The Best Universal Remote Control


Fewer people need a universal remote control these days, which explains why the category is dying and great options are hard to find. But if your home-entertainment system is more complex than the basic media player–TV–soundbar combo, and you’re looking for one remote to control all your gear, the SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote Control is the best option we’ve found. It has some notable flaws, but this model can control a wider variety of home-entertainment devices, and it has a better physical design than its competitors.To get more news about TV remote control, you can visit remotescn.com official website.

The SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote Control is a well-designed universal remote that offers a lot more features than you might expect for $50. It can control up to 15 devices, including both infrared- and Bluetooth-based AV devices. So it’s more flexible than many of the lower-priced remotes on the market. It has an intuitive button layout that includes most of the control options you’ll need, and the OLED screen makes it easy to switch between the different AV devices you want to control. You can program the U1 using a convenient setup app for iOS and Android, and the app provides a lot of customization options to reassign what the remote’s buttons can do. But the U1 has some drawbacks. It lacks backlighting and a Help function to fix any messed-up commands. And there are no dedicated activity buttons for grouping different devices together to perform tasks like “Watch TV” or “Watch a Movie.” You can still create activities and assign them to whatever buttons you choose, but you have to figure out all the programming yourself—and we fear the app’s learning curve may be high for someone who has never programmed a universal remote. But despite these issues, the U1 is the best option we’ve found for people who have a mix of IR and Bluetooth devices.

The One For All URC7880 Smart Control 8 is a simple, affordable remote for people who can control all their gear via infrared (IR). It can’t control Bluetooth-based devices like the Google Chromecast or Nvidia Shield TV, but it will work fine with the majority of AV products, including most cable and satellite boxes, Blu-ray players, soundbars, gaming consoles, and AV receivers. (If you’re not sure how your device is controlled, try this: Point the remote at the ground in the opposite direction from the device it’s supposed to control, and then press a button. If the remote still executes the command, then it’s using Bluetooth or radio frequency, not IR.) The URC7880 can control eight devices and has all the important buttons you’ll need—including five activity controls that let you group devices together to watch a movie, play video games, and so forth. But, like the Sofabaton U1, it lacks backlighting and a Help function. One For All says you can set up this remote using an app, but the app just lets you add devices. The majority of the programming takes place the old-fashioned way—by manually putting the remote in programming mode and punching a lot of buttons. It’s not ideal, but it gets the job done—and it means anyone can program this thing, even if they don’t own a mobile device.

We also tested a couple of simple, large-button remotes designed for people with vision, memory, or confusion issues, and we recommend the Flipper, which is an IR-only remote that can control a TV and set-top box.