Hi everyone,
I'm new here so this has probably been covered off lots, but I need some advice.

I'm not an installer myslef, but I worked closely with the integrator when I have my home theatre put in and my audio system (4 zones). I also have a separate surround sound tv system in the family room.

This has all be controlled to date by my NEVO remote, which has unfortunately gone to a better place after my son managed to use it in a manner not recommended by the manufacturer.

Anyway, I now need a new solution ...

I was reading this artilce on an Australian site about the changing market for universal remotes ( [Link: bit.ly] ), and starting to think about which approach would be better - remote control or an iPad based solution?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

To each his own; from my viewpoint (and I tell all my clients this) the ipad might impress as a replacement and alternative to a dedicated remote, but in fact it's best used as an accessory or secondary controller. I believe that if you are using a quality controller in a well thought and put together system it will hands down be a better fit than an ipad.

That being said, it depends on how many people are using the system, how often the system is being utilized, what other remotes are involved, etc. I would get a dedicated remote and then look for an ipad solution as a backup.

We have clients who have always preferred tablet controllers. For these clients the iPad is an upgrade that they love.

We have other clients who hate tablet controllers and want hard buttons and a wand style remote. These clients HATE the iPad for the same reason they hated the tablet controllers.

If you can live without hard buttons for channel surfing then you will love the iPad. So far it seems like those who use the guide to channel surf wont mind loss of hard buttons and those who enter in channels directly or just like channeling up or down will mind. Obviously this isn't a fixed rule and everyone is different. Just make sure you don't let form over shadow function. At the end of the day you want to be able to watch tv with it.

Thanks for your thoughts about the iPad as a remote.

I suppose part of my thinking behind the iPad was that they are relatively cheap and we can just add / replace it if needed. I'm not that hung up on hard buttons, I do like them personally, but I don't think its a defining issue. The kids are growing up in a soft button world, and therefore this solution may be better.

There seem to be a number of different companies in Australia offering solutions now ... here are a couple that I found:

Uremote - [Link: trade.connectedhometechnology.com]

Command Fusion - http://www.commandfusion.com.au

Bitwise - [Link: trade.connectedhometechnology.com]

Here are some more.

http://www.iruleathome.com/
http://www.bitwisecontrols.com/
[Link: cremote.com]
http://www.newkinetix.com/
[Link: squareconnect.com]
https://thinkflood.com/
http://www.touch-ir.com/
[Link: openremote.org]; Open Source
[Link: us.gear4.com]
http://www.totalcontrolapp.com/
[Link: conspin.com]

For ones that don't have their own harware.
http://www.globalcache.com/

It's down to preference on touch screen vs hard buttons.

Once I put commandfusion on our iPads and iPhones we never picked up the universal remotes again.

I think this decision comes down to processor, real estate (screen size requirements), personal preference, and budget. In that order.