Installing Harmony 1000

Being a Harmony remote controller freak for years, it’s sad to learn that my Harmony 880 is dead after 4 years of services. And since the Harmony 1100 is not available in town yet, so I decided to buy the dated Harmony 1000 as a replacement. And … what a mistake ?!

All I wanted was to transfer all my 880 setup (stored in the Internet as XML files) to the model 1000 and it took me four hours to complete the job (countless installing, uninstalling, search for solutions, restarts etc. etc.). Even though the installation process is similar for all the Harmony remote controllers, the model 1000 hardware and firmware are just too crappy. Anyway, I hope this post can help Harmony 1000 owners to install it.

First, you have to ensure that you have:

• the latest version of the Harmony software for your PC,
• the firmware for the controller, and
• the activity profile (i.e. how to control your TV, amplifier, players etc.).

Getting the up-to-date Harmony software is easy- just connect to the net and it will do the upgrade. Getting the activity profile right is also a piece of cake (for me I have it created it a few years back). However, for the firmware (after you downloaded from the site), it is a lot tricky as you need to make sure your PC can connect to the remote controller and install the latest firmware to it.

I spent hours just to make it work (i.e. the PC to recognize the controller), but found the solution eventually – i.e. turn the controller into “Save mode” whenever you need to reboot the controller. And the step to do it is to hold the on/off button while you are inserting the rechargeable battery into the controller.

So, before you do anything, try turn the controller to save mode first. Then when you install the firmware or when you update the activity profile to the controller, the controller may need to reboot itself – and don’t forget also turn to save mode manually during this reboot step.

Other things you may want to check are whether you need to relax or disable your firewall / anti-virus software during the installation; whether you are using an USB port or an USB hub. Also, don’t forget to check AVForums.com, RemoteCentral.com and Logitech.com for other support information that can help solving your problems.

Lastly, some photos of the original Harmony Easy Zapper I bought 7 years ago, and then the rest Harmony remotes … 768, 880 and 1100. See how technology advances in the last 7 years !!

Author: Michael Yung

Michael possessed over 30 years of experience in Information Technology with focuses on complex application development, database technologies and IT strategy. He also spent the last 20 years in Internet technology, eCommerce development / operations, web usability, computer security and Public Key Infrastructure technologies. View all posts by Michael Yung