Universal Remote Control MX-850 IR/RF Aeros Remote Control
MX-850 Complete Control Aeros Universal Remote - This universal remote control is designed for the serious home entertainment user. It can control up to 20 components via 33 hard buttons and multiple pages on a built-in LCD. That control can be custom programmed to be extremely precise, with the included Windows-based editing software. With the optional UNV MRF250 base station, you open up even more capabilities. Like up to 100' range indoors and outdoors with self-adhesive emitters, controlling equipment placed all around your house, as well as being able to control up to 6 identical components. 1.4 x 2.1 LCD Up to 4 LCD pages per component Up to 912 potential macro buttons Program up to 50 favorite channels Ergonomically designed for one-hand operation Edit the text on each LCD page as you like (up to 26 screens with 10 buttons per screen, for a total of 260 available text buttons and up to 5 characters per button) Windows-based MX Editor software contains over 1,500 code sets of brands/models - including hard-to-find & specific discrete codes MX Editor Software can also learn new commands and Live Update the IR database over the internet EL Backlighting Laser Etched Buttons Centrally Located Joystick Memory Back-Up - will retain the programmed memory for up to 10 years, even with dead batteries Powered by 4 AAA alkaline batteries (included) Unit Dimensions - 9 (l) x 3 (w) x 1.3 (h) Unit Weight - 8oz. (w/ batteries)
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Universal Remote Control MX-850 IR/RF Aeros Remote Control Reviews
This is a fantastic piece of equipment. This one is a replacement for one I have owned since 2005 that accidentally took a swim. All my A/V gear is behind a wall and out of sight but I still control everything with this remote.
I've owned my remote for probably 5+ years. I don't recommend you attempt to program this remote unless you are pretty savvy with the computer. However, once you create a program, the end-user has a very simple and pleasant interface. I can tell when the batteries are low because the macro's stop working reliably. Don't be disturbed by the price. What electronic device do you have that you can say that about.
A year ago, I was able to purchase another one from a stereo store that was going out of business and gave that to my Father (programmed by me of course). Definitely spring for the RF module, you won't regret it. So, think in terms of using this remote for 10+ years. (As one user said, the remote is a little old-school but that's great because it is reliable).
Battery life is VERY long - months. Unit looks brand new still. Regarding the programming and IR updates, I found it was just as easy to create my own database by learning the new commands. So, even tho I change components (like I got a new DVD player a while back), I can still run it without having to re-learn where all the buttons are. I also found you could re-register your remote and re-download the latest IR database. And, like I said, you won't regret it.
When you amortize it over that time frame, the cost is cheap. According to the website, these are targeted to the "professional" which is why the programming software is hard to use and why you have to have a special registration code to get the updated IR databases. You will use this for many years - that's right. The beautiful thing about a universal remote is that my fingers have learned how to use the remote. (There is an indicator on the display but I never look at my display so I never see it).
So, from a functionality standpoint, I couldn't be more pleased with this remote. It's really like night and day. If you're not sufficiently tech savvy to feel comfortable with that, this remote may not be for you. It also doesn't have the annoying Harmony "feature" of storing so many "volume up" key strokes in memory and then slowly but surely transmitting those requests over the course of several seconds and raising the volume to ear splitting levels while the user desparately tries to reverse course and lower the volume (all to no avail because the Harmony must faithfully transmit each and every volume up request first before it recognizes the volume down requests). Because of my prior experience with two Harmony remotes, a lot of this review is basically a comparison to that. Once I got started and got used to the software, I liked programming this more than the Harmony remotes. Those tended to wear out and require replacement (I wore out two of them in about 3 years). Maybe there is something I am just doing wrong here.
Being able to store different configurations in different files is a plus as well, since one might want to go back to an old device and not have to start all over. Calling the installer back out for every little tweak would be a royal pain, and probably expensive. I don't know if that means I can just download the software again to get a more up to date library, or if I am SOL on that. Also, most of our setups change over time. Also, as others have said, the software you can download doesn't seem to have the automatic update feature which goes out and updates the product libraries for you. I'm a little torn on how to rate this. But getting up and running is a bit of a pain.
The value of the remote to me would be greatly reduced if I had not programmed it myself. Also, working with software on your own machine (as opposed to interfacing through the internet for every slight change) is much better. Downloading from the Net to my Harmony for every tweak in timing was a hassle, especially since I was forced to constantly experiment with delays and such to try to get the Harmony to work better as a volume and Moxi control. I'd give it 10 stars on that part if I could - and I'm not even taking advantage of the RF feature yet. First, no software included in the box, and the instructions for getting it are pretty cryptic. Secondly, no manual for programming is downloaded with the software or available at their site. Everybody's preferences are different, and your preferences for page layouts will evolve as you get used to the thing.
Lastly, no USB interface meant I had to spend a fair amount of time figuring out how to communicate with their serial com port connector. As for the remote itself, it works my devices much better than the Harmony remotes. But in general I get the feeling that, because the Harmony libraries were supposedly supplied by users themselves, that the code libraries for this remote are more accurate and reliable for those devices included. In fact, if my memory is correct, I would not have known how to get the programming software if not for online reviews. I haven't had this long enough to know, but I suspect it will last much longer. On the other hand, because the manufacturer obviously prefers to favor professional installers, there are a number of artificial impediments that make it difficult to get up and running, even though the programming of the remote is a fairly rudimentary exercise once you finally get started. As far as hiring a pro to program it, I would recommend that you push through it on your own instead. In particular, the interface with my Moxi DVR is much much better, and the center ring buttons have a much much better feel to them.
Also, this device seems a lot better as far as build quality that the Harmony remotes I had. That little Harmony quirk is a real problem when you have small kids handling the remote.
Anyway, once you get the preliminaries ironed out, the programming this remote is not nearly so bad as others have made it out to be, but it's just a pain getting started. About the only functional complaint I would have is that the device libraries are not quite as extensive as the Harmony, and at least one of my devices (Cary CD player) has discrete on/off (rather than toggle) codes available that this library didn't have.
The remote works almost flawlessly, especially compared to the Harmony remotes I previously had. It also doesn't seem to burn through batteries as quickly, but that could be my imagination.
I may feel differently if new devices come out that aren't covered by any software or library that I can download (see below on that). So that's a trade off I'll accept.
I had to go find the manual at Remote Central. It's more flexible and gives the user a little more credit for native intelligence.
But the MX-850 is so good that it was the only option I could live with. But in the end, the Harmony's terrible software and poor ergonomics drove me grudgingly back to URC. I will probably buy more MX-850s in the future. But once programmed, it works so well that I am still willing to give it five stars.
PROS: RF works flawlessly, can learn to control anything, excellent usability and ergonomics. Sure, there's room for improvement I really wish it had a USB interface, more frequently updated software (available to everyone) that doesn't require WinXP, and a rechargeable battery. But if you have patience and a good basic understanding of how these things work, go for it; you won't regret it. I don't like URC's support policy or their failure to move away from old technologies like RS-232 and throwaway batteries.
And I never have to worry about pointing the remote anymore, let alone pointing, pushing buttons, cursing, and repeating when things don't work. They all work absolutely perfectly from anywhere in the house. I rarely have to look at the remote to find the most important buttons because the layout is so good. That's what I've become accustomed to, and words can't convey how happy I am to be free of that. I decided to ditch my old IR repeater system and go with an RF remote when I started adding LCDs around the house and they made the IR stop working. I own four MX-850s, one MRF-350, and one MRF-260.
CONS: Must buy from an authorized dealer to get updateable software, programming is via RS-232 and can't be done in Vista, no rechargeable battery. If you are afraid of the word "programming", don't have good troubleshooting skills, and don't have any nerdy friends to help you, then this is probably the wrong product for you. I gave this product five stars based on how well it is currently working in my system compared with the alternative products I've tried and read about.
At first, I went with a Logitech Harmony 890 because it had none of the cons I listed above and its IR database contained all the codes I needed for even the most obscure products.
I'm not sure which part of this voodoo is significant, but entering both numbers from the stickers definitely didn't work. And letting you program from a Mac wouldn't hurt, but let's not get carried away. I didn't have to research any obscure IR codes since the provided codes do the job, even for tricky stuff like power-on and input select. So I gave up on that PC and tried an even older ThinkPad T20 running Windows 2000. Next to it there's an option to register and download.
I have an old PC running XP with a serial port on front that I used to program my MX-700 a couple years ago, but it no longer communicates with the remote, probably because the PC has become misconfigured in some obscure way. This is bizarre, and demonstrates a strange inconsistency in this company's support for a mostly fine product. Next there's the serial data cable, which is included with the remote, though not noted on this Amazon listing. Like virtually every remote ever made, it wound up with duct tape holding on the battery door. By way of comparison, we originally had a Philips Pronto, which worked, but I hated the touch screen, and it eventually died of a broken screen after cruel abuse by our kids. The software seems pretty current, and had a model close enough to our new one that the IR codes work. Pretend you're a "professional" not a "consumer", go to the professional support page, and find your remote.
For the benefit of other buyers, here's my experience. So my recommendation is to buy the MX-850 if you need a home theatre remote with macro features, have access to a PC with serial port and a clean Windows install, and are comfortable with rudimentary programming concepts, like you'd use in a spreadsheet program. After refreshing my memory with their weirdly-constructed tutorial program, I was able to change the TV model to our new Sharp Aquos, and fix the macros for that set. I would rate this product five stars if they would switch the programming cable to USB, clean up the registration process, make the battery door from titanium, and spiff up the design a little. You have to visit the universalremote.com site, and download it.
The trick is the serial number, which is on two stickers under the batteries, but does not work when you plug it into the form in the obvious way. They weren't kind to the MX-700 either, but it still worked after I found all the pieces and put them back together. I just replaced our family's much-abused MX-700 with a new MX-850 and made it work just fine despite some initial difficulties.
First off, there's the software, which is not included in the box. That worked great, and I was able to download my old MX-700 setup onto the new MX-850. I found a tip on some support forum that worked for me: Select "K" from the dropdown, and enter the second sticker's number in both fields.
To do that, you have to register your name etc. Note that getting the required programming software is a gray area, and I can't promise that URC won't slam the door on us prosumers. At least they should explain this on their download page.
and your MX-850's serial number. I really love the way they preserved compatibility even if the design and interface are showing their age.
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