Best universal remote you've used?

[itpromike]

I hate universal remotes but I love the concept of them. Usually the implementations are just piss poor. Logitech also is a necessary evil in this space. Currently using one of theirs however I saw a new model that just came out but before I jump I thought I'd revisit to see if there were any new or promising developments in this space recently. What remotes have you guys used that would be worth considering?

 

[JimKiler]

I always liked the marantz universal ones, I had one before they went 100% touchscreen over a decade ago. Then i got a new receiver which was marantz and it had another great remote that i would still use had i not broke it and the receiver flaked out.

Both of their remotes had a sensor to pickup the signal from the remote you want to replace meaning no codes were needed, just the remote you want to add.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am still a fan of the Logitech Harmony series, I honestly don't know how other nerds get their family members to use complicated AV systems without one. Yeah progaming in the app sucks for you, but the experience is best case scenario for them if you do it right.

In one room I recently switched from a Harmony 650 to a Smart Control V1 (the one with the number buttons). It is a huge improvement in the fact that the last hard part about Harmonies for normal people in my life (pointing the remote at the TV for the entire time the macro is running) is now mitigated. I do wish it had more than two IR blasters though, but that is a minor complaint.

 

[soulcougher73]

Harmony One is the best ive used.

 

[Drako]

Harmony One is the best ive used.

Same here. I've got a Harmony One that I've been using for 10 or so years. It's on it's 2nd replacement battery so far.

It's too bad that they don't make them anymore. 🙁

 

[purbeast0]

i use roomie remote on my phone.

 

[finbarqs]

Yeah Harmonies are terrible... I've had 3 harmonies... 2 for me (I have one of the original Touch Screen one) and the cheaper "One" without the touch Screen. Problem is, that it doesn't always work properly. Like my GF's dad will hit the "Movie" button on top, and the list of the Samsung Apps will pop up (which I programmed it to - so he can watch netflix, hulu, etc.) but the sound will not kick over. then He'll have to go back to T.V. and then go back to Movies, probably about 70% of the time of using this remote. Forget about the Playstation 3. That'll rarely work. It's crazy how inconsistent the logitech is... But then again, it could be samsung's fault. And their "it should work right away" mentality of them over pushing the the buttons...

 

[Drako]

Yeah Harmonies are terrible... I've had 3 harmonies... 2 for me (I have one of the original Touch Screen one) and the cheaper "One" without the touch Screen. Problem is, that it doesn't always work properly. Like my GF's dad will hit the "Movie" button on top, and the list of the Samsung Apps will pop up (which I programmed it to - so he can watch netflix, hulu, etc.) but the sound will not kick over. then He'll have to go back to T.V. and then go back to Movies, probably about 70% of the time of using this remote. Forget about the Playstation 3. That'll rarely work. It's crazy how inconsistent the logitech is... But then again, it could be samsung's fault. And their "it should work right away" mentality of them over pushing the the buttons...

LOL, sounds like you need to adjust some timing settings on the remote, but I'm sure that's too complicated. 😀

 

[thesmokingman]

LOL, sounds like you need to adjust some timing settings on the remote, but I'm sure that's too complicated. 😀

D:

Harmony does suck balls, it's just that that's basically all there is for choices of automated remotes. The old software at least let you have more control, but the new software is assinine. You can't even change the order of the device profiles, it's retarded. And you can't really change the timings of devices, there are major limits which defeats the whole point.

 

[finbarqs]

The problem is I can deal with the problems. Whenever my GF's family has issues, they just go back to the original remote. It's like, what's the point? Timings, whatever. It kind of ruins the point of a universal remote.

Here's holding out for the Neeo remote.. hopefully that'll solve a lot of issues that Harmony couldn't address. Here's a scenario that happens all too frequently: TV's on already, but the cable and receiver are not. So you hit the "Watch TV" activity and it turns the t.v. off, but everything else on.

 

[giantpandaman2]

The problem is I can deal with the problems. Whenever my GF's family has issues, they just go back to the original remote. It's like, what's the point? Timings, whatever. It kind of ruins the point of a universal remote.

With the Harmony series hitting the help button works about 99% of the time. Beyond that, IR blasters to mitigate signal loss are the way to go.

Personally I use the Harmony 650 since I like physical buttons.

 

[Drako]

Here's a scenario that happens all too frequently: TV's on already, but the cable and receiver are not. So you hit the "Watch TV" activity and it turns the t.v. off, but everything else on.

The remote should know that the TV is already on and should not send the ON/OFF signal to the TV, unless someone didn't use the remote to turn on the TV.
:hmm:

 

[thesmokingman]

With the Harmony series hitting the help button works about 99% of the time. Beyond that, IR blasters to mitigate signal loss are the way to go.

Personally I use the Harmony 650 since I like physical buttons.

I like the 650 too but mine has suddenly gone to crap. It's stuck on turning the ps4 on everytime you turn something else on. It's obviously not programmed to do so, but hey it's magic. Don't have time to throw hours figuring it out so I've had to unplug the ps4. Yay, harmony... it's so harmonious.

 

[blackangst1]

D:

Harmony does suck balls, it's just that that's basically all there is for choices of automated remotes. The old software at least let you have more control, but the new software is assinine. You can't even change the order of the device profiles, it's retarded. And you can't really change the timings of devices, there are major limits which defeats the whole point.

You cant be talking about a Logitech Harmony...coz my last 2 (an 880 and and current Ultimate One) do all of this...

 

[LikeLinus]

I've been through quite a few remotes, lol.

I started with a Harmony 650 in the HT and 300 for the bedroom. I then upgrade to the Harmony One and eventually a Harmony Touch because my One's LCD screen broke. The Harmony One is probably my favorite Universal remote out of them all. I loved the build quality and the button layout.

It one huge major flaw though (as all Harmony remotes do), lag/delay. Harmony Remotes have the worst lag/delay when trying to use Kodi or WMC!! Some people don't notice it because they've never used a proper MCE remote. I can literally hit the up/down button like 20 times and because there is such a delay, I can just sit there and watch the remote spitting out codes for 20 seconds and the screen move. I did all the delay and repeat tricks, but to no avail. It's a commonly known issue with Harmony and their forum has a bunch of post about it. I couldn't live with it and untimely left the Touch in the drawer and got an:

Inteset INT-422 - No-Frills Universal Remote that just works! Well, it did for 8 months and then died. Ugh. I did like the remote though and it was easy enough to use.

My fav non-universal remote though is this type. Ortek Media Center MCE PC Remote Control. That's what Amazon calls it, but I know there are several varieties. This replaced the Harmony 300 in my bedroom. Two problems, it's not back lit and it's not universal. But as far as HTPC functionality? It flat out works and it's amazingly quick. I can hit the button 20 times and it instantly moves the page with no lag or delay. It's AMAZING. But there's a reason why it's in my bedroom and not my HT.

So with that, last week I finally ordered an URC MX-890 remote. It's a bit trickier, but far more customization than the Harmony. URC also doesn't give out the software to end users. They are sold only to approved dealers. I got mine from a Dealer who was willing to give me the software and the remote was about 1/2 MSRP. I couldn't pass it up. I'm in the middle of programming it and will have it ready over the weekend. I just haven't had time this week and I need to control lights, projector, TV, HTPC, amps and a few other things. So it takes time programming, but right now it seems, far and away, a much better remote than Harmony. It's just not end-user dumbed down friendly.

In the end, if you're willing to drop the money on a URC, it's the best remote for a home theater.

EDIT: Oh, I also did the whole iRule and iPad thing. Hated it since it didn't have hard buttons and you have to look at everything. I think it would be cool to use as an entrance piece, like some sort of in-wall device at your theater entrance to turn specific things on. But not for everyday use.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Same here. I've got a Harmony One that I've been using for 10 or so years. It's on it's 2nd replacement battery so far.

It's too bad that they don't make them anymore. 🙁

I'm using a Harmony One as well. Had it for 8+ years. Still using the original battery. The little nub on the forward skip key is basically worn down to nothing. It will be a sad day when it dies.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The problem is I can deal with the problems. Whenever my GF's family has issues, they just go back to the original remote. It's like, what's the point? Timings, whatever. It kind of ruins the point of a universal remote.

I feel you, I have done all sorts of hacks with the Harmony to try and hide the wrinkles. Timing delays, teaching it fake IR signals, hell even putting in fake devices. The problem with all that mess is that it requires someone to hold the remote towards the TV for unreasonably long to get through the macro. That is why I like the Smart Control series, one less thing.

 

[finbarqs]

yeah and sometimes, someone will just turn on the T.V. manually by physically pressing the on button on the T.V., or receiver or whatever. Or they change the receiver to another input. That'll throw the harmony for a loop. It's using the new RF harmonies, where we need a hub. The remote/hub just isn't smart enough to know what input the receiver is on already, and will try to change things. Sometimes, it'll just put it back on itself, which is fine. No harm no foul. And it's pretty frustrating how sometimes it doesn't switch over 100%. Closer to 50%. I can deal with it, but the ease of automation creates more frustration and eliminates the consistency of just using 3 remotes: T.V., Receiver, Device (PS3, Roku, Apple TV, etc.)

 

[thedarkwolf]

harmony 670
No stupid touch screen and can still control 15 devices. Logitech stopped making them a long time ago though. When my last one died after many years I had to buy a used one off ebay.

 

[thesmokingman]

yeah and sometimes, someone will just turn on the T.V. manually by physically pressing the on button on the T.V., or receiver or whatever. Or they change the receiver to another input. That'll throw the harmony for a loop. It's using the new RF harmonies, where we need a hub. The remote/hub just isn't smart enough to know what input the receiver is on already, and will try to change things. Sometimes, it'll just put it back on itself, which is fine. No harm no foul. And it's pretty frustrating how sometimes it doesn't switch over 100%. Closer to 50%. I can deal with it, but the ease of automation creates more frustration and eliminates the consistency of just using 3 remotes: T.V., Receiver, Device (PS3, Roku, Apple TV, etc.)

And that's not counting the times Logitech breaks stuff all on their own. Like each time you sync the remote, if there's a new firmware it gets loaded w/o you knowing this. They don't give you an option. Recently they updated the firmware adding ps4 support but instead it broke ps4 support. Everytime you use the remote it tries to put the ps4 into sleep mode, and turns it on. They supposedly fixed the bug, but it's not fixed for everyone lol. It's been six months and mine is still fubar. Threads on their site dead with no reply from them... :thumbsdown:

 

[truckerCLOCK]

URC remotes are the best I have used. Been using an MX-880 for 5 yrs. Love the total customization of the screen and the buttons. Love the IF/Else feature and the macros. Been looking at upgrading to the 890. Harmony remotes are toys compared to URC.

 

[truckerCLOCK]

So with that, last week I finally ordered an URC MX-890 remote. It's a bit trickier, but far more customization than the Harmony. URC also doesn't give out the software to end users. They are sold only to approved dealers. I got mine from a Dealer who was willing to give me the software and the remote was about 1/2 MSRP. I couldn't pass it up. I'm in the middle of programming it and will have it ready over the weekend. I just haven't had time this week and I need to control lights, projector, TV, HTPC, amps and a few other things. So it takes time programming, but right now it seems, far and away, a much better remote than Harmony. It's just not end-user dumbed down friendly.

In the end, if you're willing to drop the money on a URC, it's the best remote for a home theater.

Once you start programming its super easy to figure out. Just write down the numbers for all your devices. Did you also get an MRF base station? Here is a good site for programming info Remote Central.

 

[boomhower]

I've been using a Harmony Smart Control for a year or so and am happy with it. It controls everything I've thrown at it very well. I use the little remote for 95% of all usage. It has passed the WAF very well too. For $100 it was a solid buy.

 

[LikeLinus]

Once you start programming its super easy to figure out. Just write down the numbers for all your devices. Did you also get an MRF base station? Here is a good site for programming info Remote Central.

Very true. It might seem daunting if you've never done any programing or have a concept of how to. I picked it up real quick and it's so feature rich. Love the ability to use the IF/Else statements and you can totally get around those limitations that Harmony freaks out about.

I have not gotten an RF station yet. Reason being is I ran an IR blaster with a IR receiver into my theater. This was when the Harmony One was being used. So I just have the blast set up in my rack in the next room with just the eye in the room. It's been a non issue, but I need to re-evaluate what I have and see if I can set it up better.

The only sticking point is my a Panasonic Projector does not have a discrete code for Power on/off. It's simply a power toggle. Which makes it a pain to work with macros and control changing from TV setup to macros.

Excuse for a new 4k projector! 😉

 

[poofyhairguy]

yeah and sometimes, someone will just turn on the T.V. manually by physically pressing the on button on the T.V., or receiver or whatever. Or they change the receiver to another input. That'll throw the harmony for a loop. It's using the new RF harmonies, where we need a hub. The remote/hub just isn't smart enough to know what input the receiver is on already, and will try to change things. Sometimes, it'll just put it back on itself, which is fine. No harm no foul. And it's pretty frustrating how sometimes it doesn't switch over 100%. Closer to 50%.

Oh yeah that can be a huge problem. The Harmony doesn't have a way to know what a person did outside of it, and the help menu doesn't always fix the problem.

The only way I have solved that in my own life is whenever family members buy new electronics I basically force them to buy tvs, AVrs, etc. that only have discrete remote codes. With discrete remote codes the on button won't turn the TV off and the off button won't turn the TV on (it works the same way with inputs). Once they were all set with devices like Samsung TVs that have those discrete codes the Harmony problems went away, but until that day I did a lot of Harmony tech support over the phone. Picking an input by cycling through them is just so sloppy.

The honest reality of the situation is that a proper AV system is complicated and there is no way to just dumb it down. At best the Harmony tries to hide some of the complication, but at the end of the day devices that are hard to use (and that don't have discrete codes) aren't going to be magically fixed by a universal remote. Its tough.