SofaBaton X1S Universal Remote with Hub and App

As my Audio visual equipment grew, so did my individual remote collection. The need for a single universal remote that could control all my devices including my TV room lights became more apparent. After reading numerous online reviews and doing my own research I came across the Sofabaton X1S remote. I was a bit worried at the overall negative reviews on the product. However it's technical aspects and what it potentially could do regarding automation of my audio visual set up swayed me. The unit arrived quickly, it wasn't cheap to purchase in the uk via amazon. I bought the device from amazon UK because I wanted ease of return should the unit not be suitable when compared to purchasing from an American or Chinese company where returns could be challenging. The unit arrived the very next day. Once unboxed, I was immediately impressed with the units weight and size and overall modern look. Set up was easy via the app. The hub set up was straight forward too, again via the app, but the learning curve very very steep! I watched and rewatched numerous YouTube videos on the set up process. Just when I thought I'd got everything set up to my liking, up would pop an issue. Like for example when creating an activity not all devices would turn on or correct HDMI input selected. That said, adding devices was simple and straight forward. Configuration of them correctly, proved more challenging for me. Eventually after many hours going through everything I found the mistakes I'd made in my configuration set up. Once corrected, I immersed myself in understanding the units full capabilities. Patience is the key with this, you're not going to get things right first time around. Going calmly step by step is paramount. Most if not all configuration issues, can be answered through online searches, the sofabaton website or through YouTube. I have now been able to integrate my sofabaton remote with alexa voice control. I can now switch all the relevant audio visual equipment activity dependant, off and on using my voice (via sofabaton link). I've also added my miniDSP 2x4 (subwoofer control) to my device list, which the sofabaton controls effortlessly. Additionally I have created macro activities within the sofabaton app linked to my alexa app allowing me to use my voice to turn room lights off or on or dim them as I want or pair them with other activities within the sofabaton app. Like watching TV for example all relevant devices and lights turn on from one input or voice command. The Sofabaton X1S has simplified the operation of my entire audio visual system and other connected peripherals. So in conclusion this device has set up an incredible level of automation. It's functionality once configured correctly is second to non. Battery life is very good on one charge and the wake up functionality when tilted up from a flat position is an excellent feature. If you take the time to understand it's set up and configuration fully, then you'll be rewarded handsomely with cross device remote controls and device control all from a single remote. Configured button functionality is incredibly responsive. All my other remotes have now been consigned to a box in the garage. I doubt I'll be using them anytime soon. Needless to say I'm glad that I bought this unit but more that I persisted with it and got it right. If you're prepared to put the work in then this device's operation and capabilities will exceed your expectations. I 100% recommend this product provided that you are prepared put the work in to configure it properly and do the required learning which maybe steep for some.

It's a really good universal remote for complicated home TV setups (TV, Receiver, multiple video sources). It's a bit of a pain to set up, the process takes longer and is more repetitive than it needs to be, but once done it's nice and responsive, devices come on and set to the correct inputs, with functions like volume and menu buttons being sent to the correct devices. The companion phone app isn't great, it takes more taps that necessary to get to a screen where you can turn everything off. Battery life is a lot better than the Harmony ever was - a month between recharges, and then only a USB C cable needed, compared to needing to spend hours in a proprietary docking cradle every 2 days.

I've had a Harmony One for the past 10 years and this is better in nearly every way but be aware that this remote will take some effort in setting up just as all the Smart Remotes or Universal Remotes do - It won't be 5 minutes and you're done. I have 9 separate devices (projector, screen, laserdisc, AV processor, games consoles etc) plus 15 activities, it all works well but it took me about 5 hours in total to get all the devices and activites working seemlessly. If you're not willing to put a bit of effort in for great functionality then this is not the remote for you. However, if you are willing to learn and want a deeply customisable macro capable multifunction smart remote then this is the best I have used. Not all of my devices were in the device database but there are comunity generated profiles available for quite a lot of devices and it's VERY simple to teach the Sofabaton remote commands from your original equipment remotes. The app lacks a little polish but everthing is there and functional and it's all done through a tablet or phone which works well most of the time. One issue I do have is that when adding functions, devices or activities the hub will sync with the remote automatically and it takes around 20 secs to complete. There needs to be a setting in the app to disable auto sync and only sync when instructed. It works pretty well with auto sync but I got frustrated with the remote trying to sync everytime I did anything in the app, the app is still usable during the sync process but my hub got confused a couple of times because I changed things so quickly in the app. Overall definite upgrade to the discontinued Logitech Harmony range of Smart/Universal remotes.

Like many others I bought this to replace my ailing Harmony Elite. And after watching and reading a lot of positive reviews, I thought this would not only be a replacement, but an overall improvement... I was so wrong. Ok, out of the box the remote is light and easy to hold. The screen is LCD but it's good quality, the overall build quality of the remote and base are high... There ends the positives. The screen is basic text with a very limited number of device/activity icons. It does not have a charging base or a built in IR blaster. The base is the way your devices receive IR signals so you have to be very precise where you place it. An IR blaster in the remote would eliminate the constant missing of commands on some devices. The app is reasonably easy to follow, but everyday devices like my EE TV Box and my Hisense projector where not found in the 500,000 device catalogue they boast. The EE Box uses a Bluetooth remote and whilst Bluetooth is compatible there is no way to learn commands from the original remote. There is thankfully a cloud based user catalogue, where I found something similar to my EE TV and the Hisense C1 projector, but they didn't map all of the buttons. I have an amp, blu-ray, soundbar, TV, EETV, Projector, Google TV Streamer, a Manhattan DVR and a HDMI switcher, so I knew there was a bit of work to be done. But after spending the best part of 2 days (yes 2 days) programming this it was the most frustrating experience ever. As every time I tested an activity, something would either not switch on/off or select the correct inputs. I had to add delays, duplicate commands and be creative to get things to fire in the right order. Heaven help anyone who is not tech savvy. Once I believed it was all working, I tidied it all away and put the hub centrally in place, only to find it let me down when going live for the first time with the setup I had rigorously tested. Good job I had my huge bundle of remotes nearby to fix the issues. It's incredibly unreliable and I believe it's down to its poor IR firing and range, even with the extenders. The remote has a 'back' key at the top that takes you back to the previous screen to select devices or activities. It's awkwardly placed and you have to press it a lot to make selections, so it becomes a pain doing hand gymnastics trying to reach it with one hand. There are a lot more key presses involved to make something happen compared to the Harmony. For the money I paid, this is a major disappointment. I was able to set my Harmony up in a couple of hours and it never misses a command. It has a better screen and more customisable options when programming. If it wasn't for the failing battery I would carry on happily. For now the Sofabaton needs considerable more work to take the multi-remote control crown. UPDATE: The remote is now freezing every now and then. You have to reboot the hub to get it working again. This is a known issue, mentioned on community forums. I have now returned this item.

Not a bad universal remote and it works well for my devices (Nvidia Shield, smart TV, soundbar, Virgin TiVo). Programming the remote is a little tedious but that was expected and once done, it doesn't require dealing with again until a new device is added to the mix. However, it is too expensive for what it is even when on sale. Its main competitor is the (discontinued) Logitech Harmony series which remains excellent. Sadly, though, my Harmony remote - after many years of use - has become flaky; buttons have become spongy and inconsistent. The X1S is no upgrade. If anything it's the opposite. It misses many features that exist on Harmony and have for years: screen is basic and under-utilised; no touchscreen; no number pad potential (although there are workarounds but would require using the scroll wheel and would be a major annoyance); no charging cradle; companion app is fairly rudimentary; Google Home integration is very poor. That said, I rarely used the numpad screen on my Harmony remote; battery life on the X1S far exceeds Harmony (because of the unsophisticated screen, no doubt) so a charging cradle is unnecessary; I only used the Harmony companion app when the remote ran out of battery; Google Home isn't that great to begin with. The X1S is well built and for what it does, it is OK. It is a shame that they didn't opt for an OLED screen, especially given its price, but perhaps that's a bit risky given the static nature of what it displays; burn in after just a short time would be unacceptable. To sum up, the Sofabaton X1S is over-priced and average. If Logitech still supported Harmony and were producing new models, I would never have considered this. I don't regret the purchase but only because alternatives in the same price range, similar feature set, and have continued support just don't exist.

Perfect! Don’t understand poor reviews. You need to be patient, or use chat gpt to guide you through the steps. I had four devices including a 2004 Bose sound system, all connected had to set up delays so each device could power up (e.g 0.3 secs), now I can select watch sky and everything powers up, one off switch for all - really useful and other half is happy now one click does all instead of four remotes. I’ll give it 30 days if anything goes wrong but so far so good. Works with sky, virgin, Samsung tv, Bose etc

I've desperately wanted something to replace my aging and unreliable Harmony Elite but this isn't ain't it. My biggest issue with it is just how unreliable it is, especially with my Shield TV. It often loses connection to the Shield necessitating a complete restart of the hub to fix (I'd say around once a week on average). My second biggest issue with it is that there is no "repair this activity" option like on the Harmony, meaning if something goes wrong it's up to you to fiddle with the inputs to get things back in sync. Fine for me, but for a non-techy family member this is not ideal. Lastly the remote occasionally crashes going into an endless bootloop, to get around this I can load the app on my phone and select the "find my remote" option which kicks it back to life, but I shouldn't have to do that. Other minor niggles are the database of commands can be incorrect (though this is understandable given the sheer number of AV devices out there in the wild) and the app is quite clunky and poorly translated in places. In terms of positives the battery life is excellent lasting over 2 weeks for me and the remote itself feels nice and is joy to use (when it works!) The addition of being able to send REST commands is really useful too. Overall I feel that this is incredibly overpriced for what you are getting and it is not a production ready device.

I already have a working Harmony system but have not been happy that there is no future for the product since it was dropped by Logitech. The server backend could be pulled at any time. I needed a replacement. I purchased a Sofatbaton X1S and found it very easy to add devices and setup activities - if anything, a little easier than the Harmony. It has the similar feature to fix items which are out of sync (SoftBaton uses the term 'repair') and there are lots of simple options such as the length of the infrared code and the ability to tweak on/off commands. Lots of configuring for those who want or need to delve. The X1S is an upgrade to the X1 and the improvements are minor in themselves but together they make a big difference. Just pick up the remote and it springs to life. That's a huge usability feature over pressing a button each time. The fonts are nicer too - which you see every time you use the remote. Those who have devices not in the code base can use their existing remote to teach SofaBaton the commands, and the device can then be shared back to the device database so the next person who adds the same device can take advantage of your work. In that way the number of supported devices increases fast. It's early days for me, but so far I am impressed. It's important to note that SofaBaton has developed and improved its platform since the device was first introduced - so be very careful of reading old reviews. People's early experiences of the platform bear no resemblance to how it is today. UPDATE: Nearly two months later and I am still really happy with this remote. Are there any negatives? Only one for me, and that is shared with the Harmony Elite. There are no number buttons. I get around this by having my favourite channels listed in the display. If you go to 'Activities'. choose the one you want and edit it. Go to 'Keys favourites' and whatever you choose will appear in the display. I created a few macros - like 1, 0, 1, labelled as BBC 1 HD. A 'record' button isn't available, but every button can have two actions - a short press and a long press. I have the red button set up as 'record' with a long press.