Sevenhugs - Smart Remote X - Black

PROS - Quick setup - Beautiful screen - Unique point and click feature CONS - Short battery life - Questionable stand design - Lacking integration I’ve long thought that the holy grail of home automation was an experience that was contextual and personal – besides voice control this is the closest that we have come, and it is indeed very magical! To be clear, the Smart Remote by sevenhugs is not just another universal remote control, but it does integrate several of the aspects used their competitors along with their own unique approach. I’m going to talk about everything from how I setup the remote and features to things I would like to see. Let’s get started! HARDWARE The hardware is very straight forward – there are no physical buttons here. The front of the remote features glass with a color touchscreen. The resolution isn’t going to win any awards, but it gets the job done and looks great. The back has a slightly grip rubber texture with small recessed area to natural rest your fingers that makes it very easy to hold. Overall, I found it very comfortable to use. The battery most likely due to the display never lasted more than 24 hours – I would be sure to put the dock in an accessible location. The dock is an unassuming black puck with the USB type C connector that points vertically at a slight angle. This is slightly scary as the remotes only support when docked is provided by this single connector and there is no other mechanical part keeping the remote up. I can foresee this being a problem, especially in households with children. It only takes once, and you could be left with your jack broken off your dock. The magic point and click aspect require 3 other white puck shaped device to be adhered to your walls in the room that your using the remote in. The pucks are battery powered and come with 3M Command Strip adhesive to aid in the installation process. There are some specifications that need to be adhered to such to ensure the point and click functionally works as intended. Pucks must be on different walls, never the same wall, must have a view of each other, and a view of the dock. That is a lot, and it did take some thought before I decide where to place each one in my apartment. SETUP + SOFTWARE The setup is dead simple and should be for a universal remote that promises to make your smart home and entertainment life easier. You plug in the remote and connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi. After that you do most of the configuring from the app. When you select what TV/AV equipment you want to setup it will prompt you to interact with the remote if it needs help deciding what specific TV model or A/V receiver you have. The setup is very fluid and easy to follow. Next if you have any smart home hardware or services you can connect those. I setup my Philips Hue lights, TP Link switches, Apple TV, Sonos speakers, and Nest Thermostat. They are always adding new support for devices (Nest is the newest addition). Setup typically involves signing in with that specific account or searching your Wi-Fi network for the devices – either way it is super easy. Once you have your TV, A/V, and smart home tech added you can begin grouping and configuring your hardware. They offer several scene options to tackle typical scenarios – you can have an A/V scene or Home scene. Home scenes allow you to have a single button to perform several actions like when you arrive/leave home or want to have a movie night. When creating a home scene, you are asked to complete the action on the remote. This is easy enough, but when you have tons of lights and other hardware it can be slow scrolling through every single item. A better option to tackle this would be doing it all in the app. If you aren’t controlling individual lights, I would suggest grouping lights to make creation of home scenes easier. To control multiple A/V hardware you can setup an A/V scene – this will allow you to select what hardware you want to turn on and what inputs they should be set to. Additionally, once specifying your A/V configuration you can create or tie in an existing home scene to control lights or other smart home functions in conjunction with your A/V scene. Overall the process is simple and easy to follow, but it does get noticeably more bulk for homes that have a ton of smart home appliances. Now comes their killer feature – contextual point and click. After setup of your devices and scenes you can unlock the magic. The setup of this is easy - click and hold down on any item from the remote and it will ask you to hold the remote around 6” from the object and set the location. After doing that, whenever your remote is in point and click mode you can simply point at that object and the remote screen will change to whatever that object is. It works very well and once you set everything up it’s a truly magical experience. At some points it does require recalibration, that involves spinning the remote in a figure 8 pattern in addition to pointing to each of the reference points as they light up. Overall, I’ve been very satisfied with the remote, they offer a unique and fun approach to the traditional universal remote environment with their unique point and click capability. It’s easy to setup and offers many services and third-party support that is steadily improving.

Sevenhugs first smart home universal remote is a solid start. However, it does have its quirks. I have owned multiple universal remotes, and they were not easy to program. More than likely, you downloaded software to your PC, and you had to input every model number manually. One of the best features of Sevenhugs remote is the intuitive approach. All the user has to do is download their smart remote app from the Apple or Google Play store. Once installed, create an account and have your remote ready nearby. Through the phone app, you select the device you want. Then, you point the remote at the object, and it downloads the information. Since this was a simplistic approach, I was able to download everything including my receiver, cable box, television, and my 4K player in under 5 minutes. Additionally, I was able to add Wi-Fi devices including my Philips HUE lights. Again, the amount of time and ease to do this is simple, and a fantastic design approach. The remote itself is very light and comfortable to hold in your hands. I am not a fan of the overall plastic design, because it feels cheap. However, using the plastic Sevenhugs used allows the user to hold and control the remote with ease. One of the flaws to this remote is the battery life. After charging the remote for five-plus hours, I was surprised to have limited battery life with it. I used the remote for one day to control everything in my home theater, and lights. Afterward, I set the remote down until the next day. The remote had a quarter battery life left. I continued to use it, and then I received a message to "place the remote on the stand to charge." Again, the battery life of the remote is not good. Hopefully Sevenhugs, in the future, puts a better longer-lasting battery in the remote. While using the remote, the user can scroll through their devices by swiping left on the LCD screen. I had some infrared issues initially. I had to hold the remote just right to use my cable box, which was frustrating. However, I was surprised when I was able to use my receiver and 4K blu-ray player through our foggy cabinet windows. Despite what other reviewers said about this, I had no issues using the remote through glass cabinets. With programming, I was able to use my Philips Hue lights and adjust the colors of my light strips with this remote. The LCD screen displays the color picker and options on the remote well. Another option I went with was creating a "scene" with the remote. I created a useful "All ON/Off" function using both the app and universal remote. Again, Sevenhugs nailed the programming function. I was able to program my scene in minutes. Now my lights and home theater turn on and off at the press of the "All On/Off" scene I created. Sevenhugs advertised the idea of "point and control" feature throughout their campaign. This design is patent-pending and futuristic. Sevenhugs included three white "hockey puck" sensors with the product to use this feature. Unfortunately, you need to place these pucks in your primary space, in-line with one another, to use it. The other issue is, you have to play around with the placement so that the sensors can pick up your "point" function in the room. Plus, placing the white "hockey puck" sensors on the wall is not practical, unfortunately. The sensors stick out on the wall in the room. Unless you can conceal them within bookshelves or near other objects, unfortunately, the sensors are noticeable. After playing around with the placement of the sensors, and using the included 3M command strip stickers to place them on the wall, I successfully pointed and used the remote. Though, the feature is a nice one, the remote often selected the wrong device. I am not sure if this is due to the design of the product, or my placement of the sensors, but this function was not ideal for use. Also, some smart home devices are not available just yet, including Nest thermostats (as advertised). However, Sevenhugs states that they will include Nest products in December; hopefully soon. Overall, the Sevenhugs remote offers an intuitive design and functionality. However, where the remote loses its edge is the sensors included with the device and battery life. In the future, Sevenhugs should upgrade the battery in the remote for a longer lifespan. Also, Sevenhugs should consider changing their "hockey puck" sensors, or limit the amount you need. Placing three of these on different walls in my living room was not ideal; they stick out like a sore thumb. But, for a universal remote, this is a solid choice on the market. It is easy to use and program. Plus, it is a comfortable remote to use.

I was looking to make the Sevenhugs my only remote because I hate having to fumble through remotes. As I look at the packaging and read the quick setup guide I had more excitement because of what the Sevenhugs smart remote is capable of doing. Package The packing of the Sevenhugs was percise that it made me feel like they pay close attention to detail. It was layered so you can handle the pieces one at a time. Starting with the main feature the Sevenhugs smart remote. In the box You get the smart remote, charging base, 3 room sensors, power cord, velcro strips, and manual/booklets. Setup The setup is not like the complicated universal remote days. You have a handy quick setup guide that walks you through the initial basic setup to connect your WiFi for secure updates. You can now follow through and add your devices after you complete the quick setup. I like the idea of the point and it selects the correct device but I do not really want to have that on my wall. Maybe if I had a man cave/den it would not really matter but the size of the sensors are too big for my liking. Performance The remote is small and it sure does a lot. It feels great to use but I thought it would of been bigger from the pictures. I can definitely see this between the couch cushions. Maybe a find my remote feature will be added or I probably missed that it’s already a feature. The way my room is setup I really only need the one room sensor because my tv and receivers are all directly in front of me. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to use the magic wand feature the way it is intended to be used. The remote response is usually very responsive with my selections. Since I’m used to my remotes I would like to have the exact layout after I download the remotes. I don’t like that I have to swipe to go to pages of the remote. The Beta customize that they have available now is limited but I’m sure later they might have it where you can drag buttons to where you prefer to make you own layout. I know some people might like to swipe because the buttons are bigger and easier to read but I would like to at least be able to have my most used functions on one page. Bottom line is the remote functions great but it needs a few updates to make it perfect. Sevenhugs smart remote can get it close to perfect because it can do OTA updates to improve the performance. Likes -Like the convenience of having less remotes on my coffee table. -Easy to use and program. -Like the scene setup. -Future updates will improve the smart remote. -Save money on batteries because this is rechargeable. Dislikes -Layouts should be more customizable -Charging could be easier if it was designed more like a cradle for the remote. -The sensors are too big. -Battery does not hold the charge for long. I thought maybe I did not charge it enough so I left it overnight and it lasted about a day and a half. Overall take I will recommend the Sevenhugs smart remote for the many great reasons I listed and with continued support I know updates will make it better.

My husband and I love gadgets and we're also control freaks, so when we saw the Smart Remote video we were dying to try it. So far so good! We're really enjoying it. Here are some of my observations as one of the first people to try it: - The remote itself is beautiful. I really love the way it looks. And when you hold it in your hand you can really feel the quality. - We mostly own products that Smart Remote supports, but we’ve got a few smart lights and switches that aren’t yet available (IKEA Trafri and Lutron). The current list of compatible smart home devices is bit limited right now, but Sevenhugs says they’ll be adding more devices every month. I'll be eagerly awaiting their Samsung SmartThings integration. - I’ve setup a few universal remotes in my time and this one was by far the fastest and easiest remote I’ve ever set up. The Smart Remote app does a really nice job and it took about 10-15 minutes from start to finish. - We successfully replaced 6 remotes with Smart Remote (woohoo!): TV, cable box, Roku, Blu-ray player, audio receiver and CD changer. A couple of the buttons on our TV and audio receiver were missing, but we were able to add them with infrared learning. We were also able to edit the controls and remove a couple buttons we didn’t need. That’s one of the nice things about a touchscreen remote—everything is customizable! - Smart Remote’s AV Scene feature makes it super simple to control our entertainment center. You just create a scene for each media player you want to watch and all the options appear in a list on Smart Remote. From there, all we need to do is just tap what device we want to watch. Smart Remote will turn on our TV, AVR and whichever media player we selected and switch all the inputs. Really like this one-touch control feature. - Point Mode makes me feel like Harry Potter (at least a little :-). Being able to just point at what you want to control is super cool and also pretty darn convenient. Really innovation tech! - The Room Sensors that make Point Mode possible need to be placed high on your walls and they need to be visible. They aren’t very noticeable on our white walls, but they will stand out a bit if you have dark color walls. Seems like a small price to pay for having the latest and greatest technology though. - Controlling smart lights and plugs is easy and is actually quite a lot of fun now, especially when using Point Mode. The UI is really well done and makes it really fun to play with your lights and try new colors. - If you use Spotify, you’re gonna love the Spotify integration on Smart Remote. It's super convenient to just browse and launch playlists without needing to pull out my phone. - The battery only lasts a day and overnight charging is pretty much required. Small price to pay for everything else this remote does well though.

Like most people, I’ve got a basket with 5 or 6 remotes sitting on my coffee table and it seems ridiculous to have so many controls. I’ve tried Harmony and other options in the past, but had issues with setup and could never get my wife comfortable with using a remote with a lot of buttons. So, I’ve been waiting for a new solution to appear. Also, I recently convinced my wife to try out a few smart home products like smart bulbs in various room in our home, but I’m the only person who typically uses them. She doesn’t always keep her phone with her and hasn’t really taken to using voice control yet. When I talked with my wife about solving our TV and lighting challenges with Smart Remote, she really liked the simple control screens and was open to trying it. After a few days of using Smart Remote now, we’re sold. Turning on everything connected to the TV is super easy. All we need to do is just tap the Roku or cable TV button in the menu and Smart Remote does the rest. My wife is even using our TP-Link smart lights thanks to Smart Remote with Point Mode. She was a little reluctant at first to install sensors on our walls, but it couldn’t be easier to control things now with the proper setup. Just point at the TV or the lights and tap...it works like magic! I’ve also been using Smart Remote to stream Spotify to my Bose speakers, which has been a really nice bonus feature. It’s like having the Spotify app on your remote. I can browse playlists and select music to play, control volume and skip tracks. The only thing it’s missing is the ability to type in searches like you can in the Spotify app. Hopefully they’ll add that functionality soon. A couple other things to be aware of: - The battery life seems pretty short, so you’ll need to get in the habit of charging it up every night. - Point Mode is really handy when you have some smart home devices spread around the room, but you won’t be able to point and control individual devices connected to your TV. If your devices are close together, you’ll need to manually swipe to select which one you want to control. Smart Remote isn’t perfect, but it has surpassed my expectations. Definitely nice to finally have a remote that eliminates clutter and makes controlling things pretty easy and intuitive.

Amazing integration with Sonos, it can now group speakers so I can control all volume at once! That separates this remote from other universal remotes especially when adding in point mode. Point mode has also gotten much better and more accurate since the last update, I’ll admit it took a couple days to work out the kinks like my remote continuously restarting itself when it seemed to be overloaded with commands but the great thing I’ve noticed about smarthugs remote is it seemed to be evolving everyday, even without an actual “update” I’ve had Harmonys Logitech and Neeos remote, neither one comes close to this products design and functionality, like i said earlier, point mode and Sonos speaker grouping puts them on another level hands down!

Without question, this is a great remote. But there are a few areas that could be potential deal breakers. As I review this remote, I did so comparing it with my Harmony hub and elite remote control which I used as a direct reference. Setting up devices and scenes is where this remote really excels. Very straightforward, very intuitive, and minimal steps needed. The one issue I always have with Harmony is that you have to go through so many different steps to change minor things or the app that you use would slow down and sometimes have lag. With the Sevenhugs remote I was all set up with my devices literally within five to seven minutes. There were some devices that weren't directly in the database, but even so, the remote walk me through to find the best possible replacement set of codes. my wife is not the most technical person, with the harmony remote, I feel she would have a lot of issues setting up, but with the sevenhugs remote, I feel she could easily setup and use this remote in no time. An immediate downside is the lack of options for using the remote through cabinet doors. I'm sure this will be addressed at some point, if it hasn't already been touched on, but as of right now it's a bit of a letdown. the screen itself is very responsive, easy to read, and a lot faster than I thought it would be. Everytime you touch it easily snaps directly to the next device with no delay. Very impressive. In relation to other remote controls, the battery is life is fairly dismal. There was a point where I left the remote off the base, didn't use it, and within 12 to 15 hours, it was almost dead. it appears to have some sort of supercapacitor where if you place the remote on the base for 30 seconds, it will buy you another 15 to 30 minutes. If your base is not within reach, this can be very irritating if you are in the middle of programming and need to make a change. Off the base with no use, you don't even get 24 hours. That's a huge thing to consider when buying this remote. As for automation, this was another upswing. I connected it to my Christmas lights and to my living room lamp. Once elected it instantly worked, and I have not had a hiccup in that service sense. This is great for setting up my scenes for movie watching where I can turn on the TV turn on my amplifier and dim the lights with one button press. And now, the bread and butter... the smart remote feature. First it needs to be noted, that the sensors need to be placed strategically and very specifically.any issues with in the line of sight and the feature becomes null. Although the sensors are not very abusive, my wife found them to be a bit of an eyesore in the room. I'm sure over time you will forget they are there. But it does need to be visible in order for this to take full advantage of this feature. I had some issues setting it up, but once I understood how it worked, I was pointing and changing in no time. When I first read about this remote the one question I had is how does it worked with stacked components. After experimenting, I realize that you have to be extremely specific with the location in which you point your remote. General vicinity does not do well. In my bedroom I have my bluray player stacked on top of my cable receiver. There were many times, where within a quarter of an inch the screen would switch. the problem is regardless of the scene, I was still get a device that I was not using in the point and display. the only fix that I could find for this is to truly make the locations in the extreme corners of each device. For example, my Blu-ray player is set 6 in from the left for this corner, and the Samsung cable box location is set 6 in from the right corner.this helps alleviate some of the problem but you have to memorize exactly where you set the location. obviously, if you're watching a DVD you probably don't need your cable box but if they're in the same vicinity the remote will steal occasionally show the cable box, this can be a bit irritating when you just want to pick up and quickly skip a scene. If your devices are spaced out with a good distance away from each other, this shouldn't pose an issue. Before the mini like me, this feature is just fun in concept, but not quite as useful in implementation. All and all, this is a great remote. For me, being that many of my devices are behind cabinets, stack devices, and the shorter than normal battery life this remote would not be a good choice for my primary. As of right now, it lives in the bedroom and it does extremely well there.I still would recommend it, as I know people who definitely have a different setup than I have and this does not pose an issue. The functionality I have not had an issue it's just he's minor gripes that are in the way of giving me it a full 5-star rating.

I received this smart remote and from the start was surprised at its small size. When opening the packaging you can see that this is a quality unit and is presented as such. Following the directions to download the Apple application for my IPhone made configuring the remote and loading my equipment very easy. This is the easiest universal remote I have set up. Once you’ve added your TV, related sound equipment and smart devices you are then able to create scenes. Scenes are where the device coordinates your TV, Surround sound units and lighting for example to all be controlled at once. This is where this smart remote shines! The only areas I thought could be improved are using RF instead of IF which would make it easier for working equipment behind cabinet doors. The remote does come with three disks that can be placed on the walls throughout the room to aid in the coverage though. The only other issue I have is the size of the remote’s touch screen. It is very small and without tactile buttons you have to look at the remote every time you use it. For my family that was a turn off. I would recommend this smart remote to people in a dedicated home theater room for its back lit screen.