# Universal Remote for Roamio Pro and Other Devices?



## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

Looking for recommendations for a universal remote that can control a Roamio Pro in RF mode as well as IR control a:
Denon 6200 AVR
Panasonic Blu-ray player
Panasonic TV
Pioneer Elite DVD/SACD/DVD-Audio player
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Future UHD player

If it's easier or more cost effective to get a universal remote that can control the Tivo in IR mode, I'm interested.

TIA


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Doesn't exist. You'll have to use IR with TiVo. 

Only harmony hub based remotes can control Fire Stick. Check out the Elite.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Its only the Tivo remote that has RF or IR mode. The Tivo itself receives both at the same time. 

You can have a roamio remote in RF mode and another is only IR. Press a few buttons on the RF, then the IR and back. Tivo receives its commands normally.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

ThAbtO said:


> Its only the Tivo remote that has RF or IR mode. The Tivo itself receives both at the same time.
> 
> You can have a roamio remote in RF mode and another is only IR. Press a few buttons on the RF, then the IR and back. Tivo receives its commands normally.


Very good input. Thanks.

Unfortunately, the Fire TV stick uses a BT remote. That is why mdavej recommended the Harmony hub based remotes such as the $300 (Amazon) Harmony Elite which can support both BT and IR. Naturally, The Elite is not a Prime Day deal today. I did get the Fire TV stick for $25 today on a Prime Day deal.


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## mweitz (Sep 28, 2015)

kokishin said:


> Looking for recommendations for a universal remote that can control a Roamio Pro in RF mode as well as IR control a:
> Denon 6200 AVR
> Panasonic Blu-ray player
> Panasonic TV
> ...


I'm using a Harmony Ultimate Remote- It works with Bluetooth, RF and IR Devices.

Here is my list of devices:

Yamaha AVR
Panasonic Blu-ray player
Panasonic TV
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Wii
Wii U
Tivo Roamio Pro
2x Sonos 5 Players


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## DEC2955 (May 3, 2009)

I can also recommend a 'Harmony' remote(s).
If you get one of the HUBS you can use it with "BLUE TOOTH" + "RF" + "IR" devices.
If you don't mind getting "Factory Refurbished" check out "GROUPON.COM" as they are about 30% less than new. Also with the "HUB" you can use your cell phone or tablet as the remote. I picked up a TRACFONE, Low end Android phone, as a remote and picked up from my local "Dollar Tree" a MicoUSB charging stand which has been working just fine. But if you want buttons and not just a touch screen you can get a five device remote to work with the HUB.


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## jayerndl (Aug 20, 2003)

kokishin said:


> Very good input. Thanks.
> 
> Unfortunately, the Fire TV stick uses a BT remote. That is why mdavej recommended the Harmony hub based remotes such as the $300 (Amazon) Harmony Elite which can support both BT and IR. Naturally, The Elite is not a Prime Day deal today. I did get the Fire TV stick for $25 today on a Prime Day deal.


Amazon has this  hub based remote new for $92. It should control all your equipment, but the Tivo will be controlled by IR. You can also use your smartphone as a remote. The biggest downside I see is that it is not backlit.

Jay


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

kokishin said:


> Very good input. Thanks.
> 
> Unfortunately, the Fire TV stick uses a BT remote. That is why mdavej recommended the Harmony hub based remotes such as the $300 (Amazon) Harmony Elite which can support both BT and IR. Naturally, The Elite is not a Prime Day deal today. I did get the Fire TV stick for $25 today on a Prime Day deal.


Rich,

If you're looking for a low-cost IR-only solution, I can recommend the Sony RM-VLZ620 programmable universal remote. I've been using it for years and it works well for my Denon AVR, TiVo, Blu-Ray, TV, et al (up to eight components).

You can pick one up new for around $15 to $20 (e.g., on Amazon or eBay) or used/open-box/reconditioned for even less. I keep a couple in reserve as mine see a lot of daily use (and the cats like to knock them on the floor, adding to the punishment they receive ).


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

If you can indeed live with IR only (use the Amazon remote for the stick), then another great option is the Nevo C2 ($16 on ebay). While the recommended Sony is a fine remote, the Nevo is in an entirely different league as it originally sold for $150 and has capabilities to match, far surpassing the Sony and similar models of that class:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/wiki/index.php?title=Getting_started_with_Xsight_and_Nevo#Introduction

There isn't a more powerful remote for the money available today. The experts in the JP1 forums know these remotes inside and out and wrote the programming software for them. So we can provide far more support for this amazing remote that any other maker would provide for theirs.

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14804&start=0

Sounds like you probably have no interest in spending $200 and up on a remote. If so, Nevo is by far the best value you are going to find.

I know I sound like a shill, but I have no financial interest in these, just many years of use and development. I'm just a huge fan of them.

I also have a nice set of Tivo icons for them (Tivo guy, thumbs, etc.) as well as many discrete commands that don't exist on Tivo remotes (discrete captions on, off, standby, stop, etc.). You can't do that sort of thing with lesser remotes.

My main Nevo controls about a dozen devices, including my home automation system for several years (until I removed it).

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I've also built several Denon devices for this remote with every possible command for every zone (about 400 in all). I've also built custom Panasonic disc player devices that include discretes and multiple device addresses (at one point I had 3 Panasonics in my rack).

EDIT2: If you had taken advantage of the $69 Fire TV (not stick) deal, then you could have indeed controlled it via IR with the addition of an FLIRC dongle. That's what I do in one of my systems.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

@mdavej @ThAbtO @mweitz @DEC2955 @jayerndl @chiguy50,

Thanks for your inputs. All are appreciated. The more I dive into this, the more frustrated I feel. Here are some additional thoughts since my OP:

I currently use a Tivo Slide Remote to control my Roamio Pro. I bought the Slide Remote because the integrated keyboard is handy for searching for titles, actors, sporting events, keywords, etc. for the Tivo guide, XOD, and Amazon (Prime) Instant Video

Although I haven't received my Fire TV Stick, I realize that it would be useful to have a keyboard for it as well. Amazon sells a BT keyboard that is designed to work with Fire TV Stick: https://www.amazon.com/iPazzPort-bluetooth-Keyboard-QWERTY-KP-810-30B/dp/B01CE6GPNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468443458&sr=8-1&keywords=Fire+TV+Stick+keyboard

Based on my desire for a keyboard for the Roamio Pro and the Fire TV Stick, Is there is a universal remote solution that has a keyboard that does both IR & BT? Does Harmony have something?

I also discovered that Fire TV Stick has integrated IP Control. Is there a universal remote solution that offers IR and IP Control (in lieu of BT)?

I guess the easiest and most cost effective solution would be to get a cheap IR universal remote to control my Panasonic plasma TV, Panasonic BD player, Pioneer Elite DVD/SACD/DVD-A player, and Denon 6200 AVR, and continue to use the Slide Remote and the Fire TV Stick BT remote (with the attachable BT keyboard). Then I would be down to three remotes.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

You're going in the direction of iRule now. 

Another option for fire stick control is HDMI-CEC. Works for the basic commands, but not quite everything, certainly not qwerty.

Harmony hub remotes do BT but I'm not sure how well qwerty would work, if at all.

Personally I think you're asking too much of the stick. Fire TV forums would have better advice than a TiVo forum anyway. 

With your desire for keyboard entry, Chromecast would be much easier and cheaper than Fire TV.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

mdavej said:


> You're going in the direction of iRule now.
> 
> Another option for fire stick control is HDMI-CEC. Works for the basic commands, but not quite everything, certainly not qwerty.
> 
> ...


Understood. I started with this forum because I thought the Roamio Pro would be the gating item but it seems to be the Fire TV Stick. After I install my Fire TV Stick, I'll go deal with the Fire TV forums.

I purchased the Fire TV Stick mostly because I want to stream Amazon Prime Music through my HT. I don't like tying up my cell phone (using their Android app) to do this. Of course, I'll check out other streaming apps but I'll most likely continue to use my Roamio Pro to stream Amazon (Prime) Instant Video because it works well and I have a wired LAN connection to my Roamio Pro.

BTW, I have the original Chromecast and I very rarely use it.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

This is what you need. You can add the $29 remote to it too. I have one of these (I may be interested in selling mine) and contrary to what others are saying here, the hub does IR, BT and IP/WiFi control so it will work with your FireTV and the Roamio using IP.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-915...&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Harmony+hub+keyboard


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

HarperVision said:


> This is what you need. You can add the $29 remote to it too. I have one of these (I may be interested in selling mine) and contrary to what others are saying here, the hub does IR, BT and IP/WiFi control so it will work with your FireTV and the Roamio using IP.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-915...&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Harmony+hub+keyboard


Dave,

This looks promising. I'll check it out further in the morning.

Thanks!


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

The Harmony Smart Keyboard linked above by Dave wasn't well received. It is available with hub refurbished for $45 now. No backlighting is a common complaint.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172253863340?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The Ultimate Hub add-on is also available refurbished, $20, again no backlighting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logitech-Ha...939192?hash=item3d1eee4e78:g:RaoAAOSwRQlXfAQ7

If you prefer to use the LCD screen Harmony Ultimate, then the add-on keyboard is available refurbished.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logitech-Ha...353879?hash=item462c9f6357:g:LTsAAOSw~FNUaFJB

I know some like the more expensive Harmony Elite hub based remote which should work. My personal preference, I like the Harmony Smart Keyboard, the older Harmony 900, One, and 700 remotes and Logitech K700 and with 3 systems and about 3 dozen devices connected those are what I use.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Are you sure the Smart Keyboard works with a Fire Stick? I thought compatible devices needed a USB port. 

Only hub based remotes will control the stick (not 900, 700, etc.). 

I totally forgot about TiVo IP control. I got hung up on RF. I didn't realize harmony hub worked with it.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

mdavej said:


> Are you sure the Smart Keyboard works with a Fire Stick? I thought compatible devices needed a USB port.
> 
> Only hub based remotes will control the stick (not 900, 700, etc.).
> 
> I totally forgot about TiVo IP control. I got hung up on RF. I didn't realize harmony hub worked with it.


It communicates by Bluetooth with my Fire TV box, I would assume the same for the Fire TV Stick. I use the USB receiver for TiVo and a Windows PC.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Chris Gerhard said:


> It communicates by Bluetooth with my Fire TV box, I would assume the same for the Fire TV Stick. I use the USB receiver for TiVo and a Windows PC.


Yes, BT to the Stick or box for nav control (up/down/left/right play/ffwd/etc.) is expected. You're confirming qwerty also works from the keyboard to the Fire TV box?

EDIT: I just picked up a couple of these for $6 each shipped (or $5 on Rakuten) which should work fine as well:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/ULAK-Wire...h-8.9-inch-All-Kindle-Series-of-Prod/49140396

(Just happens to be made for Kindle but should work with any BT device)

Nice keys and full set of playback controls as well. Great reviews and price on Amazon too.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

mdavej said:


> Yes, BT to the Stick or box for nav control (up/down/left/right play/ffwd/etc.) is expected. You're confirming qwerty also works from the keyboard to the Fire TV box?


Yes, select search and you are directed to the search screen, type rather than move about with the cursor.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

Chris Gerhard said:


> The Harmony Smart Keyboard linked above by Dave wasn't well received. It is available with hub refurbished for $45 now. No backlighting is a common complaint.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/172253863340?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
> 
> ...


Chris,

Thanks for the info. I'm researching your recommendations. Probably have a few questions later. Again, thanks.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

I installed the Amazon Fire Stick into a backside HDMI input on my Denon 6200. It paired up with it's petite BT remote easily. It connected to my router on a 5GHz 802.11n channel with no issues. I tried a few Prime videos and no issues. The videos were encoded 5.1 DD+ and the 6200 handled it as expected. Video looked fine and seemed to stream effortlessly.

Switched over to playing some tunes via Amazon Prime Music and all those are in stereo (although I used the 6200's DTS Neural:X upmixer at times). The Fire TV Music app is not as fleshed out as the Android app on my cell phone. My biggest gripe is that there is no way to find a (free) Prime album with the Fire TV app. I have to use the cell phone app to find it and then add it to my music library. Eventually the album shows up on the Fire TV Music screen but it seems to take a while unless I force the Fire TV Stick to sync (under Settings). I spoke with three different support folks at Amazon about this. The 3rd support person was a peach and she has escalated the issue to the Fire TV team to investigate. Anyway, I'm generally impressed with the Fire TV Stick so far, especially for what I paid for it.

Back to the search for the Holy Grail of a universal remote solution. Tonight, I'm gonna take a momentary break and enjoy listening to tunes with Mrs K. It's a good thing I have a side table next to the sofa to hold all the remotes though.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

FYI, I redid my Harmony Hub with keyboard today on the iOS app and it does indeed control the FireTV using BT and it also pairs the keyboard using BT, with the option of USB as well. It also controlled my Bolt with no issues. 

This seems like a great solution, especially with the phone app to use as a universal remote. Maybe you can use an old iPhone or iPod with this as a Universal Remote with the option to use the keyboard when needed and to get the remote that's compatible as well?


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

Chris Gerhard said:


> It communicates by Bluetooth with my Fire TV box, I would assume the same for the Fire TV Stick. I use the USB receiver for TiVo and a Windows PC.


Hi Chris,

Which Logitech USB receiver are you using for the Tivo?

Just so I understand correctly, the Harmony Hub communicates with the USB receiver plugged into the back of the Roamio using IP commands to control the Roamio?

If so, do I have to enable any options on the Roamio to support IP control via the USB receiver?

Thanks


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

kokishin said:


> Hi Chris, Which Logitech USB receiver are you using for the Tivo? Just so I understand correctly, the Harmony Hub communicates with the USB receiver plugged into the back of the Roamio using IP commands to control the Roamio? If so, do I have to enable any options on the Roamio to support IP control via the USB receiver? Thanks


No, both the hub (wifi) and the Roamio (wired Ethernet or moca) are connected to Ethernet via your home network and the signals go from the remote to the hub, which translates it to an IP signal through your network to the Roamio.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

HarperVision said:


> No, both the hub (wifi) and the Roamio (wired Ethernet or moca) are connected to Ethernet via your home network and the signals go from the remote to the hub, which translates it to an IP signal through your network to the Roamio.


Dave,

Thanks for clearing that up for me. You're using the iOS app as your remote. FWIW, I have an Android Galaxy S5 but would prefer not to use the Galaxy S5 as my normal remote.

Can I use the Harmony Elite remote and a Logitech BT key board to control the Hub to send the IP control signal to the Roamio over my home LAN?

BTW, which island do you live on? (Maui is my favorite).


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

kokishin said:


> Dave,
> 
> Thanks for clearing that up for me. You're using the iOS app as your remote. FWIW, I have an Android Galaxy S5 but would prefer not to use the Galaxy S5 as my normal remote.
> 
> ...


Yes I'm using iOS on my iPhone and the BT keyboard. I don't really use it as much as I thought I would, simply because I think I'm more of an original remote kinda guy. I got a great deal on the keyboard/hub bundle so I hopped on it to play with it, like I do for a lot of tech gadgets.

You should be able to use any of he hub based harmony remotes if I'm not mistaken, but I'll admit that I haven't researched that enough. I know the $29 remote I linked earlier is compatible because I've toyed with the idea of getting one many times. The keyboard is of course compatible as its bundled with the hub in the package I got. They both instruct the hub to transcode and send the IP signals through your network to the Roamio.

I'm on the Big Island of Hawaii.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

kokishin said:


> Hi Chris,
> 
> Which Logitech USB receiver are you using for the Tivo?
> 
> ...


The USB receivers come with the Harmony Ultimate Remote with Hub or Harmony Smart Keyboard with Hub, linked above. I will let others discuss IP remote control.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

My cheapo BT keyboards arrived and are working great with the Fire stick as expected. They control just about everything, and qwerty works with many, but not all apps. The weather app I use isn't keyboard aware, for example. 

I'll probably pull out the keyboard occasionally. But it's less hassle for me to just use my $16 universal remote for everything and put up with the on-screen keyboard (or use my phone). Luckily all my TVs support HDMI-CEC control of the stick, so no hubs or BT control is required.

Good to know Harmony hub and smart keyboard work well.

OP, please let us know what you end up doing.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

mdavej said:


> My cheapo BT keyboards arrived and are working great with the Fire stick as expected. They control just about everything, and qwerty works with many, but not all apps. The weather app I use isn't keyboard aware, for example.
> 
> I'll probably pull out the keyboard occasionally. But it's less hassle for me to just use my $16 universal remote for everything and put up with the on-screen keyboard (or use my phone). Luckily all my TVs support HDMI-CEC control of the stick, so no hubs or BT control is required.
> 
> ...


An avsforum member suggested using "Alexa" capability which I tried very briefly (to see the weather in Tokyo) with my Galaxy S5: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/39-networking-media-servers-content-streaming/1737410-amazon-fire-tv-stick-11.html#post45397361


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

kokishin said:


> An avsforum member suggested using "Alexa" capability which I tried very briefly (to see the weather in Tokyo) with my Galaxy S5: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/39-networking-media-servers-content-streaming/1737410-amazon-fire-tv-stick-11.html#post45397361


Yes, I tried that on my phone the other day too. Didn't work very well for me. Maybe it's my accent. I've never been very enamored with voice control. Until its close to 100% accurate, typing is still better/faster.


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