Customer Reviews

Accenda Surfboard Voice Interactive Smart Universal Remote Control

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this remote for my limited-mobility, aged mother. She was having troubles even with the Hy-tek Partner big button remote because she could not point the remote at the TV and press the buttons quick enough to change to a particular channel. With the Surfboard, it worked, most of the time.

The main problem is the voice recognition is "too particular". When my mother was tired, her commands were said differently and not recognized.

Another limitation is the number of voice commands that the remote will learn: 12. This might be fine to control a TV only, but when trying to control a DVD too, at least 6 of those are taken (switch to DVD, play DVD, stop DVD, fast-forward, rewind, switch to TV). So this limits the ability to switch to a particular channel.

To have the Surfboard listen all the time without draining the batteries, an external adapter is required. I tried to use a generic adapter, but it didn't work. (I called tech support and they said their adapter had special voltage regulating circuitry that most "generics" do not have.) So I ended up getting another Surfboard remote with the adapter from another vendor and this one will go back to Target. (Amazon/Target should offer the remote with the adapter...)

One other concern is the "bright" blue LED when the room is dark. When it's bedtime, mother must turn the remote around from her bedside table because "old blue-eye is just too bright".

I bought this for my father on his birthday. He lost his sight later in life, and while hes gotten accustomed to his disability and can get around great, some things will always be a pain in the ass. One thing in particular, television remotes and their tendency to have more and more buttons on them as technology improves.

Recently my parents got cable and the new remote looks like a damn super-computer. Between fumbling with tiny buttons and having over 100 new channels he could never find the stations he was looking for. I did a search for a voice activated remote and this popped up so I picked it up and prayed it lived up to it's claims.

It did!

He just says 'Surfboard' and it beeps to let him know it's listening for his next command. He can turn the TV on and off, surf channels or even jump to his favorite stations. Sometimes he has to repeat himself, but I'd day the thing is about 90% accurate.

I bought this unit for my father a couple of years ago. He is a quadriplegic and cannot change the channels with a normal remote. This unit has given him a great deal of independence by just allowing him to turn on and off his TV. It isn't perfect but it works much better than other units we tried previously.

We just set it up today and called customer service (631-978-0200) with a question about creating a voice activated mute command. They called us back within an hour and were so helpful. The remote works really well. Getting it programmed to the cable box and tv was easy. It responds to all my trained voice commands. I haven't yet tried it with other devices.

I had to return the product because I could not get it to work. Great company. They gave me a full refund.

I bought this for my totally blind father. He loves it. It is easy to use and works well. It has good sound quality. He does not use the voice activated option. (he presses the buttons he does not speak the command to it) It announces the channel number he presses or it will announce "up" or "down". He can hear what channel is is on. It has been very helpful. He has had it almost a year and it has always worked. I wanted to get him another, but I haven't been able to find one. They are always listed as "currently unavailable" A blind person will need a sighted person to help them get it started up. It is very easy though and has good instructions.

I bought this as a gift for my step-dad and although the concept was pretty cool, I think it works better theoretically. It doesn't quite have all the functions of the universal remote and doesn't always respond to voice command. We weren't crazy about it, so we sent it back.

I'm mostly bedridden so I spend a lot of time watching TV and using the computer. At one point I was having aches and pains to the point that it was painful to use the remote. I already had a collection of different types, but none with VR, so I got the Surfboard.

The need for VR quickly passed, but I came to appreciate the ergonomic feel of this remote. I switch between this and a Sony universal remote and do not have any more repetitive stress problems

By the way, I found the recharger sold separately to be not worth the bother, because I do not use the sound feature except when reprogramming. Then I turn on the sound and follow the clearly spoken and simple directions.