Universal Remote Control: How to Make Life Easier With One Remote for Your Home Theater

Are you sick of using all those remotes just to turn on your home theater system? Well, there is an easy way to combine all of those remotes into one and leave the rest in a drawer. The remote that is the most user friendly to use are the remotes made by Logitech. These remotes are called Harmony remotes and they are designed for anyone who has difficulty using too many remotes.

Harmony remotes are programmed online and designed to the equipment in your system, whether it be just a cable box and dvd player or a massive home theater system. The online programming is also very user friendly as long as you know your components model numbers and where the devices plug into your tv. For the average Joe, this can be done by the customer. If not, many companies can program these remotes for you including home theater companies and major companies like Best Buy and Circuit City.

How the remote works?

Most of the remotes send out an IR signal, or infrared signal, to the components. An IR signal is a direct line of sight to the sensor on your device. This is the same signal that most of your common remotes use to perform their functions. With the programming stored in the memory of the remote itself, you can turn on your system by just pressing Watch TV. Yes!! It is as simple as that. When you want to watch a dvd, press Watch DVD. How is this possible you might ask? Well since you told your remote the necessary information of your system design, inputs and model numbers, the program remembers the activities that you want to do. You have created the program based on your needs and all with just one simple click of a button.

Some important and helpful features that you need to know about Harmony remotes is that you can program it to almost anything you have, no matter how old it is, as long as it has an IR sensor. If there are buttons that aren't on the programing, the program allows you to build those buttons and use them on the onscreen remote control. One of the best features of these remotes is the Help button, which enables you to fix your system without getting off the couch. Remember that your system is designed for your needs! The harmony remote remembers what it needs to be on in order for the activity to work properly. By hitting the Help button, the remote sends out one discreet code to fix the problem. If that doesn't help, then it goes through a series of yes/no questions that will eventually fix your problem. In a matter of seconds, your problem is solved and you can enjoy your TV again.

In addiction to being able to use one remote, you can also hide your equipment in a cabinet or on the other side of the room. Harmony offers RF base stations that convert your IR signal to an RF signal, Radio Frequency. RF doesn't need a direct line of sight, but rather works through air waves. These base stations work extremely well with the harmony remotes and can help hide any and all the components in your system. The type of remote that works the best with these base stations is the Harmony 890, which also has a separate charging station for the remote.

You can find these remotes at any local Best Buy or even order them through the Logitech website itself. If you have anymore questions about these remotes or how they work, please leave feedback and I will address them shortly thereafter.