This is the age of the universal remote control, the mother of all remote controls. Remote controls basically operate on the principle of unique codes that are transmitted from them to the receiving device, which recognizes the code and decodes it. That is why your T.V, home theater system, DVD player and music system have their own separate remote controls.
This leads to the problem of too many remotes, which causes confusion. Now this problem is solved with the universal remote control. You can feed the command codes of all your devices into one universal remote control and use it to control all their functions. Manuals accompanying universal remotes usually list the codes of different brands.
Another wonderful invention is the learning remote, which automatically absorbs and stores the codes of other remotes (including universal remotes) and uses them to control their respective devices. All learning remotes are, therefore, universal remote controls as well.
Universal remote controls are super-intelligent, as they are driven by complex and sophisticated software. Imagine a scenario where the entire electrical wiring system of your house is wirelessly connected to your universal remote. Then, while you are sitting on your couch, you can set or reset the security alarm system, direct MP3 music to the speakers of your home theater and transfer your digital photos so that you can see them on your T.V.
What's more, since your entire house is controlled through the universal remote, when you switch on your DVD player to watch a movie, the T.V. will be switched on automatically and even the lights will be appropriately dimmed. Impressive, isn't it?
All this is already happening in a few homes. Soon the ease and convenience of universal remote controls will be seen in more homes, doing away with the clutter of many separate remote controls and bringing a digital synergy between all appliances to create a truly intelligent home.
How to Choose a Universal Remote Control
When choosing a universal remote control there are many things to consider, however, the most important item above all others is the number of devices you want to control with it. The ultimate purpose of the universal remote is to eliminate the coffee table clutter most of us deal with on a daily basis. Many satellite and cable TV providers supply their own remote control. Some go as far as to call them universal remotes, yet they typically control just the TV and the satellite or cable box leaving you with a mess of remotes remaining.
A good universal remote control will operate your TV, satellite/cable box along with your other devices including a DVD/Bluray player, stereo receiver, media player and others you may own. The next thing you want to check is to be certain it will actually control the devices you currently own. Many remotes sold these days don't have a way to update their software and they won't work with any new devices you buy.
The Best Universal Remote Control - Recommendation
Over the years I've gone through various Universal Remote Controls, and they always seemed to fall short in one category or another. Whether it was lack of memory to "learn" functions from the other remotes, the software wasn't updatable to work with new devices, or the buttons simply stopped working after a year or so. So I sought to research as much remote control information I could online through Google and product web sites. Then moved to trying them each out in the stores around my home.
One of the best universal remotes I've found that meets the criteria I discussed earlier is the SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote Control. The U1 can control up to 15 AV devices and supports Bluetooth control. And it relies on a mobile app for setup.
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| SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote Control >> See product details |
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U1 universal remote control works with over 500,000 entertainment and smart home devices, so you can enjoy single-touch control with your favorite brands. Pre-programmed for Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku device codes (excluding Roku Stick) etc. which are easily used. If you don't see your device, just let us know and add it for you. Before that, you can try to use the learning function to program the buttons or any device that is not in the database.
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| U1 Universal Remote Control >> See product details |
The U1 has a very beautiful OLED display screen, easy to hold at my hand and don’t feel slippery at all. I put on the batteries, downloaded the Sofabaton App, and paired the remote with my phone via Bluetooth as the App’s instruction says so. After that, I just kept following the on screen instruction to add my devices one by one. There’re 3 ways to add devices; the IR matching mode, the IR learning mode and the Bluetooth mode.
Programming via the app is very intuitive and now my pile of remotes sits in a drawer because this runs all my devices. I've programmed it to work with my Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Sound Bar, Fire TV, and Sony Television. I'm a happy streamer using only 1 remote 99% of the time for the first time. I love that you can program each button individually and having the LED display to switch between devices makes this easy to use for my family members who aren't tech savvy.
Well, that's the best universal remote control on the market according to my research and opinion. Thank you for reading, I hope this information is useful.
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