This is the only brand anyone interested in buying a universal remote should consider
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LogitechThere are many obvious benefits to building out a home theater, but with the luxury of improved audio and video comes the hassle of having to control all the devices you’ve bought.
Universal remotes might be the least sexy gadget category in existence, but if your living room is overflowing with tech, buying one can spare you from having to keep tabs on a half dozen clickers.
Logitech’s Harmony series is still synonymous with these things. Since there's still so little established competition within the market, it’s still the name anyone interested in a universal remote should first consider, especially if you're on a budget. In that case, the Harmony 350 is the way to go if you’re looking to spend as little as possible for something serviceable.
In essence, the Harmony 350 is just a slightly lesser version of the Harmony 650, which we’ve highlighted before. It can still replace up to eight different remotes from Logitech’s massive library of TVs, cable boxes, game consoles, DVRs, receivers, air conditioners, and so on; it still has a set of buttons that can be customized as channel shortcuts; and it’s still much sturdier and more comfortable to hold than your smartphone. It’s old, but it works. It just lacks a backlight, which makes it a pain to use at night, and the handy mini display of the 650.
The bigger issues with the 650 carry over, too. Namely, any device that relies on WiFi or Bluetooth instead of infrared won’t work here. That means no PlayStation 4, Amazon Fire TV, Sonos speakers, or most smart home tech. If you need a unifier for things like those, you can try the Harmony Companion, though it’ll be pricier. You also need to keep a direct line of sight for any of this to work, which can be a pain.
We’d still recommend the 650 or Companion to most people in this niche, but if you understand its limitations, the Harmony 350 can provide good value for smaller setups.
Logitech Harmony 350, $39.99, available at Amazon.