SofaBatonX1S Universal Remote Control with Hub and APP Setting, Smart All in One Remote with Customize One-Touch Activities, Compatible with 500,000+ IR/Bluetooth/WiFi Devices/Alexa/Google Assistant

Before purchasing this Sofabaton X1S, I was a satisfied customer of their earlier U1 universal remote. Part of the reason for my satisfaction was the excellent support they provided. Some of my equipment was old, and it wasn't in the Sofabaton database. When I asked for help, they responded right away and entered the data, and it worked. They were a pleasure to work with.I was able to set my U1 control for my Samsung TV, Nakamichi receiver, and Oppo Blu-ray player. I set "activities" for playing a CD, using the Bluray and the receiver, and for watching TV with AppleTV, with the audio piped through the receiver. The one thing I couldn't do is connect to my Sonos Port. I hoped that the next version would be able to control the Sonos as well.When Sofabaton offered me a rebate on the X1S if I agreed to review it, I jumped at the chance. So far, I have had a couple small problems configuring my devices, but was able to work through them with the help built into the Sofabaton app. You do the configuring -- and also testing -- directly through the app, and then that syncs with the remote. Currently, my Sofabaton X1s has absorbed the controls for my TV, AppleTV, Nakamichi receiver, Oppo Bluray, Sangean HD radio, and (sort of) Sonos Port.The X1S works for me a little better than the U1. When I was setting it up, the default menu picks seemed to lead me straight to good settings. With the earlier U1 model, I recall having to do more customization to get things set the way I wanted, adding or changing commands for individual keys. That capability is still present, though, if I need it.I like the new version of the physical remote control better than the U1, because the more rectangular X1S seems more stable in my hand. It feels well-built, and the screen is easy to read. The only thing I would change is that the two little buttons at the very top ("off" and "<-") are slightly awkward for me to reach without shifting the remote in my hand; it would work better for me if these were on either side of the roller ball in the middle of the remote.It's really nice to be able to control several devices with one remote. This time my "Big Screen" activity just came together better than on the U1, and pressing "off" on the remote reliably turns off both TV and receiver. This time, I didn't need to configure a pause between powering the receiver and selecting the input, and it seems to just work. When I start the activity, it turns on the TV, receiver and the AppleTV, and sets the receiver's input to Video. The remote basically controls the TV (and the AppleTV through the TV), except for the volume and muting, which control the Nakamichi receiver. Then I edited the mute button to control the TV -- so I can easily swap between the TV audio and receiver audio, which is handy when I have the receiver going through my headphones.It's easy to edit the buttons in the Sofabaton app. For the Oppo Bluray, somehow I didn't get a working disc eject button, but I was able to select a button and explore a couple settings and quickly found one that works. With my TV, there were two database entries, and I wasn't sure which was correct. The first one worked great except for powering off. The Sofabaton app allowed me to troubleshoot that button, and the first or second suggestion for a change turned out to be the right one. (There are several versions of my LG TV).I found the menus mostly easy to understand. There were a couple places where I wasn't sure which way to go, but I tried a couple things and quickly worked it out. It's not perfect, but it's good, especially when considering the complexity of all the different devices and configurations available. I know that if I ever do get stuck, I can ask Sofabaton for help again, and they will quickly and cheerfully get me unstuck.My hope was to have a physical remote control for my Sonos Port, allowing me to cycle through my saved stations in the Port's app. I couldn't get that to work, but that would be a pretty tall order. The Sofabaton app lets you configure the inputs for a device in several different ways. You can work with devices that have physical buttons (like 1, 2, 3... as with my HD radio) or an "Input" button and then "Next". But the Sonos has no physical controls, and it doesn't seem to have any "hooks" into the app for selecting my stations. What I could do, though, was set the Sofabaton to control my Sonos Port (via bluetooth), and by default, the "next" button triggers the next selection in whatever channel I currently have in the Sonos app. Not bad.I think the X1S is well-designed and well-thought-out and well-executed. I would recommend it to my friends who are into tech.Looking over my comments, I would say that the X1S is not perfection, but it seems about as close as I'll find in any remote that can accommodate all the different devices and use cases that are out there -- with built-in features for fixing and customizing device profiles. I have not mentioned some of the advanced features that I don't yet use, such as integration with Alexa and Google Assistant. I just discovered the "Find my remote" feature (in the app, under Settings): I pushed the button upstairs, and followed the loud beeps to locate the remote, downstairs. I just noticed a feature in the app called "API interface". So there's more to explore, when I have time.

I recently purchased this remote after coming off a Logitech Harmony Elite, which Logitech recently discontinued. I did significant research and found that this was the most comparable remote on the market.I would say I have a moderately complex setup compared to your standard user that simply has a television connected to a media device such as a Roku or Apple TV and maybe a sound bar. I'm connected to a 7.2 surround sound with stand alone receiver, connected to video game systems, media players, and a few other devices so making the jump to a new remote is typically very time consuming and not something I want to do often.Even with my previous Harmony remote, which I loved, it took me about 2 hours to get the setup right and another 2-4 weeks of fine tuning because things were turning on/off in an incorrect order leaving the receiver playing while the TV was off or vice versa under different circumstances.I am happy to say that the SofaBaton X1S, by comparison, was a breeze! There was no need for an outdated PC App that had to pair with the hub and could take some time to test and eventually use. SofaBaton uses a simple app that worked with my Android phone flawlessly. The app lets you use your phone like a remote if you would like to and has suggestions for each device you set up and use for a number of situations.Literally every device I added and every activity I added worked on the first try with the exception of my children's Nintendo, which took a little playing with.The device is light weight, easy to use, easy to reprogram if needed and feels great in your hand. The only real hiccups I ran in to were not due to the device itself but rather my physical setup. My receiver and TV are a distance apart and the IR blasters hard cords that were a bit short to cover the distance (I was about a foot short). Luckily, a quick Amazon trip and I was able to find compatible IR extenders which were fully compatible and fixed my problem with no issues. I would recommend the SofaBaton team offer their own extenders available for an additional purpose to save other users the time - but, again, this was no problem with the product itself.One surprising feature was the battery life. I would estimate my remote gets a good 5x the battery life of my old universal remote. I almost never have to think about charging it on a TV that gets moderate mixed use, daily. Occasionally, I check, thinking its been weeks since my last charge so it "must be due" only to find it has about 60-70% still left. Pretty amazing.Overall, very happy with the purchase and would highly recommend the product.Positives:Best universal remote on the marketEasy to useGreat battery lifeGreat connectivityOption to use your phone as a remoteNegatives:If I had to be picky, I'm not a fan of the "volume" and "channel" placement toward the bottom of the remote, which can be kind of awkward to hold/manipulate. It would be far better served toward the middle of the remote where the device is more balanced in your hand.One last thing - The device has a "blackberry-esque" scroll wheel to flip through activities. Coming from the touch screen on my old Harmony, I didn't think I would like this. I actually found it to be much easier to use, more responsive, and more accurate than the touch screen on the previous device. Also, because of this, I have never *accidentally* switched between screens or activities when I bump the remote like I used to occasionally do with my last. Like everything else, it took a little time to get used to but I find it to be a great setup once you get used to it.