L5 Remote turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a universal remote
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jan 4th 2010 5:04PM
posted Jan 4th 2010 5:04PM
Sure, you can use Apple's own Remote application to use your iPhone or iPod touch as a remote for your Mac, but that likely isn't going help most folks' with their home theaters. This new L5 Remote might be just what you're looking for, however, and it doesn't require a pricey dock like some other similar options. Making its official debut at CES, the L5 is a $50 IR dongle / app bundle that promises to do more or less everything that a dedicated universal remote does, and plenty of things that many of those don't -- like let you create your own customized interface. Of course, that all hinges on the thing actually working as well as a dedicated device, and we should no doubt hear more about that in the lead-up to its rollout next month.
Wonder how this compares to the functionality of a Harmony One?
@ECH
I'd be amazed if this works anywhere close to as well as a Harmony One. Primarily, because there's no way this company has done the research Logitech has done on the weird little functions that component-specific remotes do.
@CtrlBurn
I just set up a Harmony One for my dad and was pretty impressed at the ease of setup and how well it worked. 200 Bucks is a little steep, but it was the best remote I ever played with.
Only thing I needed to tweak was the power on delay for the TV so that the input selection would delay long enough. Other than that it was basically plug and play.
Well, let's think about it: When that commercial blasts out of your speakers and you want to turn it down before you wake someone up, you're going to have to unlock your phone and wait for the app to resume and then peer at the screen to turn the volume down.
Sounds like a winner.
I'd prefer a Bluetooth or WiFi to IR repeater than can be placed with my A/V equipment, than a clunky add-on that depends on line-of-sight.
@(Unverified)
+1
Much more elegant solution
@(Unverified)
Now that I think of it...
Repeater would then require line of sight to the front of all your AV equipment though, this would make placement somewhat of a challange.
@(Unverified) check out IRTrans and iRed, the IRTrans ethernet module isn't cheap, but is an awesome solution. I use my all the time to turn on my receiver so I can play my AppleTV throughout the house.
@ECH
As long as you have either a coffee table in front of your couch or a shelf behind it, it wouldn't be too hard to find a good place to put the sender.
Actually, even if all you had were a mirror on the wall behind you, that might work if you were to stick the sender in your entertainment cabinet and angle it just right.
Yeah, because I want some pod sitting on my coffee table 100 percent of the time. Heaven forbid we want to use the surface for something else, like the occasional meal. Or that it gets bumped, or the cat knocks it off.
However, and....
Huh?
hmmm I dont mind paying $50, but then what about everyone else in my house? what do they use? its either convenient or inconvenient..
@Unverified User It's simple! Get a new iPod Touch at $199, then the $50 dongle, then...... On second thought, get a Logitech Harmony UR.
I thought there was an app for that.
I was able to control my TV using Wifi, using IR emitter connected to my HTPC setup, soon i will be able to phase out IR remote for ever.
I think all TV'S should have some kind of LAN connectivity either through the HDMI or other display connector technology or by a mean of Wifi connectivity.
@Ahmed Alzayani
I just notice that HDMI 1.4 have 100 Mb/s Ethernet Channel
i'd be more likely in the wifi-IR repeater camp. Gimme a $50-70 thing that sits on my network and points at my pile of electronics. Then I (or anyone in my house with the app) can control the system from anywhere on the WiFi.
I'll pass on this one, even though it is a pretty cool implementation of the hardware control in the SDK...
So what happens if you receive a call on your iPhone?
Do you get stuck in a "hang on, let me turn the TV down, oh crap I can't you're calling me and I can't get to the app" situation?
Wouldn't that only be a problem to Verizon people? AT&T allows data and voice simultaneoulsy so that shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. Over wifi it would be even easier.
@ElNumbre you remember that the iPhone phone app can run in the background, allowing you to 'minimise' the call and open the app to control the TV
@ElNumbre
Maybe one day the iPhone will get multitasking.
@ElNumbre You van actually open an app while calling... Put it on speaker and press home button, youll notice your statusbar has changed color...
For the device itself, it looks a bit out of line with the iPhone, make it fit a little better to the phone... Altough, I think the wifi-> ir solution mentioned above is more practical
@phil112345 Not being one of the jobsian horde, I have no proper experience of the iPhone. Just wondered if it was a flaw in an otherwise flawless idea.
Seems like they have it covered, but perhaps the application could support a macro that when a call comes in, it sends a mute/pause command so you don't need to faff.
@ElNumbre that would be cool actually, although I don't know if the SDK allows for that.
Can it control my ps3 with bluetooth?
Hmmmmmm, where have I heard of that before?
"Why didn't they just add an IR dongle for the Iphone. Smaller equipment, less steps to communication, no external equipment outside of a dongle that plugs into the Iphone, completely portable for any IR device you run across. This is just counterintuitive.
Iphone->router->ir set top device->tv
Iphone->dongle->TV "
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/redeye-turns-your-iphone-and-ipod-touch-into-bona-fide-universal/comments/23630906/
I still like my remotes with buttons.
Wow.
universal remote
droid doesnt
Iphone does!!!!
@logic thinker
Quick... Call AT&T so they can rush out another lame commercial with Owen Wilson's brother! Here's another thing they can use to distract from their lack of 3G coverage.
@ECH I'm an iPhone lover, and I have ATT, but I agree, those commercials are ridiculous.
"With ATT, I can use my device right here as a universal remote. See, you just press it, and the TV changes volume, cool!"
*cut to scene of him trying to control his TV with a Droid*
"Verizon may make a big deal about maps, but only with ATT can you control your equipment like never before, all without ever leaving a call!"
I hope they also make this for other smartphones and pocketpcs.
@Wevenhuis
Any Windows-mobile phone or PDA with an IR port on it (and there are a bunch, just less every day) has the capability, just have to use one of the several available software solutions made for that.
Even though my Touch Pro 2 doesn't have an IR port, I use an app called G-Remote that turns the phone into a wifi-enabled remote for the pc, including touchpad functionality and user-defined buttons and macros.
Wonder if verizon has a mapp for that !!!!lol!!!
a remote that I have to re-charge every 12 hours?..No thanks.
@mistaox
Exactly. To charge, you would have to remove the dongle and then the remote function is useless.
so explain to me why i wouldn't just get a universal remote for < $50. what if i really need to turn down the volume or hide what i'm watching by switching channels if i receive a call?
a remote you need to look at to do any function = FAIL
Harmony One... use it for a while and you can do just about anything by feel.
Sure brings back the day of Windows CE devices or the old PalmPilot that had an IR port (and a hacked IR remote app). Of course, those apps were FREE and needed NO new hardware...
If this really works with all my electronics I want it!
I love this idea but I have a hard time believing that I'll use my iPhone as a controller when watching TV but definitely on my iPod Touch. For the price I'm will to try it.
Does the app require you to turn the iphone upside-down? then all those silly al gore shots from its early days on tv will be given legitimacy.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.