Which Universal Remote best supporst Z-Wave products?

I do training nationally for the Harmony remotes and one of the best features of the 890 is the ZWave compliant capabilities. Of the systems that I've been involved with for set up there have been no problems. The only concerns were when the product first came out, the software wasn't 100% compatible with ZWave so there were some problems, which have long since been fixed. There's also a new product launching next month called the 1000 from Harmony which will be a touch screen product with a 3.5" screen and all the capabilities of the 890. However with the 890, you get the RF extenders, which you don't get in the box of the 1000, you will need to buy it separately.

Is there a remote under $500 that will control my entire system and that I can program without a degree in remote programming?

If you're looking to spend up to $400 then you've got quite a few options, but as I'm sure you've heard in your research the Harmony remote is the way to go. As far as what you've got I have similar products, and own three Harmony Remotes, each in a different room of my house. I also do training for them Nationally, so I know the products very well.The coolest thing about a Harmony remote is that it truly will replace all of your remotes. Here's a breakdown of how you program it and how it operates. You make a list of the products that you own (Brands and Models), then list how each device is connected to the other (inputs). Log into the programming site (included software). It will ask you're knowledge level and walk you through the programming. Basically you tell it your model numbers for your products, and what inputs they are on for your receiver and TV. You tell it whether you want to control the volume through the stereo or your TV, then once you've done all that you download that information to your remote. If you want to watch a DVD, you hit Watch DVD on the remote, it will turn on your DVD, Receiver, and TV all to the correct inputs, all you do is hit play. If you want to watch TV, hit watch TV and your cable box will come on, DVD player will go off, and the receiver and TV will switch to the correct settings as well. One button for Off. And if something doesn't operate properly when you turn it on, there is a help button that goes through a series of yes or no questions to fix the problem.Here's the remotes:

Harmony 670 - $150. This is their newest remote. It will control up to 15 devices. Full universal control of Tivo, Cable, etc. Runs on 2 AA batteries.

Harmony 880 - $250. This is the most popular universal remote on the market today. Does everything mentioned above, plus has a color screen which you can customize to fit your needs (for instance I made the icons bigger for my father because he had trouble seeing them, for my son, I put in his favorite channel icons, so all he has to do is hit the Nick button to watch Nickelodeon), also has a rechargeable battery, and it glows when you pick it up.

Harmony 890 - $400. Has everything mentioned above, but also has RF capabilities, meaning that you can put all of your components in a cabinet and work it from pretty much anywhere in the house.

You may also want to try and find the 659, its last year's model of the 670, but its a great price right now at $100.I know this was long, but I hope it helped, this is one of those products like Tivo that will change your life.