5 Of The Best Universal Remotes For Your TV

Having a universal remote really comes in handy if you have a lot of different devices that all require their own remotes. For example, having something like an Apple TV plugged in along with the rest of your setup might mean you have three or more remotes being used at once. A universal remote will completely eliminate the need for all that and make things simpler.

Even if you don't have a setup like that yet, snagging yourself a universal remote will make you futureproof in the event you do start adding extra devices to your budding home theater. With every new accessory you buy coming with a new remote, it can be nice to toss that aside and get everything working with a single one. As an added bonus, it'll make things much easier for somebody trying to navigate your TV without you having to explain everything to them.

Whether it's your TV, Blu-Ray player, or soundbar, the SofaBaton U2 has you covered. This universal remote can work with any device in your living room, and it's a cost-effective option as well. It'll run you $60, making it a bit pricier than most of the options on the list, but it's worth it. With the ability to scroll between devices with ease, there are a lot of quality-of-life upgrades available here.

It supports 15 devices at a time, making it more than enough for your average consumer, and it'll finally allow you to put away all those extra remotes. The remote also works with over 500,000 devices from over 6,000 brands making it difficult to find something that doesn't support it. What it won't do is support wireless devices like a Roku streaming stick, so make sure you're getting this remote to work with things with an IR sensor.

For those of you looking to get the best of the best universal remote, look no further than the Logitech Harmony Elite. Keep in mind that it's been discontinued by the manufacturer, so it can be a bit difficult to track down for a decent price. The Harmony Elite comes with a decent-sized touch screen that lets you scroll through your devices and favorite channels and even throw on a movie. If money's not a problem for you, it's really hard to go wrong with a remote like this.

Logitech boasts it works with over 270,000 devices, so there's really no reason to worry about it not working with your current home theater setup. You can also hook up your game consoles, lights, and even a thermostat to it. You could run into an issue down the line of waning support, thanks to it no longer being on the market. However, as of right now, it's among the best universal remotes money can buy.

Dropping it down to a much more affordable tier, the GE Universal Remote Control 33709 comes in at just $10.99. This does mean you're losing out on a lot of cool features like the touch screen, the ability to switch to certain devices, etc., but it is a serviceable remote. If you're just looking for a simple way to connect your numerous devices to one remote, this is a way to do it. 

It does only let you connect four different devices at once, so that means you'll run into problems if you have a bunch of things that need to be programmed. However, a person with just a few different devices can save a lot of money by going this route. Even if you end up adding more to your setup in the feature, you won't really feel a heavy hit having to get rid of this remote, considering how cheap it is.

The Phillips Universal Remote Control SRP2024R/27 is an interesting entrant as it comes in at an affordable price and has some nice connectivity with Roku and Fire TV devices. This remote comes with the ability to slot in your Roku or Fire TV remote right into the back, making it so you have two remotes in one. You can connect up to four different devices to the remote, so there's not as much flexibility as there is with some other options on the list. However, that's the price you pay for just $20.

You will have to choose what option works for you between the Fire TV and Roku, as the remote won't be able to do both. Both of them come in at the same price, so you do have that working in your favor. The Phillips remote comes preprogrammed for Samsung TVs and Roku boxes, so it should simply work with those as soon as you buy it. Even if it isn't preprogrammed, the setup shouldn't be much harder than any of the other remotes on the list.

The GE Universal Remote 40081 works much like the other GE entry on the list but comes with a few bonus goodies. The biggest addition you'll find here is it being backlit, meaning it can easily be used in the dark. This one is also available around the $11 mark, so you have some decisions to make. Getting a backlit option for the same price will be worth it for many people since the features remain largely the same. You'll still be able to link four different devices to remote, meaning it's still not the greatest option for people with many different pieces of hardware in their room.

It also doesn't work with the Fire TV or Roku and doesn't have the 2-in-1 ability that the Phillips option has. However, for $11, it's tough to go wrong here. For a simple living room setup, both of the GE options work great.