Using an I Pad as a Remote Control

[corey d]

Does anyone know anything about using an I Pad as a universal remote? I mainly want to control my tv, av receiver, cable box, blue ray, etc. I dont even know if this is possible, but I've seen scientists grow a human ear on a mouse's back, so i have to think it is.

cd

 

[JHenley17]

There are apps. I've done it with Galaxy Tabs with varying degrees of success. Just getting a remote is a better solution in the long run.

 

[corey d]

I have a Universal MX-450, but the damn screen is out. I guess ill try to get that one fixed, but it would be cool to be able to control all of that from the i pad.

 

[SpeedRacer]

Depends a lot on your devices. The problem is most are still controlled by IR, which is a capability tablets don't have. There are apps for controlling Bluetooth enabled devices though.

 

[bipolarbear]

Im using the harmony Smart Control which has a hub that does all the InfraRed tramision and has an Ipad/Iphone app to go with it. it costs about $130 and I love it. I actually pulled out a $3000 Philips Pronto remote system in favor of this one. The Philips Pronto was great when I was single, but now I have a wife that wants a more simple Audio/Visual setup and young kids that drop remotes.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-smart-control?crid=60

 

[Mxav]

There are apps as stated before, but some of those apps require you to buy a separate device to connect to your T.v or such.
I have a Galaxy Tablet and a HTC one cell phone and it automatically came with an app that controls my T.V.

 

[corey d]

Im using the harmony Smart Control which has a hub that does all the InfraRed tramision and has an Ipad/Iphone app to go with it. it costs about $130 and I love it. I actually pulled out a $3000 Philips Pronto remote system in favor of this one. The Philips Pronto was great when I was single, but now I have a wife that wants a more simple Audio/Visual setup and young kids that drop remotes.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-smart-control?crid=60

Im going to check into this. Thanks.

 

[Vermiform]

Depends a lot on your devices. The problem is most are still controlled by IR, which is a capability tablets don't have. There are apps for controlling Bluetooth enabled devices though.

This. Even on devices that do have an IR emitter, it is usually a very weak one and you will still be wanting a hub.

 

[au01st]

I've had a Harmony 880 for years in my living room. I now use a Harmony 700 in the bedroom.

I did use my iPhone as a remote for my Boxee Box when that remote quit working (and CS sucks) but have since added an IR receiver to the Boxee, so it works with the 880.

Check out Harmony remotes, I will probably be using them for the forseeable future.

 

[sandman7925]

Im using the harmony Smart Control which has a hub that does all the InfraRed tramision and has an Ipad/Iphone app to go with it. it costs about $130 and I love it. I actually pulled out a $3000 Philips Pronto remote system in favor of this one. The Philips Pronto was great when I was single, but now I have a wife that wants a more simple Audio/Visual setup and young kids that drop remotes.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-smart-control?crid=60

You spent 3K on a remote?

 

[LACamper]

You spent 3K on a remote?

+1!

 

[JHenley17]

I'm imagining one of those bad-ass things you see in bachelor pads in movies that control the whole house.

 

[bipolarbear]

Im a big geek. The philips pronto remotes ran java,.. i did some custom programming so that the remote would display the current playing song title and album cover art when tuned to XM sat radio. I had RS232 serial control of all the devices, so everything was really responsive. I hit the HBO logo and the channel changed instantly. I had programming that would display the current channel and volume levels on the remote,.. it controlled all the lights in the house. I could even see the front door security camera feed on the television remote. I was saving up for automated window blinds. Then life happened and I no longer have the time to play with the AV stuff as much. Add 3 other mouths to feed and what little extra money I have now goes towards my current hobby,.. Shooting.

 

[sandman7925]

Im a big geek. The philips pronto remotes ran java,.. i did some custom programming so that the remote would display the current playing song title and album cover art when tuned to XM sat radio. I had RS232 serial control of all the devices, so everything was really responsive. I hit the HBO logo and the channel changed instantly. I had programming that would display the current channel and volume levels on the remote,.. it controlled all the lights in the house. I could even see the front door security camera feed on the television remote. I was saving up for automated window blinds. Then life happened and I no longer have the time to play with the AV stuff as much. Add 3 other mouths to feed and what little extra money I have now goes towards my current hobby,.. Shooting.

How do I rig my coffee pot to sense when I take my morning **** and start the brewing?

 

[bipolarbear]

I once tried the toaster connected to the internet thing,.. didnt work out so great. It was supposed to burn the daily weather report into my toast.

 

[debStone25]

I never thought that it would be suits as a remote

 

[olivs260]

Im using the harmony Smart Control which has a hub that does all the InfraRed tramision and has an Ipad/Iphone app to go with it. it costs about $130 and I love it. I actually pulled out a $3000 Philips Pronto remote system in favor of this one. The Philips Pronto was great when I was single, but now I have a wife that wants a more simple Audio/Visual setup and young kids that drop remotes.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-smart-control?crid=60

Im going to check into this. Thanks.

I'm looking into this too. Anybody use this and have positive or negative reviews? I'm curious what the interface is like on your phone/ pad.

 

[Suburbazine]

I'm looking into this too. Anybody use this and have positive or negative reviews? I'm curious what the interface is like on your phone/ pad.

I use the Harmony Ultimate with iPad/iPhone control. It's pretty responsive and works well once programmed. Some features may be lacking (not programmed by Logitech) and requires a call to Logitech Support to add on a per-device basis.

The remote itself is fairly nice, with the touchscreen and button control. Occasionally the handheld remote will forget to turn off (inactivity timer) and will run dead if not put back on the charger.

The initial setup is a bit time consuming, what with having to manually update the firmware and programming on the base and remote the first time. After the initial setup and programming is done though, you can edit/fix/add program features from the online portal or your iDevice (or any other supported smartphone)- without having to touch the Harmony Hub. Just hit the Sync button on the remote to update any changes you made. The only time you'll need to remove the Hub from wherever you install it is to update the firmware with a computer (or use a laptop). Every time there is an update to the smartphone app, a relevant firmware upgrade is required for the Hub. Otherwise, the app will update and no longer communicate with the Hub.

On a negative note, the Harmony Hub only has 2 IR outputs (not counting the blaster built into the top of the Hub). This was a real bummer for me since my previous URC MX3000 and Harmony 1100 had 4-port IR repeater hubs. If you have a home theater system dependent on separate, blocked hardware (like a TV/projector in the ceiling on a power lift) you may not have enough IR blaster ports. In a stretch you can command certain actions to occur from the handheld remote blaster to add a pseudo port, but if it's not in one spot it's not a reliable method. In my case I had to set timers so that the remote blaster would hit the TV after it exited the ceiling.

My favorite remote is still the MX3000. The programming capacity of the remote was nothing short of incredible (as was the RF range), but the hardware eventually failed after 7 years of use. The Harmony 1100 (may it forever remain discontinued) was quite buggy and didn't support much programming customization.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

My samsung smart tv has an app to control everything from the Ipad/Iphone. It runs through wifi.

 

[audioshooter]

The LG g2 phone has an ir blaster. As soon as I got it, I messed with my little brother for about 3 days. It is nice to have everything in one place and not need keep up with multiple remotes.