Universal Remote Controls

[RickFLM4]

I ordered a new home theatre receiver yesterday (Denon AVR-X5200W) to replace my aging AVR-3806, which created a new dilemma for me (aside from connecting / installing the new receiver) - a universal remote.

Right now I have a Universal Remote MX-950 that is about 9 years old. It still works well, but I can no longer program it because the software the installer gave me will not install on / work with Windows 7 64-bit. It is out of production so I don't see a good way to get updated software. Since I got 9 good years out of it I decided to try a new one.

I ordered a Logitech Elite (http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-elite). Anyone have one of these or have alternative recommendations? It is a multi-room (3 zone) setup so I can't rely solely on IR / pointing at devices. I am also looking for the ability to program macro-type setups that are easy to setup and use (e.g. "Watch TV"). Finally, my preference is a rechargeable battery, although that isn't a deal-breaker.

Anyway, interested in any opinions on the Logitech Elite and / or any suggestions.

[fecurtis]

I've got one, works great I actually bought it about a month ago.

It's rechargable, you don't have to keep the device pointed at anything but you will have to strategically place the smart hub in a location where it can send IR signals to your receiver, which shouldn't be hard.

Set up is easy, you do it from your phone and it took all of maybe 5 minutes. Well it may take a little longer than 5 minutes if you run a test once you set up an activity, but I'm too impatient for that.

I've got my Nest thermostat and all of the functions of my TV set up on it (Watch TV, Watch Smart TV, Play PS4, Turn on AC, and Turn on Heat). If you have compatible "smart" bulbs, you can also control lighting from your remote.

At first I wasn't a fan of how it didn't have a physical numerical keypad, but I've grown used to it. You can also quickly set up favorite channels so those will appear on the touchscreen. By putting in where you live and what provider you have, the remote will know what channels are which and you can quickly mark the ones you watch frequently as favorites. You can also easily add more later.

With all that it can do, I was pretty impressed with how easy it is to set up and edit on the fly.

[gtron]

i have a logitech harmony ultimate home. it's cool. it does more than i need at the moment. i look forward to expanding it's usage.

[RickFLM4]

Thanks. To be honest I didn't even notice it didn't have a keypad. How do you change channels from (for example) channel 25 (ABC) to 206 (ESPN) - need to use favorites?

Also for the smart hub placement, my Universal remote has small connectors that attach to a hidden receiver (that receives RF signal) at one end and sticks to the devices controlled at the other to send signal via IR. Are you saying you need to keep the hub somewhere in line of sight with the devices (receiver, DVR and DVD), because that may not work for me. Does the hub need a power source? Thanks.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Thanks. To be honest I didn't even notice it didn't have a keypad. How do you change channels from (for example) channel 25 (ABC) to 206 (ESPN) - need to use favorites?

Also for the smart hub placement, my Universal remote has small connectors that attach to a hidden receiver (that receives RF signal) at one end and sticks to the devices controlled at the other to send signal via IR. Are you saying you need to keep the hub somewhere in line of sight with the devices (receiver, DVR and DVD), because that may not work for me. Does the hub need a power source? Thanks.

You can swipe left on the touch screen and it'll bring up a keypad, but I just use favorites. The cool thing about favorites is that it gives you the channel number and the network, since I tend to forget which channel is what network so that's convenient.

[dsad1]

Not sure if you want to mess with it this much, but I use irule to control everything. I have it loaded on a couple nexus 7's that I use as dedicated remotes.

It isn't as easy to setup as a harmony, but can do so much more.

http://getirule.com/

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by djsaad1

Not sure if you want to mess with it this much, but I use irule to control everything. I have it loaded on a couple nexus 7's that I use as dedicated remotes.

It isn't as easy to setup as a harmony, but can do so much more.

http://getirule.com/

Looks like an app to use a device as a remote but no dedicated "traditional" remote control. Is that right?

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Looks like an app to use a device as a remote but no dedicated "traditional" remote control. Is that right?

Correct, any IOS or Android device would work. I dedicated two tablets to be remotes. One in the den, one in the living room.

All my devices are able to be controlled through IP, so it works great. If you have a bunch of IR devices, you will need a Global Cache GC100 to make it worthwhile, or a tablet with an IR blaster.