Universal Remotes: Reviews

Updated December 2011

The assortment of gear in a typical home entertainment setup can lead to a clutter of remotes on your coffee table. Instead of grabbing the cable remote when you want your home-theater receiver remote, put them all together into one handy universal remote control. ConsumerSearch covers the options -- from basic remotes for simple systems, to complex devices that can do everything short of making you dinner. We look at reviews from experts and feedback from owners in naming our choices.

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Best universal remote control

Logitech Harmony One

*Est. $140 Compare Prices

To say reviewers love the Logitech Harmony One is putting it mildly. Experts praise the Harmony One's excellent setup software, touch-screen color LCD and sleek, ergonomic design that testers find comfortable and… expandintuitive. The Harmony One remote control has sculpted, backlit buttons and comes with a charging station for its lithium-ion battery. A web-based setup wizard makes programming relatively easy, letting the Harmony One control up to 15 devices with one-touch ease. Web-based setup ensures the remote will keep up with the latest audio-video equipment, but non-techies may find this process a little overwhelming. Although reviewers rave about the Logitech Harmony One, it is probably overkill if you want to control two or three components. A lack of radio-frequency functionality is a notable shortfall, and the Harmony One can't control devices behind closed cabinets or in other rooms. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: CNET grants the Harmony One an Editors' Choice award.

Audioholics.com: In this review, Clint DeBoer of Audioholics.com covers every aspect of the Harmony One in detail, from its ergonomics to its ease of programming.

PCMag.com: PJ Jacobowitz tests the Harmony One and compares it to its predecessor.

PC World: PC World reviewer Becky Waring tests the Harmony One and gives it a top rating despite some setup issues.

Good Housekeeping: The Logitech Harmony One is the clear winner in this test of 12 universal remotes.

Sound & Vision Magazine: John Sciacca is most impressed with the Harmony One's ergonomics, covering that aspect at length for Sound & Vision magazine.

Wired: Mathew Honan gives the Logitech Harmony One a high rating in this brief review.

Amazon.com: More than 800 owners give the Logitech Harmony One mostly high ratings on Amazon.com, for an average of 4,1 out of 5 stars.

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Buy from Amazon for $149.99
TigerDirect- .com for $159.99	Crutchfield for $179.99	eBay for $170.99

Budget universal remote control

Universal Remote Control (URC) Digital R50

*Est. $75 Compare Prices

If you don't like the computer-based setup of Logitech's Harmony remotes, experts recommend the Universal Remote Control Digital R50. This universal remote can control up to 18 devices (more than the Harmony remotes), and… expandyou don't have to hook it up to your computer -- the remote is programmed using an internal wizard displayed on the color screen. Reviewers say the URC Digital R50 is a good alternative to the Logitech Harmony remotes, even though they prefer those remotes overall. Although the on-board setup may appeal to some, it's not without faults -- some reviewers say it takes a good deal of time to set up a large home theater, but that's a common complaint for advanced universal remotes. Some reviewers say they would prefer a rechargeable battery, and several owners complain that the URC Digital R50 only comes with a quick-start guide, rather than an in-depth user's manual. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: John Falcone at CNET gives the URC Digital R50 a "very good" rating, although he still prefers the Logitech Harmony remotes overall.

RemoteCentral.com: The URC Digital R50 impresses Daniel Tonks at RemoteCentral.com.

HomeTheaterReview.com: HomeTheaterReview.com praises the URC Digital R50 for an easy setup and sturdy design.

Wired: The Universal Remote Control Digital R50 gets a very high rating from Wired's Christopher Jones, who says the remote is "remarkably easy to setup." He does say he would have preferred to see a user manual instead of just a short setup guide.

Big Picture Big Sound.com: Chris Boylan finds the Universal Remote Control (URC) Digital R50 easy to program for his multi-component system, although macro setup takes a little bit more patience.

DigitalTrends.com: DigitalTrends.com gives the URC Digital R50 an Editors' Choice award, and reviewer Krissy Rushing says it is "one of the easiest remotes we've ever attempted to set up." Rushing says she would have liked Bluetooth compatibility for the PS3 but thinks the R50 is a great choice overall.

Amazon.com: About 140 owner-reviewers give the URC Digital R50 an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

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Buy from Amazon for $64.99
Dell for $159.99	eBay for $129.99	UnbeatableS- ale, Inc. for $149.99

Basic universal remote control

Logitech Harmony 200

*Est. $20 Compare Prices

It may not be the most featured-packed universal remote, but experts and users say the Logitech Harmony 200 is a good, basic remote that can control up to three devices and works great for small home theaters. Logitech's… expandcomputer-based setup is simple and user-friendly, and owners report that the sturdy remote has great ergonomics and feels good in the hand. While macro support is limited, a single button that turns on all the components necessary to start channel surfing, and four programmable buttons help to tailor the remote to your specific needs. Critics say you won't find a better basic remote control, but the Logitech Harmony 200 lacks the bells and whistles -- like backlit screens -- found in more expensive models. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: The CNET editors only give the Logitech Harmony 200 a rating of "very good," with reviewer John P. Falcone spending much of the time detailing what it's missing compared to its pricier line-mates.

TrustedReviews.com: Andrew Williams gives the Logitech Harmony 200 an 8 (out of 10) rating, which ties the high-water marks for universal remotes at British site TrustedReviews.com.

Expert Reviews (U.K.): Tom Morgan's review of the Logitech Harmony 200 at Britain's ExpertReviews.co.uk is obviously based on hands-on testing, but little of it is documented in this brief write-up.

Amazon.com: Reviews of the Logitech Harmony 200 are starting to appear at Amazon.com.

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for $33.99

Tablet-style universal remote control

Logitech Harmony 1100

*Est. $250 Compare Prices

The Logitech Harmony 1100 can control up to 15 components with its 3.5-inch color touch screen and one-touch activity controls. Although it may look complicated, reviewers say the Harmony 1100 is very user-friendly and… expandthe setup is easy for most owners. However, the price tag may be a deal-breaker for some, and multiple reviewers say they wish the Harmony 1100 had the ability to create custom activity sequences, or macros. The Logitech 1100 contains several pre-programmed commands, but users can't create their own, which is a bummer for some audio-video enthusiasts. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: David Carnoy at CNET gives the Logitech Harmony 1100 a rating of "excellent," and he generally thinks it's a big improvement over its predecessor, the Harmony 1000.

TrustedReviews.com: The Logitech Harmony 1100 also gets high ratings from Danny Phillips at Britain's TrustedReviews.com.

PCMag.com: The Logitech Harmony 1100 doesn't impress Wendy Sheehan Donnell at PCMag.com as much as other reviewers.

AudioVideo Revolution: The Logitech Harmony 1100 gets a lengthy review from Todd Daugherty at Audio/Video Revolution.

I4U.com: I4U.com gives an Editors' Choice award to the Logitech Harmony 1100, saying it's highly recommended for complex home theater systems.

TechRadar.com: Rik Henderson at Britain's TechRadar.com gives the Logitech Harmony 1100 a perfect 5 stars.

Amazon.com: More than 350 owners give the Logitech Harmony 1100 above-average ratings at Amazon.com.

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Buy from Amazon for $244.99
Crutchfield for $299.99	TigerDirect- .com for $279.99	eBay for $439.87

Universal remote with radio frequency

Logitech Harmony 900

*Est. $250 Compare Prices

The Logitech Harmony 900 addresses one of the biggest shortfalls mentioned in reviews of the Harmony One -- a lack of radio-frequency output. Infrared, which is used by the vast majority of universal remotes, requires… expandline of sight to function. The Logitech Harmony 900 uses both infrared and radio frequency, so it can manage devices in other rooms or hidden behind closed cabinets. Reviewers love this feature, but users are a little more mixed because several say the range is notably shorter than what's claimed. Like the Logitech Harmony One, the Harmony 900 uses a web-based setup wizard and can control up to 15 devices. Other features include dedicated Blu-ray buttons. The Logitech Harmony 900 has some of the same drawbacks as other Harmony remotes -- a high price tag and a glossy black case that shows every fingerprint and smudge (although Logitech now includes a cleaning cloth to rectify that problem). collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: The Logitech Harmony 900 earns an Editors' Choice award from CNET, where David Carnoy says it is "hands-down the best universal remote control we've ever tested." He's impressed with the sleek design, responsive touch screen and easy-to-use setup process.

CrunchGear.com: Matt Burns at CrunchGear.com has a different opinion of the Logitech Harmony 900 than most of the reviews we saw.

DVICE.com: Peter Pachal at DVice.com says the Logitech Harmony 900 is "the best remote control I've ever used." He especially likes that it is not intimidating for non-techies to use.

Gizmodo.com: Jason Chen is impressed with the new Logitech Harmony 900, saying that it is "the best universal remote by Logitech yet." Like other reviewers, Chen cites the hefty price tag as the biggest drawback.

Amazon.com: User reviews at Amazon.com are mixed. Although the majority of the more than 330 reporting in give the remote ratings of 4 or 5 stars (out of 5), a significant minority is less happy, bringing the average down to 3.7.

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