TAKE CONTROL! Sofabaton X1 Universal Remote Review & MODS!

[@eightbitJuan]

I've been using the X1 for over a year now and THANK YOU SO MUCH for the EcpEmuServer my guy! Aside from issues getting .Net going on my Ubuntu VM, this was fairly smooth to integrate into Home Assistant Not doing anything too crazy yet, but even controlling non-Hue lights is amazing.

[@studio_beasty]

That back button makes this a deal breaker

[@tahaiftekhar6466]

The back button on top is only for the screen. The actual home button for controlling the currently selected device is placed towards the button where it should be. Check out a picture of the remote

[@toddniem]

They offered for me to try one free. I haven’t yet. Big Problem is I haven’t cut the cord yet and it doesn’t even seem to have a soft keyboard . I use a Harmony Ultimate on one TV (Praying it doesn’t break) and Inset in the other. I hope you can keep updating Harmony alternatives . Even replacing the battery and repair .

[@serichard]

I had a client purchase this remote. programmed it to replace their now dead Logitech Harmony Elite. They hate it... No digit buttons, poor button layout, and the fact that the infrared is only via the dock. We need one that does infrared from both dock and the remote itself as in their case their av equipment is in another room (because it's ugly to have it in the same room). using IR repeaters has been very limited as well I need to find a quality IR repeater system that works over long distances when there is no access to run cables discretely.

[@willcrockett7732]

Great info buddy. I decided to buy one because of this review. Thanks

[@lordcarnorjax8599]

The back button on top of the screen is insanely bad ergonomics. I have two Harmony Elites that are still going strong but one developed a strange behaviour with it's touch screen and it took me months to sort it out and accidentally at that. So I'm watching the competitors to see how they are improving. I think the Unfolded Circle Remote 2 looks like it's going to be a Harmony Elite replacement at this stage.

[@Bambam21476]

It took me four days to configure this remote and was almost ready to put it in the junk drawer. Unless you're a savvy tech person, or have the patience of Job I'd avoid this one until they make it better. One reason I bought it was because of the backlit buttons. Guess what? They only light up AFTER you press a button. I thought the idea was they lit up when you pick the remote up so you could see the button you wanted to push. So now the backlit feature is pretty much useless as you still have to find the button you want in the dark. Once I got it working though, it's not bad so buy it if you're into messing around for a few days configuring it, and having a light on at night to find that first button you want. Interesting update. Their support has told me they will deal with the buttons lighting when you pick it up, instead of after you press a button. I hope they can do this with a software update but doubt it.

[@RogerWilsonTodd]

How do you deal with the absence of digit buttons, a microphone, motion activated back lighting, and config back up / restore capability?

[@BOSSVISUALS]

Thank you for the review. Currently in the market for a universal for our future clients!

[@preetmokha7002]

Hey! Awesome review! I have a Sofabaton U1 and was wondering if I can have a similar solution for the lights on it, I currently control all my lights using Alexa echo or the FireTV remote pro but it would be really good to have that functionality on the U1 as well

[@TwoGuyzTech]

Thanks for watching! Unfortunately since it looks like the U1 is an IR only remote, there aren't any real easy solutions to getting light controls from buttons like there is with the X1. Your remote would need to have a hub compatible with Wifi devices, like the hub of the X1 or Harmony remotes. Hope this helps!

[@preetmokha7002]

@@TwoGuyzTech yeah I guess I’ll have to either upgrade to X1 or keep using the firetv for the lights, thanks for clearing my doubt though! Appreciate!

[@DaveAltDelete]

I am hoping to use the remote with a Sony Bravia TV. I often like to watch KZbin and with my current remote, when doing a search on KZbin, I can search by talking directly into the remote's microphone. The Sofabaton does not have a mic... would I be able to do the same thing via its connection to Google Assistant?

[@tahaiftekhar6466]

Where will the server live if someone chooses to go the EcpEmuServer route? Will I have to keep a device alive all times to get the requests? Or can we host it somewhere ?

[@AudiophileTommy]

If only Caavo had stayed the course and further developed the Caavo universal remote they surely WOULD have blown them ALL out of the water 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@inflewence]

Great review. Appreciate it.

[@stackoverflow8260]

Can I use this to learn the controls of my miniDSP SHD ?

[@Rashad-yv4so]

If it's IR, it should work just fine

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

Great review! I backed these on Kickstarter and My X1’s are sitting in a drawer not being used. I found them frustrating to use. There’s no screen on when picked up, no dock and the iOS app is as frustrating as the Android app. The hardware feels great, but the button layout sucks!

[@northeastcorals]

Nice review 👌

[@TwoGuyzTech]

Thank you 🙂

[@xandersnyder7214]

I have had the Sofabaton U1 and U2 for several years now and to be honest the only reason I've kept buying them is because of how cheap those two are. My harmony elite died and I didn't want to pay the scalper prices on eBay and that's what brought me to Sofabaton. The app is horrible, and at least with the U1 and U2 they are insanely fragile. I have kids so remotes get dropped quite a bit and the U1 and U2 fall apart pretty easily, I hope the X1 is a bit sturdier.

[@JPlexer]

FINALLY

[@fondoo]

anyone having avr input issues on their activities? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJ3YlWVmer6Jm7c

[@DeltaStormYT]

I refuse Sofa Baton, Harmony even in its discontinued state, is a far superior product. Its the small details that add up. Along with the bold choice to not even attempt to support the basic harmony RF remote is straight up scummy. There's a need for a harmony replacement and i don't see that in sofa baton. It's absurdly expensive. Worse app somehow then harmony. It's a half-assed attempt. its nothing like harmony.

[@NahidIslam-w8m]

Ati kinbo

[@AudiophileTommy]

Son of a what ?

[@Saturn2888]

Is it just me or does this look like a Chinese device because of the font? Networked devices by Chinese manufacturers won't be in my house. Too many potential security flaws. If it's not Chinese, they need to get a better font.

[@ryankramer]

It is Chinese. Even the support ticketing system has a .cn URL.

[@Saturn2888]

@@ryankramer man, that sucks. Stuck with my Logitech Elite for longer then :/