The SmartControl is far from the first universal remote control there’s ever been, but for just £25, it aims to control an awful lot for a little. Can this infra red candybar really combine all your current remotes into one? Read on and find out in our SmartControl review.
The SmartControl feels like something of a last hurrah for old school, IR remotes. These days, we’re normally only interested if there’s an iPhone app, a touchscreen bolted on, or at the very least Bluetooth so you don’t need line of sight.
But the chances are that everything in your home from your TV, set top box and DVD player to hi-fi isn’t quite on the cutting edge, so the SmartControl still aims to solve a serious issue.
As you’d expect, the SmartControl can either learn commands for your gadgets automatically if you own a big brand in a category (You’ll want to hold on to the manual which has a chart showing which have made the 0-9 key cut), or you can paw in a code from its extensive support list – we didn’t come across a single brand that wasn’t mentioned somewhere – if you don’t have luck at first.
Read our Sonos CR200 remote review now
When it works, it works like a charm: the SmartControl locked on to our Sony Bravia within seconds with a press of the “Magic” button, and started barking orders at it over the air. The first code provided also worked for an ageing 2001 Toshiba DVD player, to our surprise, and it’ll also work with a wide range of iPod docks, home stereo kit and Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 (Not PS3, mind, which uses Bluetooth for its remote).
Here’s where the SmartControl gets clever though: because you often use several of these devices simultaneously, it lets you string together profiles of up to three gizmos that can be ordered around without any mode switching. If for instance, you want to watch a DVD, you can toggle the TV screen, DVD playback controls, and volume from your amp all at the same time.
What’s also surprising about something that costs so little is the build. The SmartControl is absolutely rock solid, with a matte feel on the back casing, a metal rim running all the way around and well labelled controls. Make no mistake, you could throw all your other remotes away, but you won’t break this electrical bosser.
The only design decision we thought was a bit odd was the lack of an Eject button: surely enough types of gadgets use an optical disc tray to merit one? In its place, we had to use the Menu button on the DVD player we tested.
We say when it works, however, because the SmartControl didn’t always play nice with our gadgets. We tried every code, we tried to teach it manually, but there was just no making it get along with our Logik Freeview DVR, or hi-fi kit from Marantz and Cambridge Audio. The former was a particular let down, as a common sight on supermarket shelves. What’s the point of a universal remote if it doesn’t control everything you own?
Still, if the SmartControl does play nice with your kit, it really does work very smoothly indeed. And did we mention it’s dirt cheap? We say take a look, but check your store’s return policy first.
