Greatest common remotes of 2022

Juggling a number of remotes for TV, cable field, soundbar, recreation consoles, and all the opposite gadgets in your lounge can get extraordinarily irritating. As soon as upon a time, producers made third-party common remotes, which linked to many gadgets so you might navigate all of them with one magic wand. Even though we’ve got extra gadgets than ever, common remotes are a dying breed. You may argue they’ve been changed by smartphones however switching between 100 totally different clunky apps simply isn’t as elegant because the defunct, but nonetheless supported Logitech Concord distant. Right here’s the factor, although. There are nonetheless a couple of firms that make common remotes. And a number of the previous gadgets, together with the Concord remotes, nonetheless work properly when you’re keen to purchase a used one. In case your espresso desk stuffed with remotes wants taming, the most effective common remotes can nonetheless swoop in and reduce out some distant muddle.

How we picked the most effective common remotes

I’ve lined the buyer electronics business for greater than 10 years for TechnoBuffalo, Gear Patrol, CNN Underscored, and iMore. The protection included critiques and experiences on TVs and third-party A/V gear, together with common remotes.

To make our alternatives, I leaned on hands-on testing, in addition to intensive analysis on the present third-party distant market. I checked peer critiques, person impressions, boards, and retailer remark sections to get a way of what common remotes are at present widespread.

What to contemplate when selecting the most effective common remotes

A very good common distant will consolidate your assortment of remotes right into a single tech navigation instrument. It may possibly dim your sensible lights, change in your TV, and begin enjoying a film by way of your streaming gadgets, with a couple of fast faucets. Or you may program it to do all of these issues without delay with a single press of a button utilizing a “macro.” 

A very good common distant also needs to function broad system compatibility and, like every good gadget, a well-organized structure that’s intuitive for novices and veterans alike. Whereas a show isn’t needed, it’s a pleasant perk as a result of it permits customers to scroll by way of their record of customizable actions.

System compatibility

You wish to make certain your common distant can hook up with all the gadgets within the area the place you intend to make use of it. It’s best to be capable to juggle between 5-10 gadgets without delay (or extra), spanning house leisure, sensible house, and different kinds of drugs. Broad system compatibility will enable a common distant to suit seamlessly into your each day routine, and make it simpler to get essentially the most out of all of your gadgets.

Battery life

A common distant can’t do its job with a useless battery. When doing our analysis and testing, we hunted down choices that might final a couple of months between costs. 

We typically desire remotes that function a chargeable inner battery to attenuate the opportunity of e-waste. For remotes with rechargeable batteries, we desire a charging hub over a easy cable, however that’s undoubtedly not a dealbreaker. For those who’re utilizing a battery that depends on disposable AA or AAA cells, we advocate buying rechargeable batteries.

Design

Common remotes typically share the identical design language because the TV and cable remotes you’ve doubtless used your complete life. Most often, they’ve many, many extra buttons. Generally additionally they have a small show, which is nice as a result of it helps you retain observe of what you’re doing. Nonetheless, for essentially the most half, the most effective common distant shouldn’t be laborious to parse.

Past our picks’ normal form and dimension, we regarded out for issues like a snug button structure. Generally used buttons, together with quantity, pause, and play, needs to be simple to search out with out requiring somebody to hunt for them. 

An ideal third-party distant also needs to have customizable buttons you may set for particular duties, like turning in your TV to a selected enter. In fact, we additionally tried our greatest to search out choices that look good and really feel good in hand, too.

Value

Strictly talking, there’s nothing important a few common distant. It’s a luxurious meant to make your technological life a bit extra handy. On condition that, each particular person can have their very own ideas on how a lot they’re keen to spend for comfort’s sake.

Fortunately, there are common remotes for each finances. Probably the most inexpensive ones present restricted performance, akin to a TV distant, however with a wider vary of performance. The costs go up from there as firms add extra broad assist for a lot of gadgets, shows for higher navigation, charging stations, and extra. The perfect common remotes are usually a couple of hundred {dollars}.

On high of that, our picks embody a few remotes which might be not in manufacturing. They’re nonetheless pretty simple to search out, new or used, however they price much more than you’d anticipate. Don’t fret if our high picks aren’t your worth vary, as there are at all times extra inexpensive choices that may pare down your pile of remotes.

IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi assist

All common remotes use an IR (infrared) transmitter to ship a sign to your TV, which interprets that sign to actions like decreasing the quantity or altering the channel. Decrease-priced common remotes typically come outfitted with an IR transmitter. One of the best of them also needs to assist Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, permitting them to speak with a wider vary of contemporary gadgets like recreation consoles and sensible house gear.

One of the best common remotes: Critiques & Suggestions

Discovering the appropriate common distant will allow you to consolidate your assortment and produce some order to your lounge. Although the record of interesting choices is dwindling, there are nonetheless a couple of nice common remotes on the market.

Greatest general: Logitech Concord Elite

Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay

Why it made the reduce: With broad system assist, a capacitive touchscreen, and assist for one-touch actions, the Concord Elite is hard to beat.

Specs

• Dimension: 7.56 x 2.13 x 1.14 inches
• Weight: 0.36 kilos
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• Battery life: 3-7 days

Execs

• One-touch actions
• Customized actions
• A capacitive touchscreen makes it simple to manage your gadgets

Cons

• Very costly
• Not in manufacturing, so could also be troublesome to search out new

Though it was discontinued in 2021, the Logitech Concord Elite stays the most effective common distant we’ve tried. It consists of broad system assist for over 270,000 leisure and sensible house gadgets, in addition to customizable one-touch macros. It incorporates a small capacitive touchscreen that makes navigating a doubtlessly dizzying array of gadgets simple to observe. Although Logitech not manufactures Concord remotes, the corporate nonetheless updates them, so they’re nonetheless a viable possibility.

That mentioned, getting a Concord Elite for an inexpensive worth isn’t simple. It was costly from the beginning, retailing for $349. Now that there’s a restricted provide, that worth has solely gone up. Even used fashions can price almost $400 or extra. Nonetheless, when you’re trying to find the versatile, feature-rich common distant, nothing touches the Concord Elite.

Greatest for house theater: SofaBaton U1

Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay

Why it made the reduce: The SofaBaton U1 affords an identical expertise to the Concord Elite, together with a small OLED show, in a extra inexpensive bundle.

Specs

• Dimension: 7.7 x 1.9 x 1.2 inches
• Weight: 0.61 kilos
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Battery life: N/A (requires two AA batteries)

Execs

• Small OLED show
• Can management as much as 15 gadgets
• Helps over 350,000 gadgets

Cons

• Can’t management Wi-Fi-based gadgets

Although we’ve got a mushy spot for the Concord distant, there are nonetheless firms making nice common remotes. Living proof, the SofaBaton U1 can hook up with over 350,000 gadgets from 6,000 manufacturers and incorporates a companion iOS and Android app so you may configure the distant on the fly. It may possibly management as much as 15 gadgets without delay utilizing IR blasts and Bluetooth. You can even assign buttons to carry out particular actions and even create shortcuts to launch actions. 

The SofaBaton U1 does all this for $69.99, far lower than the Concord remotes price earlier than shortage drove up the value. Although it isn’t as simple to program, and may’t management Wi-Fi-based gadgets like sensible gentle bulbs, it provides the Concord remotes a run for his or her cash. It’s a handy, inexpensive, no-compromise common distant in a fairly polished bundle.

Greatest easy: One for All Sensible Management 8 (URC7880)

Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay

Why it made the reduce: The One for All URC7880 seems fundamental at a look, however options customizable buttons and controls as much as eight gadgets.

Specs

• Dimension: 9.4 x 4.8 x 1.1 inches
• Weight: 0.46 kilos
• Connectivity: Infrared
• Battery life: N/A (requires two AA batteries)

Execs

• Easy, easy design
• Can management as much as eight gadgets
• Customizable shortcut keys
• Distant finder function

Cons

• Doesn’t work with Bluetooth gadgets

The One For All Sensible Management 8 resembles a inventory distant you’d get with a TV however can do much more. It may possibly management as much as eight gadgets through infrared and can work with all the pieces from a TV to a set-top field to a Blu-ray participant. It additionally options customizable shortcut keys that you may program through a smartphone app. Our private favourite function, although, is the distant finder, which helps you to use a companion app in your smartphone to make the distant emit a noise so you may observe it down.

The Sensible Management 8 solely communicates with gadgets through IR blast, so it’s actually only for house leisure facilities, quite than a full suite of sensible gadgets. Nonetheless, its comparatively easy building and slender focus make a stable, inexpensive alternative trying to mix a couple of of the remotes across the TV.

Greatest for Apple TV: Apple TV Siri Distant

Purchase it used or refurbished right here: eBay

Why it made the reduce: The Apple TV Siri Distant options an improved design, exact D-pad, and touch-sensitive jogwheel for straightforward management.

Specs

• Dimension: 6.93 x 2.62 x 1.04 inches
• Weight: 0.28 kilos
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• Battery life: Two months

Execs

• Clicky buttons
• There’s a mute button
• Jogwheel controls

Cons

• Sort of costly when you’re upgrading from an older Apple TV distant

With a stunning aluminum design and exact D-pad, the Apple TV Siri Distant is the most suitable choice for the corporate’s set-top field. The considerably improved 2nd-generation distant features a mute button, in addition to a extra intuitive directional pad with a touch-sensitive “jogwheel” much like the expertise of utilizing an old-school iPod. In fact, you may also use the Apple TV Siri Distant for system-level TV features like energy and quantity. For folks with fundamental setups, that’s all of the “common management” you really want.

Greatest for Alexa: Amazon Fireplace TV Dice

Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay

Why it made the reduce: The Amazon Fireplace TV Dice makes it simple to manage your complete setup with out even touching your distant.

Specs

• Dimension: 5.5 x 1.4 x 0.62 inches
• Weight: 0.09 kilos (with out batteries)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• Battery life: N/A (two AAA batteries)

Execs

• Highly effective voice controls
• Preset app buttons
• Simplistic structure

Cons

• Voice recognition isn’t at all times excellent

It might sound uncommon for the Amazon Fireplace TV Dice to indicate up on an inventory of the most effective common remotes because it’s a … field. Simply hear us out, although. The Fireplace Dice is a surprisingly highly effective system. The set-top streaming system permits you to management your TV and some other Alexa-compatible sensible gadgets in your house with voice instructions you converse into its small distant.

While you put aside the Alexa performance, the Fireplace Dice distant, which you’ll additionally discover in lots of new Amazon Fireplace streaming gadgets, is pretty rudimentary. When you get into the swing of utilizing voice instructions, although, you received’t care about any of the buttons, anyway.

Greatest finances: GE Common Distant

Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay

Why it made the reduce: The GE Common Distant is straightforward to make use of, affords grasp quantity management, and may join with as much as 4 gadgets without delay.

Specs

• Dimension: 7 x 2.24 x 1 inches
• Weight: 0.2 kilos
• Connectivity: Infrared
• Battery life: N/A (requires two AAA batteries)

Execs

• Straightforward to make use of
• Connects with as much as 4 gadgets
• Grasp quantity management

Cons

• The plastic design feels low cost

For those who simply wish to consolidate remotes and haven’t any want for customizable buttons, touchscreens, voice controls, or any of the opposite options we’ve highlighted in our different picks, then you definitely’re on the lookout for the GE Common Distant. For about $10, you’ll get a distant that comes pre-programmed with assist for hundreds of AV gadgets and may management as much as 4 gadgets without delay. It additionally helps grasp quantity management, so you may modify the quantity of no matter system you’re linked to, whether or not your TV or Apple TV. It isn’t particular, but it surely will get the job completed and could be very low cost. There’s nothing fallacious with paying a bit when that’s all you want.

FAQs

Ultimate ideas on the most effective common remotes

Clearly, we nonetheless have a deep affection for Logitech’s Concord remotes. That mentioned, there are nonetheless a couple of good choices on the market, so there’s no purpose to not use one when you assume it could assist. It’s additionally value noting that increasingly more gadgets can deal with fundamental system-level TV controls, making it simpler to get by with one distant when you’re simply watching TV.