Do you have a coffee table full of remotes?

Remotes (or clickers) as some of my clients call them are the heart of your entertainment system. Today they can do anything from turning on your lights to opening your blinds. But having all these remote can be confusing if not out right annoying.

A simple task like watching a DVD can involve up to 3 remotes. You need to turn on your TV, turn on your DVD player, and turn on your surround sound receiver. You’re not done yet, now you need to make sure your TV is in the proper input and your surround sound receiver is set to “DVD”. Ok now it’s all on, but what remote do you use for the volume? What if you need to pause the movie, then what remote do you use?

What if I told you that you can do all of this with one remote? And better yet you can turn everything on with the touch of one button! No, you don’t need to be “technically savvy”. There are many universal remotes on the market today that are very simple to use and you won’t need hours of training or even need to read a single page of an owner’s manual to know how to use it.

“It’s all in the programming” One think to know is that a universal remote is only as good as the programmer. If a universal remote is complicated to use then its not solving your problem. A remote that is programmed properly is very intuitive, it just makes sense. How you use it should feel natural. I recommend a remote that does not require you to aim at what you’re controlling, like your traditional IR (inferred) remote. Instead you should opt for one that works over radio frequency (RF) this makes it easier because you won’t miss or have to rapidly hit a button to get a command to work.

The true test of a good remote is when you have someone else using your system. If you can simply hand them the remote and they can use it without any instruction, then you have a great remote. I have tested many of the most popular remotes available today. The remotes that if feel work the best are the ones that can run your system without you having to know what components are on and what input they are in. The touch screen remotes are “cool” and flashy but can be complicated to operate; having to change pages and look for a button can be frustrating, look for a remote that has a simple lay out of easy to find buttons. The remote I most often recommend is made by a company called (surprisingly enough) Universal Remote. They keep their remotes simple yet effective. The most popular remote in their line is the MX-900. It can make even the most advanced system user friendly.

Remember you have invested a lot in your new entertainment system and you should be able to enjoy it with ease.

Happy Clicking!