Universal Remotes Reviews

Universal remote controls span a staggering price range, from basic models that cost less than $10 to ultra-sophisticated touch screen LCD remotes that cost more than many A/V components. Some high-end universal remotes even require professional programming and installation. We found dozens of excellent reviews, although most tend to concentrate on mid-priced and high-end remote controls. We found the best reviews at CNet.com, which summarizes all the site's reviews on a helpful landing page. Sound & Vision magazine and Home Theater magazine also cover universal remote controls, but not as many as CNet.com. Although RemoteCentral.com does not compare remotes to each other or offer any type of rating, the site provides a wealth of in-depth information about dozens of remote controls.

Universal remotes can replace all of the controllers in your home-entertainment setup with one unit. Less expensive remotes use preloaded product codes to identify your A/V equipment. Setup involves finding your components in the list and training the remote to recognize them. Cheaper universal remotes can control three or four components. Higher-priced remotes add compatibility with more components, LCD programming screens and web-based setup, which experts say makes programming easier. The simplest universal remotes -- at least once programmed -- are activity-based models, which allow users to control multiple devices and settings with just a single button press.

While some remote controls have usability issues, such as nonintuitive button placement or the lack of tactile feedback, the biggest frustrations expressed in both professional and user reviews arise during setup and programming. For example, PC World's Dan Tynan likes that the Universal Remote Control R7 (*est. $25) has lots of features and an attractive price, but takes exception with its cumbersome setup process. The remote control comes complete with an hour-long DVD tutorial, and according to Tynan, you'll need it. "While the disc for Universal's R7 does a good job of explaining the remote's intricacies, you'll need a number 2 pencil, a notepad, and more patience than I could muster to get things working," he writes.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

Logitech Harmony remote controls score well with professional reviewers and users alike. These activity-based remotes are more expensive than more basic, device-based remotes, but they are extremely versatile and easy to use. While certainly not cheap, the Philips TSU9600 has a large color touch screen and can control many types of devices throughout your home. The Universal Remote Control MX-500 gets picks as an excellent mid-range device-based remote and is capable of storing up to 20 user-created macros. As for inexpensive remotes, we saw few models compared in professional reviews. However, we found dozens of owner-written reviews on Amazon.com, Circuit City.com, Epinions and elsewhere. These writeups give us a great idea of what works and what doesn't.