Opinion on best hand held Remote?? Universal or RTI or---

I got tired of buying $300 multi remotes (Logitech and other brands) and finding out they were essentially useless. We bought the low end Control4 system and could not be happier. You will cough up $1000 and need to work with someone to program your system unless you are very savvy but we've never had a problem and can use our iPad or iPhone to control the system if we choose

I have had good luck with the Harmony as well mcgal.The lower tier but like you said,if you break it order up another one and sync in the Harmony App.Plus,their database is HUGE.

One that words.

I really like the Harmony Logitech remote. I have 3 of them for separate systems. It costs only about $50 so if I drop and break it I don't care. It allows me to keep my original remotes like new. It is easy to program and replaces a pile of remotes. I found their customer service to be among the best. I purchased a new McIntosh C1100 preamp when they first came out. The preamp was so new that it wasn't in their system. When I contacted them, they updated their system within 24 hours and it has been working fine ever since.

I have never had a remote as bad as a Harmony. Locked up multiple times, terrible software, web interface terribly slow.  Others have had equally bad experience.

URC is great, but may take a little effort to learn to program.

Best,


Erik

I actively advise against anyone buying the RTI system without the most careful consideration; my experience with it, and with its customer service, has been completely unacceptable.

I purchased the remote through an authorized dealer, who also set it up.

From the outset the remote had an intermittent fault in its battery contacts, which causes it to fail; the fix is to extract the battery using the appropriate tool and reseat it; fix and repeat.

I contacted the dealer to get a replacement, who referred me to RTI Customer Support. RTI Customer Support referred me back to the dealer, in what was clearly a form letter response to specific request for support. Endless loop from which there is no escape.

Compound this with the fact that the software programming of the remote was never complete (buttons didn't work because of programming gaps and errors) and the fact that it’s not possible for the user to modify the remote if his/her system changes e.g., a change from an AppleTV 3 to an AppleTV 4.

All in all we have a product with good technical design that is brought down by a poorly thought out and poorly implemented business model – resulting in an expensive, inadequate, unreliable, and obsolescing product

Go to Harmony or URC as a better alternative. That's what I’m going to do.

PM me if you would like the name of the dealer and installer, so you can avoid them, or if you would like more details on my experience.