SofaBaton Reviews

by Dagathon

Their website promises that new codes will be available automatically in their database. I have an Epson projector that has never had a profile available and nearly 9 months after release, it’s still not available, even last gen models aren’t in the database. Trying to program a profile myself via the hub has been impossible. It never seems to pickup the IR signals when pointed at the right place. This has been a colossal waste of time and money for me.

by Kcgauthier

Right off the bat broke a finger now trying to remove the battery cover. Once I got that off, I installed the batteries, but the device wouldn’t turn on. Upon inspection, I can see one of the metal connectors for the battery is covered by a piece of plastic, so it won’t make a connection. Clearly a design flaw and poor QA. The device itself feels like a piece of junk. The instructions if you get that far are extremely lacking. It literally ends with after adding new devices, reassign remote keys and “configurate” macro keys. Language issues aside there is no indication on how to configure the macro keys or which keys are even called macro keys. Save your money. This is a piece of crap!

by RolandDT

I bought the U1 Upgrade Remote to replace my aging Harmony remote based on reviews. Most of the feedback was generally positive, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

After downloading SofaBaton registering my email, the device would not pair. I tried reinstalling SofaBaton , and also installed on my tablet to see if that worked and still could not get it to sync. I emailed customer service and all they were able to do is send me the same info that’s included in the instructions. I had a replacement remote sent to me to see if it was just a defective unit, but still had the same issue. And yes Bluetooth was enabled on SofaBaton .

I am now stuck with a completely useless remote that I can’t program, so I would stay clear of this.

by ParadiseComputerServices

The phone app does not work correctly and has so many glitches it takes forever to get anything working. Once it is working and sent to the remote it works for about five minutes and then everything gets messed up again. Even when you teach the remote directly with the original remote it does not store the command correctly and save it to the hub. Why would you guys release this product when you know there are so many issues with getting it to work correctly?

by Third Coast Electronics

The phone app does not work correctly and has so many glitches it takes forever to get anything working. Once it is working and sent to the remote it works for about five minutes and then everything gets messed up again. Even when you teach the remote directly with the original remote it does not store the command correctly and save it to the hub. Why would you guys release this product when you know there are so many issues with getting it to work correctly?

by Fr33 Ch1ps

As a career nerd, I hate blatantly bashing peoples work. I get it’s a process….but this is NOT ready.

Add a device….it adds 2

Add a second…replaces duplicate with new AND adds a duplicate

Delete the new duplicate….suddenly there’s 2 of each

The control buttons when navigating the wheel only send the command to the device with a double or triple click.

The UI on both app and device look and function eerily similar to harmony in ALL the wrong ways. It’s like this was meant to replace harmony, but not by being better….just by copying the crap Logitech left us with because “harmony is still the best (somehow) so lets just reproduce IT now that they gave up”

Like I’m glad SOMEONE is trying to fill the smart remote gap, but this one is a swing and a miss.

by Sf6864

The U1 will control your devices. Maybe there’s even a way to get it to execute complex commands, but since the company doesn’t offer instructions, relying instead on the “intuitive” nature of the remote, I don’t know. It’s in no way a replacement for the (also poorly designed) Harmony. Both remotes are awful, but at least the Harmony has a far more sophisticated UX design. The U1 is very clumsy. At least it’s cheap, but mot cheap enough. It’s going back.

by Dhenke1690

SofaBaton takes a little bit of working with to finally get the remote set up correctly but it’s way better than the abandoned, logitech harmony remotes. I do feel like there’s room here for improvement so I took off one star, but I was able to successfully set up the remote and control on my devices. Overall very happy!

by Carlosemorel

Definitively this smart remote control is good, affordable and it does the job but it could be easily improved!

For example the list of models should be in alphabetic order, now is not.

The range of IR is weak in some environments, for example: if you have a glass table or any obstacle (even a small translucent one) between the control and the equipment, will not easily connect.

The iPhone app will no pair automatically with the remote. Once you pair SofaBaton in your phone with your remote for the first time you should not have to do it again all the time. Now you have to.

But in general and after some improvements it will have the five stars for sure!

by Fumb1e

UPDATE: Firmware issue has been fixed and the remote is a joy to use. SofaBaton works well and now I’m happy with my purchase.

PREVIOUS REVIEW: Upon connecting to the remote, a firmware update is FORCED on the user. The firmware update fails and thus I cannot use my new remote at all. I literally cannot use my new remote in any capacity because of this issue. Please fix ASAP. And might I suggest making the firmware update OPTIONAL so I can do it on my own schedule?

by Sfharris26

I was a little worried, given the several poor reviews on here, but setup ended up going smoothly with a great end result! I found that I had no problem getting my tv, receiver, and cable box working seamlessly. Only thing i disliked was that the testing buttons for setting up a device wouldn’t necessarily evoke a response from a device (for example it wanted to see if fast forward worked on my non-dvr cable box).

by Lima96sps

Glad a company stepped up to provide an excellent TV Remote to fill the gap since the discontinuation of the Logitech Harmony remotes. It’s also way easier to program and SofaBaton is more user friendly. Canned be programmed using your smartphone via Bluetooth. Customer service much better than any competitors and respond in a fast timely manner. Normally within just a few hours. 4 stars only due to buttons on remote are not backlit. The remote works flawlessly.

by Ryanmagoo

I like the remote. I wish there was a setting that you can save the programed remote settings for your remote to SofaBaton . Like a backup for the remote. Because what if my remote breaks. I don’t want to have to reprogram the remote to the 10 remotes I have (which took a long time to do and setup properly). It would be nice to just press a button a have it be like the one I had before. Or what if I want to buy a second remote and set it up exactly the same. I don’t want to waste 20 or so minutes have to set it up again.

by Recksiek

It just doesn’t get better than this. The firmware update was optional and worked flawlessly first try (although it did take 5 solid minutes). The remote is extremely intuitive and capable. I gave this to my mother to control her overly complex home theater setup and she was up and running in no time. SofaBaton worked perfectly to program the device. Macros are an absolute must and a lifesaver! Two things I would suggest: 1. Add the ability to backup the remote in case it breaks or needs a hard reset. 2. Add the ability to use any device for reassigning keys, not just the TV. SofaBaton did not allow me to reassign my volume buttons to my amplifier, only my TV. This was remedied by “learning” the volume buttons for each device individually. Otherwise a perfect solution to the modern home theater. Great job guys!

by Kevin2836627

It took me way less time to set up than my harmony remote. It doesn’t have all the same functions but for my use case it works great. If you are a huge fan of the activity buttons this may not be great for you, but there are macro functions and the ability to have any of your devices mapped to any profile, I.e have tv or soundbar volume up/down on your Xbox profile. That way you don’t need to switch to different profiles for universal commands. The main thing for me is having a universal remote with Bluetooth for my media center, and that combined with CEC functions everything works really great.

by TechSavagePro

Thanks So Much for the free remote don’t take Steps back whatever you did to achieve the goal that you did with this remote keep going with it I actually lost my original remote and I was worried that I was going to be a struggle connecting this but SofaBaton is amazing it made it almost flawless like at my doubts were completely gone whenever I realize that he could just power on by itself and then I could get the IR blaster to work almost instantly you don’t understand like how much happiness this bank to me I instantly made a video on it as soon as I got it today it’s just it’s crazy this is like year 2030 technology and we’re in 2019 so whatever you’re doing keep at it because no other company has done something like this so just wow

by Ahahaheiejdheheebs

Had Logitech and then Harmony remotes for a few years. My last one lasted almost 8 years until the battery wouldn’t hold a charge for more than one night and the hub kept losing connectivity. Wasn’t going to shell out $300+ on a savant remote that I wouldn’t be able to install or buy directly. Didn’t want to buy another Harmony. Found this app after an extensive and exhaustive search. Was a little apprehensive about the the way the UI looked. Bought it and after a few hiccups it’s worked flawlessly. Repeater on tv and receiver always send snd receive signal. Occasionally I lose signal from the remote but if I open SofaBaton it helps to recover the connection. That happens perhaps once every 6 months or so. Top notch replacement for the Harmony Elite.

by Ninja_Poop_1134

I had 4 remotes to control the devices in my living room. It got really annoying so I bought the remote and downloaded SofaBaton. It was super simple to setup. It’s as easy as following the instructions on SofaBaton screen. Don’t believe the negative reviews. Some people are technology and mentally challenged. It took me less than 10 minutes to get 4 devices setup on my remote and everything worked right away. The remote does need a second press of a button the 1st time if you’re swapping to a Bluetooth device but after it works great. It’s also really easy to program multiple devices with the press of one button. They’ve made the instructions really easy. Again, don’t trust the negative reviews.
I’ve been using this remote for 8 months and have made changes to how and what the remote controls and have had no regrets whatsoever. It’s also really convenient to just need 2 AA batteries for one remote. I still have not had to replace the batteries since I’ve bought it.

by Wjmmcc

It is always hard to unlearn a remote like the Harmony and relearn the this app

It took me awhile. Please read the positive reviews here because these folks know what they are talking about. I also used the videos within SofaBaton on my iPhone

Just trial and error. Try setting something up, if it does not work delete and create new (Activities). As others have pointed out Make Sure the FIRST thing you do is set up yourDEVICES. Your Activities depend on your devices being set up correctly

by Lildzdad

I don’t know why anyone would have a problem with the remote or app. Both worked perfect for me and love the fact you can customize the buttons with so many options and cross reference different units to work under a different toggled unit. Grabbing one remote is ideal and love it!!

by MelGreer

I don't understand all the negative reviews. SofaBaton works flawlessly. People who are unhappy appear to be having issues with how to operate the hardware.

The only thing I would want added to SofaBaton itself, is some method to archive my settings for on my phone or in the cloud. I would hate to have add them all again.

by Ornament

I found setup easy and intuitive. I appreciate the option to macro any button.

I know development is tough. Could you pass this suggestion to your team?

- if a button is autoset by selecting from one of the cloud profiles, can you display what that button is supposed to do when I click on it in SofaBaton ?

by VAFatRabbit

It took a little longer to learn and setup SofaBaton with X1 than my old Harmony, but this combo has a lot more capabilities. I even have most of the controls for the Apple TV; the only thing missing is the mic (Siri). Had to experiment a little and figured out that the Bose Solo TV speaker required repeated signal to work, but after a few hours, all five devices are working great and consistently. Also, unlike my old Harmony, I am able to create 9 activities, getting to specific streaming services with one button push. Not sure why some users are having so many problems, but I am not having any problems…so far.

by Danblondell

SofaBaton, and the U2 remote, do everything I’d want them to do and nothing I don’t want them to do. SofaBaton is plain as can be and functions well. I suppose it could be nice to be able to set the same button for multiple devices at once but literally my only issue so far.

by Gannicus888

Not sure why SofaBaton has such a low rating in SofaBaton Store. It works flawlessly for setting up your this app X1S remote. I was hesitant to download with such a low rating, but glad I did. This remote works great and is a replacement for my old Harmony 650. SofaBaton allows you to set up the remote/hub by adding devices and activities such as turning on multiple devices at once. I will admit it can take a while to get the configurations set up properly for the power settings for each device, but a little trial and error will solve the issue. Just have patience!! Don’t let the low rating keep you for downloading and using SofaBaton. I’m glad I did.

by Dwip4

I, too, say don’t listen to the bad reviews. I had helped a neighbor setup a this app remote last year, and I thought it was easy to do. My universal remote stopped working, so I bought a U2. Everything worked as expected. I was pleasantly surprised that I could assign a key function from a different remote on the same device. For instance, I reprogrammed the volume controls for my cable box device using the volume controls from my Vizio sound bar. This way I don’t have to switch from cable device to sound device to control channels and volume. Macro keys work well and even allow a delay between actions. I love the fact that I can program the remote with SofaBaton on my iPhone. My previous remote made me run an app on my laptop and sync with the remote using a cable. It’s so much easier to do this with my iPhone and using Bluetooth, sending it to the remote. I liked the remote so much that I replaced another universal remote I had with a U2. SofaBaton pairs with either one so I can keep them separate, which I need to do since the devices (TVs, sound bars, DVD/Blu-Ray devices are different in each room). Overall, the remote and app are great!

by Fragdoggydog

I set it up for my Roku, TV and AV receiver. Then I trained the on/off buttons on the Roku setting to turn my TV and receiver on and off, and the volume controls to control my receiver. Everything I need in one setting. Just remember to point the remotes at each other during training. Don’t point the remote at your iPhone 😆

by Mikelikestochill

Works great. Super easy to pair to your phone and find your devices. The remote connect to your devices with ease and the interface is very intuitive. Love it. Connected my TV, fire stick and sound bar in minutes.

by Doc JP 610

I’m puzzled why there are so many bad reviews. It was so easy to connect and program this remote. It’s the only universal remote easy enough for my elderly mother in law to use. Others I’ve tried are far too complicated. Works great!

by Another Angry Mom Too

I was able to set up all my devices in under 20 minutes and everything works flawlessly! My Harmony took hours to set up and in never was that great! I’m getting another one for upstairs! Love this remote!