The Caavo Control Center + Universal Remote combines a handheld remote and an HDMI switch/control box (with four HDMI inputs and one output). And if the cable box’s existing remote has all the requisite navigational arrow buttons, you can program it to control the Roku TV, leaving you with just one remote! This is the remote to get if you have a lot of gear—it can control up to 15 devices (up from the Companion’s eight-device limit), so it potentially replaces up to 15 other remotes. The other remotes i use in the living room and the man cave. Plus, it is no longer listed on Logitech’s Harmony page, so it may already be nearing its end. Send an email to notes@thewirecutter.com, or talk to us on Twitter and Facebook. Once the Harmony 665 makes its first attempt, the query “Did that fix the problem?” appears on the color screen. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The main reason why people enjoy them so much is that they enable you to control all of the components of your home theater system with a single remote. The best universal remote control. The Hub also comes with a wired IR blaster that you can point to reach components in another direction, and it has a 3.5 mm jack for adding a second blaster if necessary. It’s easy to program: You just hold down the top and bottom buttons on the Sideclick, aim it at the remote you want it to mimic, press the button on the Sideclick you’re trying to program, and push the corresponding button on the remote you’re copying from. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use universal remote to control up to eight devices, we recommend the Logitech Harmony 650. Like the Harmony Companion, the Elite allows you to hide your home theater equipment in a cabinet or gear closet. The 32-inch Roku TV from TCL usually costs less than $200 (bigger versions cost more) and is our current pick for the best small TV. Stepping up to the Elite gets you a completely customizable color touchscreen and full backlighting, plus the ability to control more components (up to 15) and to integrate even more smart-home devices into your system. The best universal remotes are the perfect answer in both cases, and almost every universal remote uses infrared (or IR): the same signal protocol used by remote manufacturers as well. This location can be inside a cabinet behind closed doors, on top of a stack of AV components, or even in another part of the room. Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, four-device-capable “universal” replacement remote. When you press a button on the Companion remote, it sends a radio signal to the Hub, telling it which button you’ve pushed. Wirecutter's Best Deals of the Week. Unfortunately, the Roku TV remote cannot control many cable boxes—and even if it could, it still lacks a number pad and the buttons necessary to access the program guide. CNET’s David Katzmaier puts it this way: “In 15-odd years of reviewing TV and home theater equipment, the one thing I always tell people to buy is a ‘good universal remote.’”. If you’re not able to control your television the old-fashioned way, it’s entirely possible to use voice controls instead. Sevenhugs’s more expensive Smart Remote X is essentially the same remote, but it adds a point mode that automatically adjusts its interface based on what device you’re pointing it at. As a matter of fact, the Companion remote doesn’t even need to be in the same room as the Hub, so long as you place the Hub where the IR signals it emits can reach your AV components. The Harmony Elite is Logitech’s flagship Harmony remote. The Hub connects with all those devices via your home Wi-Fi network. It’s common for lower-priced universal remotes to only work with IR devices. But today’s DIY category has dwindled to one main brand: Harmony, owned by Logitech. If controlling eight devices at once … In this era of smart TVs, streaming media players, and soundbars, we enjoy more functionality from fewer devices. It was faster to use the desktop software in these cases. Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser said, "It misses out on the 650's great Help feature and display, but … Unfortunately, a Harmony remote can quickly go from convenient to confusing for someone who is not particularly A/V savvy (or can’t easily see the small buttons). Also, the Smart Remote U is more expensive than the Harmony Companion, currently doesn’t include support for Alexa and Google Home, and natively supports fewer smart-home devices (you can add control via Webhooks, but that’s more complicated). When it comes time to use the remote, just press the desired Activity button, and the Harmony turns everything on and switches each device to the correct settings. You can also control your Harmony Companion with your voice by integrating it with Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. It even supports the online automation service IFTTT. First, the remote has no physical buttons, and both the touchscreen and the virtual buttons on it are very small. Logitech, which has a number of models, is by far the dominant player, with the Logitech Harmony Elite as the best universal remote overall. So users of a Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or Shield TV may still need to keep their original remote nearby if they prefer voice search over text search. You can assign your newly created activity to one of the three Activity buttons located along the top of the remote. Harmony was eventually bought by Logitech and they still make (a relatively large share of) some of the best universal remotes around. To test the remotes we call in, we set each one up to control at least two different AV systems in our home. You can control your AV system with your voice by pressing the remote’s Alexa button and saying commands like “Turn on Fire TV,” “Open Netflix app,” or “Watch ESPN.” While we found this remote easy to set up and reliable in executing commands, its limited button options make performing more advanced tasks challenging, and this system is totally locked into the Alexa ecosystem. A: You can find a few budget-friendly remotes designed specifically for seniors, but none of the ones I turned up in my research are perfect, because they’re geared toward a two-piece TV and cable-box setup. Anytime you wish to add new devices or make changes to how the system works, you’ll need to reconnect the 665 to your computer. Easy to program and use, the Harmony 665 can control up to 10 AV components, and it has an LCD screen and a convenient help function—but it can control only IR devices and no smart-home devices. Plus, adding an interface on top of your sources can slow down some processes (like voice search). You can customize all the activity names or create your own. We live with each remote for a while to see how intuitive and reliable it is to use on a daily basis. You can, for instance, program the system to dim the room’s lighting when you launch the “Watch a movie” activity and turn it back on when you’re done. Speaking of which, the MyHarmony desktop software is not compatible with the newest MacOS 10.15 (Catalina). But your mom might want to hold on to the cable remote for viewing the programming guide, entering a specific channel number (the Sideclick has no numbers), or ordering pay-per-view shows using the menu system. The Logitech Harmony Express features built-in Alexa voice control and has a much simpler design than the Harmony Companion or Elite, with just 10 action buttons and a navigation wheel. Using this setup, we created recipes to turn a complex home theater system on and off with simple voice commands. And the favorites buttons are great for someone who watches the same channels most of the time. You can purchase the Harmony Hub as a standalone unit (without a remote) and just use your mobile device with the free Harmony iOS/Android app as your remote control. Dec 13, 2020 - 3 Recommendations. Adrienne Maxwell is the editor of Wirecutter's audio/video team, covering everything from headphones to TVs. The software asks you to enter the manufacturer and model number of each component; it then searches for that component’s remote control codes in Logitech’s massive database and immediately adds the found codes to your list of devices. That’s because using your mobile device’s touchscreen as a remote requires you to look away from the TV screen and down at your device as you search for the right part of the screen to touch, making channel surfing and volume tweaking cumbersome. But if you’re looking for a highly affordable way to add more 4K/HDR-friendly HDMI inputs to your system and you like the idea of controlling your gear through an on-screen interface instead of activity buttons on a remote, the Caavo system is a simple, reliable option that works well. At the moment, these include Philips Hue lighting, Nest Learning thermostats, Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, Honeywell’s Wi-Fi thermostats, Rheem EcoNet water heaters, and smart-home hubs from Lutron Caséta. Wirecutter is reader-supported. With many schools closed this fall, it’s time to set up a remote schoolwork area for kids that’ll make learning a little easier. But figuring out which universal remote is right for you could be tricky. With an Amazon Echo speaker and Alexa’s IFTTT channel, you can create recipes for voice control of any Harmony Hub–based system. If you're tired of managing a separate remote control for each of the components of your home entertainment system, it might be time to invest in a universal remote control.With a universal TV remote that’s compatible with your smart TV and other electronics, you can simplify your system, declutter and end the days of searching for lost remotes between your home theater seating cushions. When we took the Energizer Recharge Universal AAs out for a spin, they kept their remote-control car racing for 16 hours, and the Panasonic-powered car lasted 15.5 hours. If you answer no, the Harmony 665 asks further questions, such as “Is the AV Receiver off?” If your answer is yes, the remote sends out a command to turn the receiver back on and then once again asks, “Did that fix the problem?” Yes turns off help; no initiates another question, and so on. If you don’t want another handheld device but like the idea of universal remote control, you might consider an app-based control system. Once you answer all the necessary questions, you’re done. The rubberized texture on the front and back eliminates fingerprints and reduces the chances of the remote slipping out of your hand. Dear Wirecutter: Can I Control My TV With Amazon’s Alexa? Using the app to set up the Harmony Companion is simple enough, as long as everything works the way it’s supposed to. The Hub then emits the appropriate IR, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi signal to control the associated components. The technical name for this bundling of commands is macros, but remote-control manufacturers usually call them activities or scenes. Unless you have devices scattered all around the room, we don’t think this extra perk will be that useful. Unfortunately, a couple of issues hold this one back. The Elite model controls up to 15 devices and adds a customizable touchscreen for even more flexibility. If you can never remember which is the DVR button and which is the Guide button, you’ll struggle to operate the remote in the dark. *At the time of publishing, the price was $270. For instance, instead of having to push separate buttons to turn on your TV, switch HDMI inputs, power on your AV receiver, change inputs there, turn on your Blu-ray player, and—finally—get your movie started, a good universal remote can reduce all of that to one command (Play Movie) that you can access at the touch of a single button. Caavo’s Universal TV Remote and Control Center Home Theater Hub is an all-in-one control hub for your TV, home video, sound systems, gaming consoles and streaming devices. The convenience and comfort of controlling the lighting and even being able to adjust the thermostat while you’re watching TV makes the Companion more than just an AV remote. The Companion remote has a logical button layout and includes important functions such as Menu, Exit, and Guide, and color buttons. The best USB Wi-Fi adapters. The universal remote market is about to get a bunch of new remotes, thanks to radio frequency technology.What does this mean for you? Beyond the Companion’s ability to handle your AV devices, it can also serve as a basic smart-home controller. The screen then switches to pages customized for that activity, and the control options can go satisfyingly deep. Also, the line-of-sight nature of this IR remote means that the status of the components in your system might get out of sync when you start or end an activity if you don’t keep the Harmony 665 pointed in the direction of all your equipment while it emits all of the remote control commands. Rather than develop its own proprietary home-automation system, Logitech made the Harmony Companion compatible with several existing platforms and devices. The Companion may offer more functionality than some people need, which makes it a bit more expensive than a basic universal remote. Advice, staff picks, mythbusting, and more. Support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is a huge plus because it allows the Companion to control popular non-IR devices—such as the Sony PlayStation 4 and some media players from Nvidia and Amazon—that a basic IR remote can’t. Setup is fairly straightforward using either the MyHarmony desktop software or the iOS/Android control app (though the desktop software is easier for more complicated systems). The standout feature of the Elite is the color touchscreen built into the remote. Fortunately, both the Harmony Companion and the Harmony Elite come with a handheld remote and a smartphone app. The Harmony Companion provides a way of unifying control of your AV system and a basic home-automation system in a seamless, albeit limited, way. Currently, you can choose between using the MyHarmony desktop software or the Harmony app to set up the Companion, though support for the desktop software may be waning. The most egregious design flaw in the Harmony Companion is that the buttons on the handheld remote are not backlit. Harmony’s flagship DIY remote supports up to 15 devices and has a customizable color touchscreen for maximum flexibility in controlling AV gear and smart-home devices. 2. Instead of pressing hard buttons for Movie, TV, or Music, for instance, you scroll up and down on the screen for your activity and tap that. Many of today’s universal remotes also incorporate some degree of smart-home control so you can adjust your lighting, temperature, and security system, or even control multiroom music systems like Sonos. There are a lot of different remotes out there. The cable has a Type A connector, so if you’ve upgraded to a computer that only has USB-C ports, you’ll need an adapter. It’s capable of controlling up to 10 AV devices, it features an easy-to-read, backlit color display, and the built-in Remote Assistant function is great for troubleshooting. The Harmony 650 we recommend as our top pick is much cheaper than the Companion and Elite, but it doesn’t have the app, so we recommend skipping it for this particular situation. This model integrates the Roku platform into the TV itself and comes with a Roku remote that controls both the Roku interface and the TV (it lacks a dedicated input-switching button, but that functionality is built into the Home screen). While the occasional new competitor still pops up (and you can read about them in the Competition section), Harmony is the king of the mountain—so selecting the best universal remote is largely a matter of selecting the right Harmony device for your needs. Depending on the types of components you have—perhaps a TV, a Blu-ray player, a receiver, and a cable box—Harmony suggests a number of possible Activities, such as “Watch TV” or “Listen to Music” (you can also create your own custom Activities). The Harmony Companion is a two-piece system consisting of a handheld remote and a separate Hub that you place next to the AV components in your system. For most people, that limitation isn’t an issue because it covers the vast majority of past, current, and (most likely) future AV components. The Harmony Companion can control eight AV components (including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices), doesn’t require line of sight to your gear, and can even control smart-home products. If you need a remote for your Bluetooth and smart devices, the Harmony Companion is a nice option. An activity-based design, as described above, is strongly preferred. Caavo Universal Remote. The best universal remote control. Learn more. This slim universal remote clips onto the side of a Roku remote and can control TVs and most cable boxes. Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser write, "The Harmony 650 remains the best universal remote … You may be better off turning to a local specialty AV retailer who can create a more personalized whole-house control system from a company like Crestron or Control4, which is a much more expensive solution. The Wirecutter’s editors answer reader questions all the time (much more than once a week). Using this process, you should be able to map the volume and input buttons from the TV remote and the channel-changing buttons from most cable-box remotes. These remotes aren’t designed to provide a really intuitive, streamlined, activity-based experience—they’re just designed to hold a lot of buttons to control your different devices (usually about four total). By Wirecutter, 04.17.2020. The remote should be generally easy to program. This suggests that Logitech isn’t all that committed to the desktop software going forward. It comes with two IR blasters that you can position in front of the cabinet doors, which keeps your gear out of sight. This model also lacks the convenient Help button available on the Harmony 665. For most people, the very best universal remote is the Logitech Harmony Elite and, while it may be the most expensive, it’s well worth the price. I brought this remote for the bed room to control the sony blu ray,comcast,samsung tv,apple tv and ilive sound bar. By far, the most useful feature of the Harmony 665—the one that will keep you from pulling your hair out if you have a problem with the way your system is working—is the help function, which you access from a button above the display. Why you should buy this: If it can be controlled by a remote, this will let you control it. Like RCA, One for All has several universal remotes in its lineup (for sale in the United States, at least), including the Simple 4; these have similarly limited programmability and support only three or four devices. Explore. A bad universal remote simply combines all the functions of several remotes into one device and does nothing to integrate those functions in a more useful way. 9 months ago. If something doesn’t work the way you need it to, you can adjust the settings on-the-fly through the app. By Wirecutter, 04.12.2020. Most AV devices still rely on IR (infrared) control, where you must point the remote’s IR transmitter directly at the device’s IR receiver. The two-piece Logitech Harmony Companion system, which consists of a hub and a handheld remote, can control up to eight AV components, and it works with IR, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices, which gives it more flexibility than is available with most budget remotes. If your home entertainment system is more complex than the typical media player/TV/soundbar combo and you need a universal remote to control all your gear—including a few smart-home devices—we recommend the Logitech Harmony Companion. It can control up to 20 IR devices, has a rechargeable battery, and has Spotify and Sonos support built in.