I've used the Logitech Harmony remotes for years and really like them. You can find the IR ones pretty cheap online, like the 650 routinely sells for 30-40 dollars.
The new, smart-hubs will future-proof you a bit more. They also do RF which will allow you to use Roku, FireTV and other that have different protocols. Integrates with your smartphone as well, so you don't even need the physical remote if you don't want.
Speaking of that. If you have a smartphone that has IR (many Samsungs, and HTCs do) you can program those as a universal remote as well. Peel is a good app for that.
@ACraigL yup, love harmonies. Especially, the 880 which is hard to find. I think the last one I found was a factory refurb off Tanga. It is a discontinued model so some places are are trying charge crazy prices for it.
@mfladd I have a Harmony One in the Mancave, a 550 in the Family Room, and a 650 in the Master Bedroom. I've been mulling over the smarthub since I began using a FireTV and its remote is BT.
I have no advice, as I don't really use anything with a remote these days, but I would like to reminisce over one of the first touchscreen devices I ever owned, a top-of-the-line remote in the early '00s… the Sony RM-AV3100
Sure, most of the 'buttons' on the resistive touchscreen were only customizable to a few set functions, sure you couldn't distinguish any of them by feel, but you got used to knowing where everything was in the dark, and only occasionally turning on CSPAN by accident. You'd program it to turn everything on or off, or various combinations of things on and off based on what you were doing. But since it only knew what it had already attempted to turn on or off, and not what was actually on or off, and since it's line-of-sight, half the time you'd just end up with everything in seemingly random states that you'd have to fix one-by-one. Good times!
They are super powerful, you can get IR or IR/RF remotes, and you can use rf to ir repeaters to control devices in closed cabinets. You can do powerful things with macros to control multiple devices with one button.
They can be a bit fiddly to set up, though. If you like geeking out on this kind of stuff it's awesome. If you just want to use it the harmony may be better.
I've gone through several universal remotes (and extensive research) and my current one is the humble WR7 by URC:
It's a regular infrared remote with learning capability. It can learn buttons off any other IR remotes and save macros to control multiple devices with one press. Works fine with everything from my Onkyo receiver to remote-controlled light switches to an Apple TV before I replaced it with a Roku 3. (The full-size Rokus support IR although I had to get a $5 Roku IR remote to train the universal one).
I've used Logitech Harmony remotes but they seem actually more complex and less convenient in practice. I never liked their reliance on a computer for programming (which may be surprising as a software engineer, though the WR7 is JP1 programmable if you're so inclined). All of the Harmony models that work with 5 or more devices have LCD screens for device selection that aren't terribly great for poking at. I prefer better laid out buttons for the tactile response so I don't even have to glance at the remote.
Also this remote was a steal with street prices around $15, though it currently appears to be out of stock on Amazon. That's surprising since I don't think it's been replaced by another model.
To clarify, the stock Roku remote is WiFi so you need to program your universal remote with a separate IR Roku remote if your remote doesn't have codes for The Fire TV supports CEC so you should be able to control it from your TV remote (also works for the Nexus Player and some others). The Apple TV is regular IR and works with any learning remote.
@trisk I agree about the Harmony remotes. Clunky, overdesigned and underengineered. The higher-end models that depend on macros lock you in to conditions you've already thought of. Once I wanted to keep listening to music while playing videogames. I could almost hear the remote's whispered "Ha. Fuck you." And if you're the sort of shitheel who goes all Ashley Madison on the remote and does something behind its back... good luck getting it all back into sync. There were even activities I couldn't figure out how to do and, when I emailed support, they'd just tell me it wasn't possible. This was a few years ago and maybe they suck less now, but I won't gamble my money on it.
I'd like to second (or third or which ever number it's on) using smart phone... I use my LG G3 with the quick remote app and it's soooo easy and fast to set up a new device and can control pretty much everything that takes a remote.
@mehybe I tried the phone/tablet as remote thing but while managing devices is easy, the actual experience of using the remote every day isn't the best. Wasn't thrilled by having to wake up the device first (and God forbid you didn't already have the remote app open) and the amount of hunt-and-pecking you have to do to make sure you pressed the right on-screen buttons.
I've used the Logitech Harmony remotes for years and really like them. You can find the IR ones pretty cheap online, like the 650 routinely sells for 30-40 dollars.
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-remotes
The new, smart-hubs will future-proof you a bit more. They also do RF which will allow you to use Roku, FireTV and other that have different protocols. Integrates with your smartphone as well, so you don't even need the physical remote if you don't want.
Speaking of that. If you have a smartphone that has IR (many Samsungs, and HTCs do) you can program those as a universal remote as well. Peel is a good app for that.
@ACraigL yup, love harmonies. Especially, the 880 which is hard to find. I think the last one I found was a factory refurb off Tanga. It is a discontinued model so some places are are trying charge crazy prices for it.
@mfladd I have a Harmony One in the Mancave, a 550 in the Family Room, and a 650 in the Master Bedroom. I've been mulling over the smarthub since I began using a FireTV and its remote is BT.
Two remotes is the worst, amirite?
@ACraigL two 880's one H659. What exactly does the smart hub do?
@mfladd It's puck that acts on your behalf, based on your interaction with it. More here: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-home-hub?crid=60
I have no advice, as I don't really use anything with a remote these days, but I would like to reminisce over one of the first touchscreen devices I ever owned, a top-of-the-line remote in the early '00s… the Sony RM-AV3100
Sure, most of the 'buttons' on the resistive touchscreen were only customizable to a few set functions, sure you couldn't distinguish any of them by feel, but you got used to knowing where everything was in the dark, and only occasionally turning on CSPAN by accident. You'd program it to turn everything on or off, or various combinations of things on and off based on what you were doing. But since it only knew what it had already attempted to turn on or off, and not what was actually on or off, and since it's line-of-sight, half the time you'd just end up with everything in seemingly random states that you'd have to fix one-by-one. Good times!
I use my cellphone...not sure if it works with apple stuff though...
I have worked with a few URC devices in high end home theater installations. http://www.universalremote.com/residential_user_interfaces.php
They are super powerful, you can get IR or IR/RF remotes, and you can use rf to ir repeaters to control devices in closed cabinets. You can do powerful things with macros to control multiple devices with one button.
They can be a bit fiddly to set up, though. If you like geeking out on this kind of stuff it's awesome. If you just want to use it the harmony may be better.
I've gone through several universal remotes (and extensive research) and my current one is the humble WR7 by URC:
It's a regular infrared remote with learning capability. It can learn buttons off any other IR remotes and save macros to control multiple devices with one press. Works fine with everything from my Onkyo receiver to remote-controlled light switches to an Apple TV before I replaced it with a Roku 3. (The full-size Rokus support IR although I had to get a $5 Roku IR remote to train the universal one).
I've used Logitech Harmony remotes but they seem actually more complex and less convenient in practice. I never liked their reliance on a computer for programming (which may be surprising as a software engineer, though the WR7 is JP1 programmable if you're so inclined). All of the Harmony models that work with 5 or more devices have LCD screens for device selection that aren't terribly great for poking at. I prefer better laid out buttons for the tactile response so I don't even have to glance at the remote.
Also this remote was a steal with street prices around $15, though it currently appears to be out of stock on Amazon. That's surprising since I don't think it's been replaced by another model.
To clarify, the stock Roku remote is WiFi so you need to program your universal remote with a separate IR Roku remote if your remote doesn't have codes for The Fire TV supports CEC so you should be able to control it from your TV remote (also works for the Nexus Player and some others). The Apple TV is regular IR and works with any learning remote.
@trisk I agree about the Harmony remotes. Clunky, overdesigned and underengineered. The higher-end models that depend on macros lock you in to conditions you've already thought of. Once I wanted to keep listening to music while playing videogames. I could almost hear the remote's whispered "Ha. Fuck you." And if you're the sort of shitheel who goes all Ashley Madison on the remote and does something behind its back... good luck getting it all back into sync. There were even activities I couldn't figure out how to do and, when I emailed support, they'd just tell me it wasn't possible. This was a few years ago and maybe they suck less now, but I won't gamble my money on it.
Logitech (or is it Logi) Harmony recommend here... sams usually has the 650s for 49 but I noticed radio shack had them on sale for 39 the other day.
(before the "harmony doesnt work with apple tv" comments read this https://support.myharmony.com/en/harmony-experience-with-apple-tv )
I'd like to second (or third or which ever number it's on) using smart phone... I use my LG G3 with the quick remote app and it's soooo easy and fast to set up a new device and can control pretty much everything that takes a remote.
@mehybe I tried the phone/tablet as remote thing but while managing devices is easy, the actual experience of using the remote every day isn't the best. Wasn't thrilled by having to wake up the device first (and God forbid you didn't already have the remote app open) and the amount of hunt-and-pecking you have to do to make sure you pressed the right on-screen buttons.
@mehybe I'm worried that the battery would drain to fast. I'm not the only one who uses the TV, and my wife and I own an iPhone.