I haven't sold any remotes for a while, but I've been watching and reading here. I've seen and experienced reasons to have and to avoid both brands. Whereabouts are we now?

I need this for a system with a Pana TV, Pana BD, DirecTV DVR, Integra 40.2, and a Sonos unit. I don't think the remote needs to be an RF remote. On the other hand, if you have a suggestion, please suggest the smart RF piece to match.

I'd like something with a touchscreen a bit smarter and smarter looking than a URC MX850, although that remote would actually do the job. I'd like a real touchscreen, not a cell that can take up to six or seven letters.

Thanks in advance.

RTI seems like they are over the hump regarding the WSOD. The software and form factor of the T2C is unbeatable IMHO.

T2C and RP1 combo is the way to go. We almost always sell RF.

What's WSOD?

I would have agreed with you two years ago but I'd like to know that WSOD means "whatever THE HELL has been their reliability problem for the last 18 or so months."

White Screen of Death.

Personally I think the RTI stuff is looking a little dated. I like the URC MX5000. It has some 2 way IP modules for the Integra and I think Sonos that work without a base station.

Just my preference, I like the URC.

If you want it reliable....rf is a must....as far as I know sonos isn't an option with RTI.....we don't touch URC so I wouldn't know that one

Started with URC, fell in love with RTI and they kicked me in the, well I'll say shin so I went back to URC and had nothing but great client feedback. Even my original URC installs are still going strong. MX-980's have been a good one with any RF base.

Anyone wanna buy a T4 with a cracked screen or T2C? (PM, no thread jacking, my bad) :)

Urc does Sonos?

I've heard that there is a module for c4 that works, an open software project working on a crestron module, and a few other guys 'threatening' to have a crestron module, but any other remotes or control systems doing sonos is news to me.

Please elucidate.

My buddy who does Sonos says there's no way and IR system does Sonos, and this system doesn't really demand anything more sophisticated than RF to IR such as a remote and a base station with IR distribution.

My favorite is RTI.

A RTI XP controller will get you 2-way control of the Integra and DirecTV equipment. Matt of MyDevice has released a beta version of a Sonos driver.

IP control of an Onkyo, DirecTV and Zektor Matrix switch has been flawless in my setup using a T1-B, RKM-1 and Virtual Panel via an XP-6.

A comparable remote to the one you listed would be the T2-Cs, but if you want to step up to 2-way then the T2-C+ is what you want.

btw, I think you'll want to get a RF or Wi-fi remote if you ever plan on controlling the Sonos from one.

The mx5000 is an rf remote that is slap wifi capable. I don't know if urc had a sonos module for it, but if they do it doesn't require any additional processor to work. You could have the remote work ir only and still the ip driver would work. For example I have an mx5000 paired with an mrf350 and use the urc module to control the net options on my integra 70.1.

or do like a lot of dealers do and tell him to use an ipod for the sonos.

Sonos is ip only and dlna at that. I took a look at the open src crestron module and it's a mass of http commands. Building sonos control only makes sense IMHO you can monetize it or you just love a challenge (and have a sugar daddy or no mortgage).

If someone has a workaround better than a screen on their remote that says 'please use the sonos controller to make your musical selection' I would love to hear it and I expect it would be a great addition to this thread.

Switching apps on an iWhatever isn't really a pro-solution, or am I wrong? Do customers tolerate something like that?

Sorry - bit of a hijack, on a re-read. Not so sorry as to delete ;-)

Cool! What's "slap wifi" ?


I call these "research projects" or "art projects." I only was able to do them when I was on salary and the boss wanted it.


huh? You mean does the family have to wait until the husband comes home from work and takes his phone out of his pocket to be able to use the Sonos? Actually, is that example flawed or really how it would work? Could you control it from any one of, say, three controllers, that is, iThings?


I don't think so. You added quite a bit to the info here. Thanks. One reason people seem to think I'm so smart is that I read extra seemingly extraneous stuff like this. Then when the sh*t hits the fan, I'll know from my overindulgent reading on fan blades just what direction in which to duck. Always overlearn. If you only know enough to follow one procedure to make it work, you're a cable installer. Doesn't that just say it all, now?

URC does not have a 2 way Sonos module.

I find this thread interesting.  Lets take a little step back in time, about 24 years ago...

My first real remote, was a CORE, done by Steve Wozniak's company, CL-9.  I bought it about 1987.  It would learn the commands from the other remotes, you could program macros, it even offered variables and ways to define states.  This was done in 1985, built with an 8-bit 6502 processor, and had a LCD Display.  The remote had a clock that could be programmed to kick off different macros at various times.  That remote was the pioneer for all the features of the universal remotes we see today.

Almost 25 years later, the programming interface has improved, but many of the remotes today do this by limiting what is possible with the remote.  The CORE had a fraction of the memory and processing power of todays remotes, yet worked just as well.  I believe the software running in most of the remotes today must be incredibly bloated, and is likely written in some high level language so they get the product out the door, before they've finished debugging.

I believe the CORE was in the $250-$350 range.  I find this interesting, in that with computing power so much cheaper today, flash so much less expensive, that decent remotes still cost this much, 24 years later!  Why has this not given in to Moore's Law?

I really think that URC, RTI, Pronto, UEI, Harmony, have a great deal in common, and really fail to set themselves apart in a meaningful way.  The displays have gotten prettier, and the user interfaces a bit easier to program thanks mostly to USB and WYSIWYG programming interfaces (The Core interface was nearly WYSIWYG even 24 years ago), but there has been a severe lack of innovation, or even the ability to drive down pricing to levels where they are truly affordable by everyone.  There is really nothing in these devices that makes them this expensive.

So, the choice:  RTI or URC...

It's a race of PIGS!  Neither is very good, and they have their own narrow niche of things they are better at.  In the end, I don't think it matters if you pick any of the major universal remote manufacturers, as you can get the job done with any... the only thing that differs is "How does brand X suck less at some small task?"

I've got to think that at some point someone is going to set this industry on it's head.  They will realize that given a set of known connections between equipment, they can design a software program that gives a very useable interface that needs no tweaking.  But for those who want to customize things, they open up control to the lower levels to those who want to customize, and allow for a very special control experience.  Ease of programming, coupled with the ability to customize.  Once the user interface becomes easy enough for most people to get it to work, the device can be mass marketed, and we will see prices on them plummet, and put the companys in this market today, in the museum next to the Dinosaurs.

So, don't sweat it much.  Use what works for the project you have.  The interfaces are similar enough that once you've done several remotes, the others come easily.  It's a race of PIGS, so nobody is much faster or will win by much.