD (yes, Logitech thinks it is a DVD) - Select Manufacturer --> Roku. - Enter the Model Name. Step 2: Create an Activity. - Select Add Activity. Logitech universal remotes are programmed through your computer using Harmony software. Turn on your computer and go to Logitech.com to download your Harmony remote's software onto your PC. Click on the 'Products' link on the top of Logitech's Home page. Select 'Remotes' -> 'Harmony Remotes' from the drop-down menu and click on your remote model. The Logitech 915-000132 Harmony 300 Universal Remote Control is a universal remote with programmable buttons that bring you showtime in no time. With the Harmony 300, youll see just what you need. Using a Logitech Harmony 550 remote as the example in this article, it is actually quite easy to program your universal remote despite the difference in programming procedures. Logitech universal remotes are programmed through your computer using Harmony software.

NOTE: If you can, try to follow these instructions as closely as possible. While Logitech makes some great hardware, their software is not very good, and things can go wonky and get confusing very easily (especially when it comes to remotes with the Harmony Hub). The closer you follow these instructions to the letter, and in the proper order, the less chance you have of running into a problem.

First: Choose Your Remote Model

Logitech has a few different remotes available, and they’re all ideal for different situations. Their current lineup consists of:

The Harmony 350 ($40, $37 on Amazon): This is Logitech’s most basic remote, offering control of eight devices through four buttons (one set with short presses, one set with long presses). It works like most universal remotes do, but offers the advantage of programmable buttons. It has one macro for “Watch TV” that will turn on multiple devices at once, but other than that, it doesn’t offer any other advanced functionality.
The Harmony 650 ($80, $52 on Amazon): This is my personal favorite of the bunch–it offers a great balance between functionality and price. It can control up to eight devices, you can create different “macros” that turn on multiple devices at once, and it has a screen for any functions that aren’t available as remote buttons. That means you can re-create just about any device’s remote with the Harmony 650, and press fewer buttons to turn them on…all for about $50. Never root through that drawer full of remotes again.
The Harmony Companion ($150, $125 on Amazon): The Harmony Companion foregoes the 650’s on-screen buttons, but adds smarthome control with the inclusion of the Harmony Hub. This is Logitech’s cheapest and most basic smarthome remote. Not only can you control your home theater, but you can dim your smart lights, turn on a smart outlet, or even operate your motorized blinds with the press of a button. The remote has four smart home buttons–any more devices than that, and you’ll have to use the Harmony app on your phone or tablet that connects to the Hub.
The Harmony Elite ($350, $312 on Amazon): The Harmony Elite is Logitech’s top-of-the-line remote, with full custom control of your home theater and smarthome devices. The Elite can control up to 15 devices through programmable buttons, as well as a screen, so you can add any custom controls the buttons don’t cover. That also means that unlike the Companion, you can control more smarthome devices than the four “Home” buttons allow for. Since it also comes with the Harmony Hub, you can use the Logitech app to control all your devices too, but the remote is advanced enough that you probably don’t need to.
The Harmony Ultimate One ($250): The Harmony Ultimate One is cheaper than the Elite, but we’re listing it last because it occupies a very weird space between the Companion and the Elite. It’s essentially the old version of the Elite, that Logitech still makes (for some reason). Its functionality is nearly the same as its successor (see above), but the touch screen is a little slower, and the play, pause, and rewind buttons are inexplicably above the touch screen. It costs $250 on Amazon when bundled with the Harmony Hub, which gives you smarthome control and use of the Harmony mobile app. However, you can buy it on its own for $190 and use it as a standard infrared remote–though I don’t know why you would, when the Harmony 650 does the same for only $50.

Which remote you choose is up to you, but if you want control for smarthome devices, you’ll definitely need one of the latter three. You can see Logitech’s smarthome compatibility list here. The hub that comes with the latter three remotes works with quite a few devices, but the Harmony Home Hub Extender extends that support to many ZigBee and Z-Wave devices for $100.

If you only want home theater control, I recommend the Harmony 650–it’s well worth the extra $15 over the Harmony 350. If you have smarthome devices, the Companion is okay, but the Ultimate One and Elite will be much more versatile thanks to their touch screens. You can probably save money by going with the Ultimate One, provided you can get over the weird button placement and less responsive touch screen.

For the purposes of this guide, we’ll only walk through the initial setup of home theater devices–well cover smarthome devices in a separate guide very soon.

All About Activities, the Central Function of Harmony Remotes

Most cheaper universal remotes–like the one that probably came with your cable DVR, or the one you got for $20 at RadioShack–let you control multiple devices from the same remote by pressing a device button, then using the remote to control that device. But most can only control one device at a time.

Logitech’s remotes are different. They let you control each device separately, if you want, but they expect you to primarily use multi-device “Activities”. So, instead of turning on your TV, then pressing the DVD button to control the DVD player, you’d press “Watch a Movie” on your Logitech remote, which will turn on the TV, set it to the correct input, and turn on the DVD player. You can assign some buttons to the DVD player, and some to the TV for that Activity to fit your use case best. If you want to switch to another activity–say, “Listen to Music”–it’ll re-adjust the buttons (and on-screen functions, if applicable) to music rather than movies.

If that sounds confusing, don’t worry–you’ll get the hang of it once you start setting up your remote. Suffice to say, if you’ve only used cheaper universal remotes up until now, try to forget your old instincts. It’ll feel weird at first, but once set up, you’ll have a fully-customized remote designed around what you’re doing, not what devices you have.

NOTE: The Harmony 350 is the only exception here, since it only allows for one activity. For the most part, using the Harmony 350 is like using a normal remote–you’ll press a device button like “DVD”, then use the remote buttons to control the DVD player.

How to Set Up Your Initial Devices and Activities

Alright, at this point you’re probably itching to get started. Here’s how to set up your remote using Logitech’s MyHarmony software.

Step One: Download and Install the MyHarmony Software

To start, head to Logitech’s Download page and download the MyHarmo

How To Program The Logitech Harmony 300 Programming