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. This $10 Insignia cable from Best Buy worked with the MacBook Pro laptop we used. On Dell. Best High-End Universal Remote. 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. Once the Harmony 665 makes its first attempt, the query “Did that fix the problem?” appears on the color screen. You can also use a smartphone/tablet app to control your system. Unlike many universal remotes, the handheld Companion remote doesn’t have a built-in IR emitter. The remote is a sleek, stripped-down design with important buttons like home, microphone, volume, back, menu, and more (but no backlighting). It’s the best option for most people looking to simplify the operation of their home theater or media system. Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser said, "It misses out on the 650's great Help feature and display, but … Why you should buy this: If it can be controlled by a remote, this will let you control it. 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. Unless you have devices scattered all around the room, we don’t think this extra perk will be that useful. 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 … Fortunately, both the Harmony Companion and the Harmony Elite come with a handheld remote and a smartphone app. The Elite also comes with a rechargeable battery and base station, so you do not need to replace batteries as you do with the lower-priced Harmony remotes. The best universal remote control. If, on the other hand, your home entertainment system is built around an AV receiver and multiple sources, and sitting down to watch a movie requires shuffling between several remotes to switch inputs and power/control multiple components at the same time, a universal remote is exactly what you need. The typical living-room entertainment system may include a single source device—say, a streaming media player, cable/satellite set-top box, or gaming console—plus a smart TV and a soundbar. With a universal remote, you can streamline control over everything into one unit. Q: I came to this page looking for the "ultra simple" use case. While there is a big price gap between the most sophisticated remotes and the simplest ones, options like the … 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. *At the time of publishing, the price was $130. *At the time of publishing, the price was $270. Like the Companion, it can handle up to eight AV devices. 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). You could set everything up and leave the remote with your mother while keeping the app on your phone. The Logitech Harmony 350 is our budget pick for the best universal remote. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. *At the time of publishing, the price was $170. Like the Companion, it also works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Whereas the 665 is a bit of a throwback, the Harmony Elite represents the next generation of the universal remote. The Harmony Companion controls Roku boxes as well as cable boxes and TVs. One remote that we think might work out well for you is the Sideclick. The system works with IR, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices, including a variety of smart-home products, and the free iOS/Android control app provides a second method of managing everything. The Logitech Harmony Companion can control up to eight AV components and features activity buttons to simplify control of your whole home theater. Sound quality is important when picking an AV receiver, but it’s also important to find one with the features you need, so we have multiple recommendations. If your home entertainment system is more complex than the typical media player/TV/soundbar combo and you need a universal remote … The most important ones (such as volume, pause, and play) should be easily accessible. Published questions are edited for space and clarity. Your Wi-Fi gear can be anywhere within reach of your wireless network, of course. 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. Beyond the Companion, the handheld remote are not backlit, adding an interface on top of the Logitech 350. Can cause the whole Harmony line is that the buttons on it very. The handheld remote and a convenient help function should be easily accessible: Harmony! Using familiar controls as we ’ ve added all of your hand slim universal remote clips the... Built-In IR emitter, along with the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, is preferred. 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