I'm 26 from Manchester and live with my girlfriend Kath and our guard rabbit Ringo. I’m a Com...
I'm 26 from Manchester and live with my girlfriend Kath and our guard rabbit Ringo. I’m a Computer Support Technician and my major interests are computers, films, beer and gadgets (not in that order).
Member since:10.01.2004
Reviews:8
In today’s age of separate CD, DVD, VHS, TV, PVR and surround sound units its no wonder our living rooms are becoming littered with all kind of different remotes. I found it so annoying to have all these remotes strewn around the house, often needing to use three remotes just to watch a DVD!
So there was a need, a universal remote which could control six devices as good as the original remote.
So what made me spend £50 on a universal remote? These are my reasons:
For a start the remote looks like Robocop’s arm or something out of Star Trek. The animated milky buttons float to the surface of the attractive blue screen. The silver and black back looks very sleek and sexy and feels comfortable in the hand. The remote has a surprisingly sturdy feel to it, you definitely don’t feel scared to drop it (although it might hurt your toe!). The screen is so bright even in a well lit room the display is easy to read, and in a dark room the remote looks like
you have a light sabre in your hand! The looks of the remote always gets a comment from friends who see it for the first time, it certainly has the “wow factor”.
But this remote isn’t just a pretty face, it has everything you could ever want from a remote. It controls 6 devices: TV, Satellite/PVR, VCR, DVD, AMP and CD. For 99% of people this will be more than enough, unless you use X10 (for remote controlling curtains/lights etc).
For me the main advantage of this remote over other cheaper learning remotes is the fact that the Kameleon only shows you the buttons you need to control the device you have selected. This makes it much easier to find the button you need instead of having to pick your way through rows of buttons that are unrelated to the device.
So how does the remote take control of my devices?
Direct Codes
The Kameleon comes with an impressive array of built in codes, it managed to control my Bush TV and Freeview straight out of the box. I wasn’t expecting it to control my DVD or Surround Sound system as they were fairly obscure brands. You switch the device off programme in the code and press the on button and if it switches on your device it means it has worked.
Updated codes
I called the helpline (0808 number) and they were extremely helpful. The makers of the Kameleon remote “One for All” have excellent customer service, they pretty much guarantee they can get you a code for any remote. You can update online or via the phone through the modem which is built into your remote. Just hold the remote up to your speaker or the phone earpiece and it sends a short blast of sound to your remote, which makes it completely future proof. If they haven’t got your code they promise to get it for you within a few weeks, they even provide a service where you can send off the remote and they will clone it for you.
Learning from the remote
At first One for All didn’t have the code for the remote of my Surround Sound system (I have it now), so I had to rely on the ability of the remote to learn from an existing remote. I found this function was a bit hit and miss and it took some time to map the functions of my original remote to the Kameleon, but I got there in the end. I have to say that I would not have bought this remote if it didn’t have this function.
So now you’ve input the codes into your remote what can you do?
Macros
The remote has 4 macro buttons which you can use to perform a series of infrared commands. I use two of them as a switch everything off button and a switch everything on button. Another button I use to switch me over to DVD, switch the sound to surround and eject the DVD ready for playing a movie. These are very handy for the lazy
Punch through volume
This is very useful function if you use satellite or you have a surround sound system. No matter what device you are using at the time, if you press the volume button it will turn the volume up/down on the preferred device (either your TV or Surround Sound system).
If you’re a SKY+ or PVR Freeview user this remote is ideal as it has a PVR menu which contains all the buttons you’ll need when controlling your PVR.
Fast Text Buttons
The Remote has the 4 colour coded buttons which are essential when using SKY and Fast text
Ok so is there a down side to the remote apart from the cost?
I’ve heard of some users complaining about the battery life, I’ve had mine for about 5 weeks and the batteries are still going strong, I’ll update the review when they run out. When you think the screen of your remote will be lit constantly for hours when you first get your remote (because you will be programming it), I don’t think the first batch of batteries will last as long as the second. These days a cheap set of recharger and rechargeable batteries can be bought for under £15 online so even if they only last a couple of months it really isn’t a big issue.
The remote does make a very quiet buzz, it doesn’t bother me at all and is really only audible when up close to your ear or in a very silent room.
The major fault for me with the remote is that the motion sensor is too sensitive and the remote can sometimes come on when you walk past it or place a cup of coffee on the coffee table next to the remote. It does seem to have a power save mode which switches off the remote when the screen has come on a few times and a button hasn’t been pressed which tackles the problem somewhat. It can be distracting but only mildly, I fine placing it on a side table next to the sofa is your best bet.
General Verdict
The remote has been a very good buy, I tried some cheaper supermarket alternatives to this and they fell well short of the mark. Buy it, but make sure you get a bargain, I don’t think any remote is worth over £50 (try ebay).
**UPDATE 15/04/04 First set of batteries lasted 2 months, (with HEAVY use), which isn't too bad**
**PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO RATE THE REVIEW - THANKS**
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
£50 sounds like a bargain to me! Plus, think about how much you'll save on batteries with only one control instead of 4 or 6. Really is a bargain!!!
jedi_kickass 23.03.2004 14:49
A very very detailed review. A really sexy remote to be honest with you pal. I would surely love to buy such a gadget. I wonder how I missed out on this or I myself would have written a review on this. Excellent review again. Can you tell me how & where I can buy it . jedi_kickass ( ' _ ' )
ampuk2000 23.03.2004 12:49
Very good review. I like how you can get updates for the remote by placing it next to the phone earpiece – very high tech. I have had a couple of one for all remotes before and they have worked well. The only thing putting me off is the price.
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working on private documents in public places. A VikuitiTM privacy filter is a complex piece of plastic based on microlouver technology from 3M. The finest black, non-reflecting louvers are positioned to 1-degree precision, with over a dozen louvers per millimetre, and then evenly distributed over the dimensions of a screen.Outfitting a laptop for mobile display security takes only a few minutes and is possible for almost all types of screens. The filter is fastened to the laptop with small mounting clips, can remain on the laptop during transport and can be removed or reinstalled at any time. It also protects the display against damage from the keyboard.
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