Good morning everyone. I’m at a bit of a crossroads here when it comes to IR remote controls. For many many years, I used harmony remote on very simple systems. For more complex systems or systems that needed a bit of style. I’ve been using product from pro controller.

Harmony is gone. I used to be able to get Pro Control from two different distributors in the Toronto area that I drive to all the time. Then it was one distributor. Now I have learned that Pro control In Canada be available from one distributor in Canada and I will have to ship it every time I need it. I know that is not a big deal for most but for me I really like the convenience of having products in stock near me so can pick them up as needed, or on the way to a job.

My local distributor carries URC. So I can switch to them and enjoy the convenience but I don’t have any experience with URC.

Alternatively, I could just say forget it and not do IR remote controls anymore but I feel like that will be a disservice as some of my clients still want them.

I would love for people to give me their opinions of URC, especially URC versus Pro Control.

Thanks for your time.

Craig.

URC of course has two primary lines, Total Control (TC) and Complete Control (CCP) and you are talking CCP.

I’ve used it for 20 years and it covers all the bases well.

MX-790 is the starting point for computer programmed remotes.  There is one cheaper that you set up without software but don’t even think about it.

MRF-260 will act as a base station for up to 4 devices.  I keep the MRF-350 around for more devices and certain systems with more RF interference in the stack, because it has an antenna which can be placed separately.

My best seller is the MX-990. It is a really beautiful piece.  I show folks 3 or 4 and that’s the one they usually pick.

You will have to get started with the CCP software. I can give you some help.

I’ve not used ProControl.  I did a lot of RTI in the days of T2c and T3, screen failure rates approaching 100%.  RTI also had a nasty habit of telling us that they had never heard of problems before, when many of us were freely comparing notes and all experiencing the same problems here. I don’t think that is a forgivable offense, purposely hiding things that you know are true. may be a controversial statement, I understand.

Thanks for the detailed replay Tom.

I would appreciate any assistance along the way.

I know the PC is an RTI product but I have been very pleased with them. Both on the product side and the support side.

I suppose I’ll need to get my self set up as a dealer to get access to the software so I suppose I’ll start there.

Thanks.

Craig.

The MRF-260 should be able to feed an IR distribution device in order to control more than four pieces of equipment, but the outputs that are passing through it won't be assignable, aside from those, as a .

RTi tech support can be very helpful, but some of their older software design is less than great WRT not being able to pull the program from the remote or base station (like a URC or Harmony). I was working on a system with a T3b and because the original programmer/installer left the business and wasn't available for comment, the RTi had to be dumped and nothing in their current lineup could be a drop-in replacement- it all needed to start from scratch.

Ahhhh yes. This is something that bugs me with PC. I keep a copy of all my costumers’ files on my laptop, and my desktop and on a thumb drive. Lest I ever lose one of the drives. I don’t feel like ever having to re-program every single system I have in the wild

URC MX990/MRF350 combo is hard to beat for simple and reliable. I use them on simple systems especially out of town where I cannot be bothered to monitor or babysit anything from C4 or Elan or there is spotty internet service.

The software is easy to figure out. There are some really good training webinars on their dealer portal.

We did a handful of Pro Control remotes along the way, but had some hardware failures early on. They are ok. But I would pick URC all day over PC and RTI. Old MX900 buttons wear out. 780 OLED screens were problematic.

I had switched to Harmony Elites, and so sad to see them go away just as they were getting some good Pro stuff going! Not sure what Logitech was thinking.

Just keep in mind with URC, unless you create some template programs, you will be programming everything from scratch yourself.  Its not hard and goes quick if you have experience, but something to keep in mind, especially if you liked the convenience of the Harmony software.  I stick with the MRF350 and stay away from the 260 altogether.  One of the biggest issues URC RF remotes have is interference and the 260 does not give you anywhere as much leeway to alleviate it. 

The drivers in URC are great, if someone has the luxury of using a small number of devices and brands, but sometimes, that isn't possible if a small dealer wants to keep/gain clients.

Some people want what they want and don't want to hear about other brands and models, even if those are better.

I have no idea how your response pertains to what I said

I did one Harmony Elite before they took their ball and left. I too was disappointed. I still see them as the best sub $100 sollution for BASIC control. Oh well.

I’ll check out the webinars. Thanks.

I did all my own custom programming with the PC remotes too. And once I built a stable of devices it was easy to put together a remote pretty quickly. Often I’m able to use another clients file with a few alterations. I’m not opposed to building up a similar set of profiles with URC.

Do they have a basic setup wizard that you can then customize or is it all from scratch?

CCP has no wizards. I can PM you a video I put together on YT that walks through programming. At least gives you an idea of what you will be looking at if you go that route

That would be awesome!!! Thanks.