Hi All. Got a new LG CX TV in the Boxing Day sales. Very happy with it although I find the remote a bit fiddly - not a big fan of the “pointer” which cannot be permanently disabled. I’ve never tried a universal remote and wondered if anyone uses one with their Vero 4k+. Most internet recommendations seem to be for Harmony but there are a couple of articles suggesting Logitech are about to stop producing them. I only need a simple remote - don’t need any online or hub-type features. Just 3 or 4 devices, including the Vero.
I have the Vero remote so I can always use that in conjunction with a universal remote.
Based on what? The fact that they dumped the funky Alexa remote shortly after releasing it (which also came with an offer to refund money are get a non-funky model for free)? I can tell you that I currently use four harmony remotes in my house and couldn’t be happier with them. I can still update my Harmony One that I purchased when it first came out a very long time ago and it is still holding up to daily use. IMO Logitech doesn’t really have any legitimate competition in the universal remote consumer space so I don’t see why they would give that market up.
I know - don’t believe everything you read on the internet. At the moment, a lot of tech companies are struggling to get stock to where people need it but still - it seems clear that Harmony is the best but I’m interested in whether people have tried other alternatives. The Sofabaton U1 looks interesting.
IMO anyone who points at low availability of a product during the holiday rush in a year where manufacturing and sales are impacted by a pandemic doesn’t deserve to be taken too seriously. Such a thing does make for good click bait though. As for his point about sales percentages that is equally dubious. By that logic Apple would have stopped selling computers not long after the iPhone came out.
As for the Sofabaton it is hard to form much of an opinion on something that i’ve never put my hands on but after spending a few minutes on the amazon page I noticed a few things. It does not look like it has the best ergonomics and the button layout seems a bit odd. I have large hands and i’m fairly certain I would find it difficult to press those number keys in isolation. Watching the videos I noticed whenever someone tapped on it there was a very distinct sound of cheap thin plastic. That and the poorly conceived of battery door would not lead me to think this is a long term purchase. I also see a lot of talk in the reviews of the device database lacking diversity and people having to fully program every button from their original remotes. There is also comments about very weak ir signal which should be particularly troubling as that one is kind of a low bar for an ir remote. Also a newcomer to the remote space that relies on an app should not make anyone think that this remote is going to be supported years from now.
I can see for fifty bucks or less how the Sofabaton may suit some people just fine as a throwaway remote. It is not trying to be a Harmony (especially since it is not activity based) but filling in that space where you have a cheap universal without having to deal with codes and a manual. Then again if you don’t need Bluetooth the Harmony 665 is only a slightly higher cost.
I have a Logitech Harmony Hub. It has pros and cons. And very honestly, the biggest con is that it requires internet access for configuration etc. The Keepalive signal is sent out every 2 seconds to their server. And they send almost everything out unencrypted (Last time I checked, was about 2 years ago).
Since then, whenever I need to configure something on it, I have to open the firewall for it to communicate with the harmony servers. Don’t know what else they send out though.
I have a Harmony Hub and Elite remote. Not cheap but I think it’s one of the best pieces of technology I have. Controls everything from lights, TV, home cinema, Vero, digital signal processing. Even switch on electric blanket remotely. Very flexible, tailorable and virtually foolproof for the whole family to use. Wouldn’t be without it.
Thanks guys. Still thinking about what to go with but I’ll let you know. I don’t need anything fancy - just something to change channels, volume, inputs on the TV.
So long as they don’t turn my electric blanket down!