Customer Reviews

Re iPhone Universal Remote Control - Infrared Remote Control Accessory for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was a guy looking for a GREAT universal remote. I've used ALL of the available products (4) and this one is the BEST available. By far.

Here's why:

First of all, it's one of just two that have a built-in database of thousands of brands. That means typically you don't need to learn any buttons (but you can). It also means FAST setup and use. And it also means true PORTABILITY. Set up any device anywhere, anytime.

So my advise is to stay away from the learning-only remotes. They are slow to use and VERY cumbersome. There are some that say that they can download the codes, but 'User Contributed Codes' can have lots of different problems.

I found this product to have the most powerful IR transmission. You need this. Some products use smaller IR Diodes, some limit the current to the IR diode.

But the real strength of this product is the feature rich, but free APP. It has Macros and Favorite Lists (including network logos). It is truly programmable in button images and layouts. But the killer feature is the Activity Remotes. This is the capability that is usually found only in remotes costing hundreds of dollars. The activity remote is where you will spend your time using this product.

Its the Activity Remotes that make this product worth the money and stand out above all others.

Sorry for the long post, but I found an iPhone remote control that I really like, and even my wife like to use.

I bought the Re after drooling over the Harmony line of remotes for several years, and just not being able to justify spending that much on a universal remote. I've owned an All-In-One brand remote for almost 10 years, and although it can be easily upgraded over the phone through their customer support, it's not touch screen capable, so its easy to forget what I programmed into the function and macro buttons, labeled F1-F4 and M1-M4, for each of the 10 devices that it can control.

Enter the Re! For just $70, this remote/app combo has replaced 11 factory remotes AND my All-In-One universal remote. I downloaded the free Re app from iTunes before even ordering the IR sensor, and spent about an hour creating a few rooms, adding devices, and building activity based remotes. I love my iPhone 4, and the guys at NewKinetix have just made it even more invaluable. Within just 2 days, I was controlling every media device in my entire house it! Their customer service is incredible, with email response times of hours, not days, and when I needed device codes added to the custom database, it was done within 1-2 business days, just as their website advertises.

Here's a rundown of my media equipment, and my experiences with the Re after owning it for two weeks:

Living Room:
Mitsubishi WD-73737 73-Inch 1080p 120Hz Home Theater DLP HDTV
DirecTV HR21 HD DVR
MonoPrice HDX-501 5x1 HDMI Switch
Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel A/V Home Theater Receiver (Black)
Xbox 360 120GB Elite Spring 2010 Bundle
PlayStation 3 120 GB
PS3ToothFairy IR to Bluetooth converter for universal remote control of PS3 ([...])
Wii

Bedroom:
Mitsubishi WD-60737 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz Home Theater DLP HDTV
DirecTV HR21 HD DVR
Samsung BD-P1600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Sony DAV c990 10-year old all-in-one media system

Kids Playroom:
VIZIO E320VA 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV, Black
DirecTV HR21 HD DVR
Onkyo DV-SP506 1080p Upscaling Super Audio CD/DVD Audio/Video Player - Black
Old Panasonic VCR

I was able to control everything above out of the box with Re except for the MonoPrice HDMI switch and the PS3ToothFairy. Each time I added a device to the appropriate room in Re, the pre-built remote for that device was also added. I spent very little time learning the couple of buttons that were not already included on each remote, and then I rearranged the device remote buttons to resemble the factory remote layouts that I was used to. I emailed NewKinetix support asking to have my HDMI switch added to the database, and sent a link to the manufacturer's website, and within 24 hours, MonoPrice appeared in the Devices list in the Re app. The associated remote was pre-built to look just like the factory remote that came with the switch, and it worked on the very first try. Amazing!
I also bought the PS3ToothFairy in order to control my PS3 from the Re, and upon sending a link to the hex codes used by the device, displayed on the manufacturer's website, NewKinetix is building a custom remote for that as well.

NewKinetix support is also building an online community for sharing and custom remote building collaboration. Users can email custom remote configurations directly through the Re app to each other, or to NewKinetix support. I built a custom remote for my Xbox 360 elite, using the existing Microsoft / DVD device code, which provided about 90% of the functions on the Microsoft IR remote. Upon learning the Xbox menu button, Media Center Start button, and a few others, then recreating the layout of the Microsoft remote, I emailed my configuration to support, and within 24 hours, Xbox was added to the IR database using my design, as a standard out of the box code. Awesome!

Creating Activities was also a breeze. After finalizing the device remotes for all of my gear, the Re Activities wizard asks which devices are involved in the activity being created. So I created "Watch DirecTV" and "Play PS3", etc, and the activity turns on all associated devices, selects the correct HDMI input on the switch, and can perform complex macros normally not present in a universal remote at this price point. Best of all, you can create custom labels and select any button image you like for any button or macro you create, on any remote, anywhere in the app. And although you have to select from one of the 50 or so buttons included today, support has advised that Re will be able to import custom images for buttons in a future release.

The Re is by far the most advanced universal remote control you will find under $100, and in my opinion, outranks all other universal remotes for three reasons. Firstly, I don't have to have any expensive dedicated remote controls anywhere in my house anymore, period, and since I always have my iphone in my pocket anyway, it's a no brainer for me to just leave the Re on the coffee table and plug it into my phone when the family sits down in front of the TV. And second, there is no limit to the number of rooms, devices, activities, or macros that you can build and control with Re. Most universal remotes on market only control up to 10 devices and have limited customization features. Lastly, backlighting is no longer an issue, since the entire remote is as bright as your device's brightness settings, and from a usability perspective, you can assign an audible 'click' sound and/or vibrate when you click buttons on the remote, which also visually turn red while depressed. No more fumbling in the dark to find the right buttons on my non-backlit and half-backlit remotes!

We have three iPhone 4's, one iPod touch, and an iPad at our house, and the Re works flawlessly with all of them. After I customized Re in my iPhone, I simply 'bumped' it to all of the other devices and my entire config was transferred into their Re apps, so any device that we happen to be using at the time works great and controls everything. The iPad version is identical to the iPhone app, but utilizes the full length of the screen. It would be nice if the iPad app allowed full customization of the entire screen in the future, but I guess the tradeoff for now is being able to bump your settings from iPhone without any manual customization on the iPad.

The Re is so small you can put it in it's included soft mesh velcro-sealed carry bag, and keep it in your pocket. It is so fast and easy to add devices, you could literally add TV's from hotels, sports bars, restaurants, etc, and control them in public places in under a minute. I travel for a living, and not having to touch the nasty, never-cleaned, germ infested hotel remotes again is an added benefit.

I do a little iPhone app development myself, and the only bad thing I can say about the Re is that I didn't think of it myself, because the guys at NewKinetix are going to be rich...

I don't usually spend time providing reviews for products. Normally, other reviews pretty much cover the important points. But I had to comment on how easy it is to set it up.

Once I understood how the setup flows by going through setting up my first "room" which took about 15 minutes, I was setting up other rooms in less than 5 minutes. The database of IR codes is very complete and very easy to choose from. The screens are very easy to customize with personal feature buttons. I'm very pleased with the device. Well worth the price. The only thing I would suggest is a function to put the iPhone or iPod immediately into powersaving mode as it can currently quickly drain the battery just sitting around between uses.

Length:: 1:31 Mins

A video demonstrating the NewKinetix Re. This was one of the winning videos from their recent YouTube contest. The prize was an iPad!

Almost 5 stars (but for the cons). This is a Must have for Home Theater users, and much cheaper than the Harmony 1100.

This product works as advertised - but could do with some software improvements: see below.


PROS:
* Software is Highly customizable - you can program Activities, move buttons around, assign Macros to specific buttons, rename buttons, program delays and the list goes on. For example - on my Comcast DVR ,I programmed a Macro to "Click" the FF 4 times, with just one touch on the IPOD, instead of 4. The possibilities are endless when it comes to customization. You can also choose to confirm each MACRO - a screen will pop up after you start an activity where you can turn on a device that did not turn on. This is MUCH BETTER than the Harmony remote I own, which is more cumbersome (which directs you to a few screens in sequence).

* Favorites list - you can create different favorite lists with a custom name for each - e.g. My Sports, News & Finance, etc. There are LOGOS for just about every channel out there.

* The device inputs for each activity can be programmed into every Macro e.g. HDMI 1.

* The Hardware is quite responsive, with good range - the components turn on instantly (except if you build a delay into the sequence).

* All Customization is done on your IPOD device - you don't have to connect it to your computer to program it - Unlike the Harmony remotes.

CONS:

* The software does not "remember" which components are on - e.g. if you switch from Watch TV to Watch DVD, the software sends a signal to the TV to turn on - but since it is already on - it will turn off, as well as the AV receiver! This is annoying. To get around this, I had to build a Macro into my Watch Tv activity, to just switch the inputs the Devices, but I still have to access my DVD device to turn it on and control it. This can easily fixed in a firmware update - and SHOULD BE. This is one advantage that Harmony remotes has over the Re.

* The remotes database (albeit decent) should be broader - and should be sorted by equipment model #. For my Onkyo audio receiver, a few buttons were not there - such as "Test tone", and a few other key ones. Thankfully there is a Learning feature - so make sure you have all your OLD remotes.


Overall, the customization of this software beats Logitech's remotes easily....

Once you plug in the Hardware and start the software - the screen immediately flips so that you have the IR emitter pointing the correct way.

You have to spend some time adding devices and programming the activities - but once set up, it is a joy to use (but for the issues above). And you can finally put your other remotes away!

The Re is a complete universal remote control that is easy to setup and fun to use. The features included in this remote will make sophisticated remote experts happy. Features like Activity based remotes, favorites lists, and unlimited macros place the the Re on par with a high end dedicated remote. The ability to completely customize every remote layout with the buttons where you want them takes it beyond what you can do with all but the very expensive home theater remotes. The portability is great if you ever want to take control of a TV when you are away from home. Setup is so quick that you can have control of the bar TV before the bartender can find his remote. I also use it at my office to control the projector and PowerPoint presentations.

I own dedicated universal remotes and still find it handy to have this personal remote to use with my iPod touch and now my iPad. Now I have a remote that works the same way in every room, and its handy to have when someone else has the other remote or the grand kids lost it under the couch.

The Re works with my PS3 using the Schmartz IR to Bluetooth converter PS3IR-X1 Infra-red Adapter for PlayStation 3 (USA Version).

I used the Powermid X10 POWERMID Remote Control Extender Kit PM5900 where my home theater room devices were behind closed doors.

The Re Universal Remote Control App has been 100% reliable and crash free.

Excellent solution to use itouch for a universal remote control.
The database is quite impressive.
The range of the ir is just as good as any remote I have used in the past.
The interface allows you to create macros,activities for different rooms,favorite channel lists and custom layouts.
To my way of thinking this is a much better solution then the redeye which cost $188 and must be moved from room to room to use the remote app.

Just received mine on 5/10. Took about 5 minutes or less to add my TV, DirecTV, VCR/DVD Combo, and my older stereo unit which was surprising. Only had an issue with my Sony CD player.

Once it was all programmed, worked like a charm. The minor tweak that is needed, unless I'm missing something, is using the favorites. When I try to use them I hit the button but the DirecTV receiver only gets the first number and not the remaining 2. There needs to be a small/short pause between each number for proper entry on a DirecTV box. If someone knows a solution, please let me know and I will be happy to upgrade to a 5 star!

Edit to bump to (5) stars after correcting the lag input with the channel favorites!

This product exceeds my expectations, the hardware is very responsive and of good quality,and the software is very flexible and complete.Great product .Congratulations

when I ordered it, I hoped it would work. Then I started using it, and it was great. Then I kept discovering more and more about it, and it was even better. Now I simply refuse to use anything else. Really, ask my husband!