Which logitech remotes are rf

In years past, if you wanted an advanced universal remote that you could program yourself as opposed to models that are sold exclusively through dealers, like Crestron and Control4, that program them for you , you had many choices—from brands like Harmony, Sony, Pronto, URC, and UEI. When Logitech recently discontinued Harmony universal remotes , it killed the last of the big-name brands—as well as all of our former picks in this guide—and left us pondering how to proceed.

Sure, you can still find a ton of low-end replacement remotes—models whose primary purpose is to replace the one the dog chewed up and do little else. The equipment consists of a mix of traditional IR devices, Bluetooth devices, and some Wi-Fi smart-home lighting and temperature items from Lutron and Honeywell.

My family lives with each remote for a while to see how intuitive and reliable each is to use on a daily basis. You can program this remote using a convenient mobile app that makes adding, removing, and changing devices easy. And you can reassign buttons to perform different tasks, as well as learn IR codes from your existing remotes.

And the setup app requires you to figure out a lot of the advanced programming yourself, which may prove to be too challenging or frustrating for some people. The bottom half of the chassis is a bit thicker and heavier than the top, which keeps the remote feeling balanced. The U1 is powered by two AA batteries, which are included in the package.

The screen automatically lights up when you pick up the remote. And since the U1 is not locked in to a set of pre-labeled device buttons, it can control multiple models of the same type—say, two media players, two TVs, and two audio systems. Add in its ability to control a total of 15 devices, and the U1 certainly can be set up to control multiple systems around the house. The remote communicates with the app via Bluetooth, so the first step in the setup process is to pair the two.

And then you can start adding your devices; this is a straightforward process in which you can choose from a list of preloaded devices including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Nvidia, DirecTV, and Xfinity or enter the manufacturer and device name. SofaBaton claims its code database includes ,plus devices and 6, brands. The software automatically and wirelessly updates the remote with the proper control codes after each new device is added.

I loaded all of my gear from both of my AV systems into the remote in just a few minutes, since all of my devices were in the SofaBaton database. You can also quickly learn IR codes from your existing remote, and you can choose what you want each device to be named on the OLED screen. Overall, we found the basic setup process to be straightforward but not necessarily quick. Your time investment will depend on how precisely you want to tweak your controls.

SofaBaton makes you customize every little thing yourself unlike the Harmony setup software, which figured out a lot of stuff for you. More on this below. The good news is that all of the programming and customization has to happen only once unless you tend to upgrade your AV gear a lot. The hard truth is, with the death of the Harmony remote line, consumers have been left with a smattering of universal-remote options that all have notable flaws. This remote requires line-of-sight to control any IR-based equipment, and you need to be deliberate in pointing the U1 at your gear rack—and keeping it pointed there until any command sequences are done.

My family is accustomed to using a Wi-Fi—based system, where you can point the remote anywhere in the room and the commands will still work, so the U1 took some getting used to.

You have to select the device in question and resend the command. But you have to figure out the macro or sequence of steps and assign it to a random button. For my family, the most logical option was to program a Watch TV macro onto the power button for the Apple TV or the Google Chromecast—likewise with the Xbox for gaming.

Speaking of macros, the process of creating them, though logistically simple in the app, will be more mentally taxing than some people will tolerate. Finally, the U1 remote can pair with only one Bluetooth device at a time. Only the 44 most-essential buttons appear on the Harmony remote, and each of those buttons is individually sculpted, providing useful tactile cues so you can operate the remote by touch, rather than having to rely on sight.

As with all Logitech Harmony remotes, the newest addition to the lineup can have you watching your favorite movie or show with one press of a button. The intuitive setup wizard guides you, prompting you to enter the make and model numbers of your components. And with more device codes added every day, you can be confident that devices you buy tomorrow will be covered, too. Here is just one example. There are plenty of reports showing that the harmony DOES work with RF controlled electrical switches, blind stores ….

The Harmony does not work with RF controlled switches or blinds. You can definitely add a second Blaster to your Harmony In fact you can add up to 4 additional blasters to your Harmony for a total of 5. We're glad you're here. We want to hear from you and encourage comments, critiques, questions and suggestions. Design The Ultimate looks identical to the Touch, except for a small but important design change to the bottom of the remote that improves its ergonomics: a hump that pushes your hand forward, making it easier to access the transport controls at the top of the remote.

If you look at our review for the Touch, you'll notice that CNET editor and video guru David Katzmaier didn't like that the transport controls were at the top of the remote instead of at the bottom like they are with the entry-level Harmony and Logitech's previous RF remote, the Harmony If you're a heavy DVR user, you really want those buttons to be within in easy reach of your thumb, and having the transport controls in the middle to bottom third of the remote is definitely preferable.

I think the hump helps with the ergonomics, but I also didn't mind using the touch screen to control playback with my DVR. The screen recognizes a limited number of gesture controls, and I thought it worked pretty well.

To pause and play you simply tap the screen and you can program the swipe gestures to create rewind and fast-forward controls. I, too, thought the screen could use a little more resolution, but I felt the screen was adequately responsive. I think the addition of RF helps -- IR is inherently sluggish -- so things just felt zippier all around. To some degree, how you feel about the remote will be determined by how you feel about the touch screen, because it does replace a fair number of physical buttons.

For instance, you have to change channels by pressing virtual numbers on the touch screen. I didn't mind that, but if you've grown used to the clicker that comes with your cable or satellite box, it takes some getting used to.

On the flip side, one of the big pluses to having the touch screen is that you get easy access to all your favorite channels. The Harmony software makes it simple to select up to 50 of your favorites and quickly add them to the remote as a grid of icons. Of course, since the screen is pretty small, you're going to end up doing some scrolling to get to all your favorites if you add more than 20 or so. As noted, the touch screen also supports some gesture controls.

During TV watching, you can swipe up to raise the volume and swipe down to lower it. Swiping sideways left or right skips channels forward or back. You can also assign other actions to a particular gesture control or button and add sequences "macros". Some people complained when Logitech left off the ability to add sequences to some of its previous advanced remotes, but that functionality is here if you need it. Beyond the nitpicking, my broader impression is that it takes some time to get completely familiar with the remote, and there is some satisfaction in tweaking your settings to improve the user experience.

Everything worked well, though I sometimes felt I had to go through an extra layer of navigation or a menu to get to the control or function I wanted.

It helps to reassign the hard buttons and customize everything to your liking.