Many AV devices still rely on infrared (IR) control, in which you must point the remote’s IR transmitter directly at the device’s IR receiver. The more a remote costs, the more flexibility it should have to control different kinds of devices.For instance, instead of having to push separate buttons to turn on your TV, switch HDMI inputs, power on your AV receiver, change inputs there, turn on your Blu-ray player, and-finally-start your movie, you can reduce all of that to one push of a single activity button. Activity buttons-such as “watch TV’ or “listen to music”-combine multiple actions into one button press (officially called a macro) and let you control multiple devices at the same time. If you can’t teach the universal remote specific commands from your device remotes, or reprogram the buttons to do different things, the remote is far less likely to be capable of doing everything you need it to. It can learn commands from your existing remotes.It’s helpful if the remote is backlit so you can see the buttons in the dark. The most important buttons (such as volume, pause, and play) should be readily accessible. The remote should have all the necessary buttons to perform desired tasks-and yes, we think physical buttons are essential, as opposed to a touchscreen, which requires you to look away from the TV to find the right button. It has physical buttons in a logical layout.A game console or audio player might also be included. This system may include a TV or projector, a DVD/Blu-ray player, a cable/satellite DVR, a surround-sound receiver, and probably a media streamer (such as a Google Chromecast or an Apple TV). That should cover the average audio/video enthusiast’s system and then some. But at the end of the process, this remote should be able to do most everything you need it to. These steps are not as quick or intuitive as using an app, and the owner manual is not as clear and concise as it could be. The programming process is old-school, though: You have to manually input codes for your different AV devices and then teach the remote any functions that are missing or executing incorrectly. The layout is clean, albeit somewhat generic-looking, and the buttons are fairly large. This fully backlit remote can control eight devices and has all the important buttons you need, including three activity controls that allow you to group devices together to watch a movie, listen to music, or watch TV.

If the remote still executes the command, it’s likely using Bluetooth or RF, not IR. If you’re not sure how your device is controlled, try this: Point your device’s remote at the floor in the opposite direction from the device’s location and then press a button. The Insignia 8-Device Backlit Universal Remote is a good choice for people whose gear works via infrared control (IR) it doesn’t work with devices that you control by Bluetooth, radio frequency (RF), or Wi-Fi. It lacks backlighting, and it has no dedicated activity buttons for grouping different devices together to perform tasks such as “watch TV” or “watch a movie.” You can still create activities and assign them to random buttons, but you have to figure out all the programming yourself-and we fear that the app’s learning curve may be difficult for someone who has never programmed a universal remote.

While the U2 remote is better than everything else we tested, it still has some notable drawbacks. You can program the U2 using a setup app for iOS or Android, and the app provides a lot of customization options to reassign what the remote’s buttons can do. The remote’s button layout is intuitive, and the OLED screen at the top makes it easy to switch between the AV devices you want to control. It can control up to 15 devices, including both infrared- and Bluetooth-based AV devices, so it’s more flexible than many lower-priced remotes, which typically work only with IR devices. The Sofabaton U2 Universal Remote Control offers more features and control options than similarly priced competitors.

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