The brand-new Sofabaton x1 universal remote control has filled the gap left by the Logitech Harmony remotes. If you are looking for the best alternative to Logitech Harmony remotes, the answer is the Sofabaton X1 advanced smart controller.
Though there were some smart remotes out there in the market, none of them can’t provide the features offered by the Logitech Harmony.
As the Sofabaton X1 has been released, all of its features and functions are awesome and provide what we got from different Logitech Harmony, 960, 650, 665, etc.
Since it comes with a hub, so suitable for smart homes.
Sofabaton X1 Universal Remote
Sofabaton X1 universal remote is a multi-device compatible controller that comes with a hub. The advanced smart remote control that is suitable for easily controlling multiple devices at your home. It works based on activities that are set by a user so that we can simply do what we want by the activity tab on the display built-in.
Look at the image below, how a Sofabaton X1 looks like
The remote has a small hub box, and a dedicated application is available to download from app stores to simply connect various devices (Keep reading to know the compatibility features) and create different activities.
In the box, you’ll get
- A smart remote control
- User manual
- Basic operation card
- 2 USB cables with a C-type connector at another end
- 2 IR cable
- A charger adapter (5 Volts, 2 Amp)
- And a hub (IR transmitter box)
Sofabaton X1 Remote Design
The design looks very minimal. No number keys are there. But at the bottom, you can see 4 buttons that can be able to customized and reprogrammed. Looks very simple and sleek design.
On the top left side, you’ll see the OFF button. And on the right side, a simple Back button.
A small LCD screen is there just below the OFF button where we can see various controls, activities, connected device lists, etc.
A scroll wheel just below the LDC display is to quickly select the options that are visible on the screen. While scrolling down, the selection will move to the bottom. This simplifies quickly getting the tabs that are at the bottom. This is another form of UP and down buttons.
These are very special on the Sofabaton X1 smart remote.
Along with all these features, you can see other control buttons that we commonly see in ordinary remotes such as Volume UP, DOWN, MUTE, Channel UP, Down, rewind, fast forward, Pause/Stop, etc.
For moving the tab, a rounded button is there for up, down, right, and left, and the OK button is in the middle.
As I said above, the last 4 multicolor buttons are for multi-functioning.
A C-type charging port is available on the bottom side we can simply connect the charger to battery recharge just as we do like in our smartphones.
IR Transmitter Receiver (Hub)
A Hub is available with the Sofabaton X1 and it is an IR transmitter-receiver. This extends the IR signals and can be accessible by the remote even over some long distances.
A connection indicator light is on the center part which indicates that the remote has been successfully connected to the IR receiver. By seeing this light, you can confirm that there are not any connection issues.
In addition, there is a reset button, a charging port, and 2 IR extension ports available. The reset button is a quick way to troubleshoot any issues found with the X1.
Compatibility
One of the best features of Sofabaton X1 is its wide compatibility. It can connect up to 40 different devices of various categories like Audio/Video devices like TVs (Both traditional and smart TVs), DVD players, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, TV/Cable boxes, Home theater systems, projectors (To be frank, there are very rare third-party remotes for projectors), and streaming players like Apple TV, Roku, etc.
Also, don’t need to worry about the devices that are loaded by different platforms like iOS, Android, etc.
You may have a doubt, so how can we quickly select the devices when we connect several different devices?
That’s why the scroll wheel is there. The scroll wheel is only for switching between devices. When we use it, the list of all connected devices will be on the display, and while scrolling it, we can switch between the connected devices.
I forgot one of the important notes regarding compatibility. Thousands of device brands are out there in the world. You may have a query whether it is compatible with the device brand that you have at your home and that is not very popular.
But, the Sofabaton can be compatible with over 5,00,000 (5 Lakhs) of different device brands in the universe. I am sure that your device brand will be compatible.
Connectivity
The connectivity feature lets the Sofabaton X1 as a truly universal remote since it can control devices boundlessly. Whatever devices you are using under Bluetooth, WiFi, or Infrared connectivity, the remote is compatible with all of them.
This is very rare to have controllers with all these connectivities, and I can’t see as much after the retirement of Logitech Harmony.
So many streaming devices now come with Bluetooth connectivity rather than IR remotes. It’s terrible to use different devices for smart TVs, streaming sticks, soundbars, etc using different connectivity remotes. So, it should be beneficial to avoid the remote cluster at the top of the table.
The wireless signals can be accessible up to 10 meters and 390 inches so you don’t need to worry about the disconnection problem.
Since the IR transmitter receiver extends the signal range, you can ever hide the cables and the hub in a closed cabinet. But I feel it should not be hidden under any cabinet because the hub looks very beautiful and very sleek design.
Customized activity mode
The one-click direct-to activity allows you to simply do what you want in just one click.
Suppose, if you want to watch TV, and you have a customized activity named “Watch TV”, and while selecting the activity on the Sofabaton X1, it’ll quickly turn on your TV and start streaming.
In this way, you can trigger multiple devices.
Create different activities like listening to music, playing games, projectors, etc.
Superpower battery
A one-time fully recharged battery can last long up to 60 days. We don’t need to plug the charger in and charge it frequently.
Moreover, it only takes less than 3 hours to get it fully charged.
Smart voice control lets Sofabaton X1 compatible with Alexa and Google Home
It’s the world of smart home services like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, etc. That’s why Sofabaton X1 is equipped with smart voice controls. A hands-free voice control lets the different devices be controlled through the Hub.
You can connect different smart home appliances and controlled through Google assistance as well as Amazon Alexa.
Just say the commands to hands-free controlling different appliances.
Easily upgradeable
All the features and functions are controlled by the hardware and built-in software. The software program we called firmware. There is a simple method to update the Sofabaton X1 firmware even when you are not a technical guy.
If you cannot troubleshoot any small glitches after attempting the reset with a reset button, you can simply do this software update. In addition, you can improve the remote’s performance too. by updating the firmware to the latest stable version.
Simple to program
You don’t need to go through a series of steps playing with universal remote codes. You even don’t want to find the device codes. All the steps will be done by the Sofabaton remote control mobile application.
While connecting the remote with your smartphone application, the codes will be identified by the app, and the code from the cloud code database. After testing the code, the most suitable code will be set to your device.
I’ll write a detailed guide on pairing or programming a Sofabaton X1 universal remote control soon.
Price
The cost of the Sofabaton X1 universal remote is just 189$ and is worth this price. Formerly, we all used to spend more than 250$ to buy an advanced smart universal remote control from Logitech.
So, we can conclude that the Sofabaton X1 is the cheapest and best advanced smart third-party remote control available in the market.
Specification Chart
| Product | Sofabaton X1 |
|---|---|
| Hub | X1 |
| Remote Size | 190*46*15 mm |
| Hub Size | 100*100*18 mm |
| Weight | 214 gm (Remote + Hub) |
| Battery | Li-ion Battery |
| Capacity | 1050 mAh |
| Charging Time | 3 Hours |
| Connectivities | IR+Bluetooth+WiFi |
| Wireless Technology | Bluetooth 2.4/WiFi |
| Infrared | 10KHz-100KHz |
| Input Interface | USB C-Type |
Wrapping It Up
To make your home even smarter, you could use an advanced smart universal remote like Sofabaton X1 remote to control multiple devices.
It’ll replace all of the different device’s original remote controls and provide a clean table top. Save money by spending on batteries for different remote controls.
Integrate with Alexa/Google assistance to simplify the activities. A complete All-in-one remote control for your smart home.