Universal Remote Programming
If you’ve ever tried to program a TV remote control, you know you’re in for a headache. You need to find instruction manuals for your TV, the cable box or satellite receiver, then look up control codes, and then individually try them until they work. Not fun.
And then you have to do the same thing with your DVD remote. And the one for your home sound system.
The ability to control all devices with a single universal remote control, sometimes called a oneforall remote control, is a huge plus. besides doing away with all the clutter, universal remote programming is so easy.
There are many universal remote controls on the market and all work just a little different but assuming you are getting one of the leading brands, look for a feature called Automatic Code Search. This is the key to universal remote programming. The one I use, the Logitech Harmony One, for example, is a good example of this.
It has support for more than 5,000 brands, meaning you can control home entertainment devices that you own today or will buy tomorrow.
The way to do the universal remote programming on this model is as simple as can be. You plug in the remote one-time to your computer via a USB cord and log into a special website from the manufacturer of the control and, following the instructions, it identifies each entertainment device you want to connect, automatically finds the proper control code for it, and sets it for you. You can even determine what favorite channels you want to appear on the color screen of the remote.
That screen is a touch universal remote screen, meaning you just touch the icon of the TV station or channel and, just like that, your cable box or satellite receiver switches to it.
Once you have don the universal remote programming through the website, you unplug the control and, that;s it! You have done the universal remote programming. The color touch screen on this has has buttons that “think” like you do. After doing the universal remote programming, all you have to do is decide on the activity that you want. Want to watch a TV program? Play a DVD movie? Listen to the radio or MP3s? Just press a single activity button, and the Harmony remote will do the work for you.
From time to time, as you add new devices or you have other favorite channels, all you need to do is log back into the website and, in a minute or two, readjust or add devices or favorites.
The Harmony One I use can support up to 15 separate devices, making it easy to control even the most complex home entertainment systems. Seriously, universal remote programming couldn’t be easier.
There are, of course, lots of universal remote controls to choose from. Whichever one you select, I recommend you buy universal remote devices that are known as a touch universal remote, as they are so incredibly intuitive and easy to operate.