AVS › AVS Forum › A/V Control & Automation › Remote Control Area › Newbe looking for first RF remote.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Newbe looking for first RF remote.

post #1 of 14
1/13/09 at 4:08pm
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I am new to high-end remotes and after doing a little research in the forums would like to get an RF capable remote.

Right now I am using a Phillips uninversal remote ($20) from Best Buy. So you know were I am coming from. The thing I like about this remote is I programmed it once two years ago and have not had to mess with it since.

My home theater is done now and my componants are in thier own room. Im tired of keeping the door open and leaning just right to use the remote from the couch. Not too impressive when the friends come over.

So far, I have the MX-810 and the Harmony 890 on my short list. It apears from my reading that the 810 might a better built product but a bit more complicated to set up when compared to the 890. Can anyone confirm this?

My original budget was $200- but that seems like it is not going to happen. The 890 is around $250 and the 810 with an RF sensor is about $400? Are there any other serious offerings in that range?

The two things I fear most is having a remote that wont stand up to my four kids daily usage, and one that is not very stable (requires constand fiddling to keep working perfectly. ie syncing and such).

I dont mind spending a good portion of time setting up the remote, but once set up I am not the type who derives pleasure from constant reprogramming.

Can anyone chime in with pros and cons to both of these remotes? I need a bit more info to sway one way. Of course if there is a remote I have neglected to add to the list, please let me know as well.

Thanks,

Kent
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 14
1/13/09 at 6:07pm
the cramped style of buttons on the 890 isn't so great, although strangely some do like it. without a doubt, the harmony one is the best harmony on the market now. if i was in your position, i would consider using the harmony one with an ir extender (wireless or wired). otherwise, i would consider a philips remote or other, like the URC you mentioned.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 14
1/13/09 at 8:42pm
im not a fan of their products , but i bought a monster avl-300 remote and have had great success with it.
im a first time RF user and it was pretty straightforward and has a built in zwave lighting control option.
its basically a harmony remote with different layout, included ir/rf bridge, and actually decent support.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 14
1/13/09 at 8:57pm
Out of your two options, go the route of the URC product.

Although the SW is different, the 810 is a wizard based programmable remote, just like the Harmony. Set-up your config, and enjoy...it's no different

Buy through authorized channels only.

I'm not 100% on the MSRP but Philips offers the TSU-9200, that does a couple of things with add-ons that neither URC or Harmony can do. Something with media centers and feedback. ...oh and it's also a wizard based remote.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 14
1/14/09 at 11:15am
I bought my parents an 890 two years ago and they have loved it for the most part.

My opinion has always been that it was good remote, but since I paid over $400 for it, I expected a great remote. The set-up, was fairly straight-forward and the only time we had to re-do it was as they changed/upgraded components.

Their only real complaint has been in power-down and switching activities. More times than not (and it might be our set-up) the remote does not turn everything off, or it will turn everything off, then turn 1 or some things, such as the a/v receiver back on.

The second complaint they've had is that (in their opinion) the remote has worn out after 2 years. They said some of the buttons are sticking or taking multiple presses to respond.

On the flipside, even though they want to replace it, they are adamant that it be with another 890. Although, that might just be because they are set in their ways.


Lastly, I just checked this morning and Amazon has a $50 rebate and free shipping on the 890. So it would only be $195 if you bought it before 1/26.



Hope this helps more than confuses you...
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 14
1/15/09 at 11:54am
I recently bought an MX-810.

It was really easy to set up. I intend to use it in my basement which I'm in the process of finishing, but in the mean time I programmed my upstairs devices into it. Everything works really slick, had no problems whatsoever, no headaches, although I did not do any macros or activitys yet. Just controlling devices. I'm very happy with it so far.

I did not buy the RF base unit - remember you really only need this if your equipment is not in your line of sight. And there may be cheaper alternatives to accomplish "hidden control" as well. Although having an RF remote was one of the reasons I went with the MX810.

Anyway, I guess my point is that I've found the MX 810 to be very simple to set up, although I am not trying to do anything sophisticated with it. I have no experience with the Harmony to compare it too.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 14
1/15/09 at 4:54pm
I have an 890 ( as well as several other Harmony's ). The 890 is currenty gathering dust. Originally I bought the 890 so I could control equipment inside a cabinet. The biggest pain is that if you have to update the remote for any reason, you have to haul the receiver out and reprogram it as well.

I ended up buying a URC MX350 and MRF260 which I am much happier with. Also, my cabinet has an integrated controller that does most of the heavy lifting. 'Dumbing down' the Harmony was a real challenge where the URC does exactly as much or little as I want.

The only complaint from the family was that the 350 was butt-ugly compared to the 890 ( and 880 that it replaced ).

If you don't need or want PC based programming, the new MX450 might fit the bill for you. It's similar in appearance to the 810/850, but programmed from the remote itself. This is what I have on order to replace my MX350 ( because of the WAF ).

The least expensive URC option is the RFS200 bundle. This includes the RF20 ( the consumer version of the MX350 ) and MRF100 base. The bundle is available for less than $80 online in the US. There are a couple of things you give up compared to the Pro remotes and base stations. First, the Pro remotes are narrow band, thus less likely to be interfered with in RF noisy enviornments. You also lose base station addressability ( if you want seperate systems in seperate rooms ), device addressability ( sending a signal to a particular IR blaster port instead of all ports ), the ability to turn off the IR emitter in the remote for specific devices, and some macro and key programming capability. This combo would be less than half of your original budget and may be just what you need. Oh, the backlight is pretty much useless in case that matters.

Hope this helps,

Jonathan
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 14
1/15/09 at 7:08pm
+1 for the URC MX-810, I also use (and suggest) the MRF-350 base station. It has a remote antenna that I was able to mount to the back of a speaker cabinet far enough away from the electronics and everything is 100% reliable.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 14
1/20/09 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXWarEagle View Post



Lastly, I just checked this morning and Amazon has a $50 rebate and free shipping on the 890. So it would only be $195 if you bought it before 1/26.



Hope this helps more than confuses you...


I just found the Amazon deal and for less than two hundy, I felt like it was the right remote to start my RF afair with.

I will let you know how I like it.

Thanks for the input
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 14
1/20/09 at 2:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrwhite View Post

I have an 890 ( as well as several other Harmony's ). The 890 is currenty gathering dust. Originally I bought the 890 so I could control equipment inside a cabinet. The biggest pain is that if you have to update the remote for any reason, you have to haul the receiver out and reprogram it as well.

I ended up buying a URC MX350 and MRF260 which I am much happier with. Also, my cabinet has an integrated controller that does most of the heavy lifting. 'Dumbing down' the Harmony was a real challenge where the URC does exactly as much or little as I want.

The only complaint from the family was that the 350 was butt-ugly compared to the 890 ( and 880 that it replaced ).

If you don't need or want PC based programming, the new MX450 might fit the bill for you. It's similar in appearance to the 810/850, but programmed from the remote itself. This is what I have on order to replace my MX350 ( because of the WAF ).

The least expensive URC option is the RFS200 bundle. This includes the RF20 ( the consumer version of the MX350 ) and MRF100 base. The bundle is available for less than $80 online in the US. There are a couple of things you give up compared to the Pro remotes and base stations. First, the Pro remotes are narrow band, thus less likely to be interfered with in RF noisy enviornments. You also lose base station addressability ( if you want seperate systems in seperate rooms ), device addressability ( sending a signal to a particular IR blaster port instead of all ports ), the ability to turn off the IR emitter in the remote for specific devices, and some macro and key programming capability. This combo would be less than half of your original budget and may be just what you need. Oh, the backlight is pretty much useless in case that matters.

Hope this helps,

Jonathan


Now that is the info i needed! Thanks! I was really looking at the MX-810 and RF station, but at $400 plus from an " authorized dealer" It didnt fit my budget.

RF was a must as my componants are in a separate closet. I also needed IR for my Panny plasma. I beleive this rules out the consumer line of URC products.

I wasnt afraid of programming dificuly, but was of the somewhat negative feedback on thier software accesability through Pro dealers only.

I ended up with the 890 and for less than half of the URC. My main concerns with the Harmony is build quality / warranty. I am know to be completely anal with my stuff however and hope this helps me skirt any real issues.

This is my first REAL remote. Perhaps if all goes well I will dedicate a larger budget to the next upgrade.

Thanks again,

Kent
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 14
2/2/09 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrwhite View Post

I have an 890 ( as well as several other Harmony's ). The biggest pain is that if you have to update the remote for any reason, you have to haul the receiver out and reprogram it as well.

Jonathan

What? I hope someone can explain what this means. So, if I add anything to my remote, I have to reset my processor settings? Surely not. I've had an 890 for about a month and so far it has been as good as I hoped. I admit the buttons are small and cramped, but I've been able to manage. I got it from Amazon and took advantage of the $50 rebate.

My previous remote was a Sony RM AV-3000 which was really nice and large with a black and white display. I just never used it and finally sold it.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 14
2/2/09 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by limulus View Post

What? I hope someone can explain what this means.

Just what he said. If you reprogram an 890, you also need to reprogram the RF base station receiver. I don't know if you always have to do it, but anytime I reprogrammed the 890, that I used to own, I had to pull out the rf unit as well. Very annoying.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 14
2/2/09 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by limulus View Post

What? I hope someone can explain what this means. So, if I add anything to my remote, I have to reset my processor settings? Surely not. I've had an 890 for about a month and so far it has been as good as I hoped. I admit the buttons are small and cramped, but I've been able to manage. I got it from Amazon and took advantage of the $50 rebate.

He means the RF receiver for the remote, not your AV Receiver.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 14
2/5/09 at 8:37am
A unique transmitter broadcasting a single RF (radio frequency) signal in response to a single input for controlling a plurality of electrical vehicle accessories. To control the plurality of accessories, the RF signal conveys multiple information components. In a preferred embodiment, the transmitter operates in conjunction with a RF receiver installed in a vehicle to unlock the doors of the vehicle when a unique RF signal is broadcast within a defined range and actuate the horn of the vehicle when the same RF signal is broadcast outside of the defined range.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Remote Control Area

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › A/V Control & Automation › Remote Control Area › Newbe looking for first RF remote.