I have used many universal remotes in my day, from the Sony Commander remotes to cheap $20 remotes. I received Harmony 880 remote recently to replace my Sony remote. I was the only one who used the Sony, my wife found it easier to use the regular component remotes. The Sony remote worked well, but it was quite cumbersome to program all the functions correctly, and it was difficult trying to teach someone how to use it. It was fine as long as I was the only one using it.

However, the Harmony remote is not just your normal remote, it’s a smart remote. You no longer need to punch obscure codes and hope everything will work. It simply connects to your computer and walks you through a wizard that sets up your devices by model and make, so you know it works! It takes a little awhile to get it completely setup, but once you get it all configured it works really well.

It has a great activity feature. For example, if I wanted to watch TV I simply just hit ‘Watch TV’ button, and it will turn on my Television, Cable Box, HDMI Audio Switcher and then my receiver. In the middle of all that, it sets all of the components to the correct input. It is a wonderful feature that my wife loves. It has other activities that can be set up as well, like listening to music and watching a movie that is all programmed with one touch of a button.

Another great feature is the little docking station that recharges the remote. No need to switch out batteries, just place it on the dock when you’re done using it. If you’re looking for a new universal remote, I would highly consider trying one of the Harmony remotes. They have a large selection in many different cost ranges. It is a bit more expensive then your average remote, but it is far worth the headache of looking around for different remotes.