Chances are you turn to Sound & Vision to read about the latest cutting-edge gear — and perhaps dream about ultra-high-end systems or components you might never be able to afford. This is not one of those reviews.

In an age when things seem to be getting ever more complicated and even instruction books come with instruction books, sometimes what you really need is something simple. No bells, no whistles: just a basic, old-fashioned workhorse that gets the job done. Something that you're not afraid to let the kids use, something you can throw in a pocket or travel bag and enjoy anywhere.

Something exactly like the Universal Remote Control R2-Mini. This micro-sized remote can fit on your keychain and control virtually any TV or cable or satellite set-top box, all for the micro-sized price of $13.

SETUP Programming couldn't be much easier. Simply turn on the device to be controlled (TV or set-top box) and then press and hold the TV or CBL/SAT button, respectively, for 3 seconds to put the remote into its programming mode. Then press CH+ or CH- until the device turns off. Press the device button again to save the code, and that's it — you're done!

PERFORMANCE Recently I not only had the opportunity to use the Mini myself — I desperately needed it. Last November my wife gave birth to our first child (first official shout-out to Miss Lauryn Q!), and we had to spend several days in the hospital. Now, at thousands of dollars a day, you might think that we would have some form of remote control in our room to operate the TV, but no. What we did have was a TV that turned on full blast. Every time. Which might have been okay if there'd been a way to remotely adjust the volume. Which, as I said, there wasn't. Also, you could only change the channel up, not down. And the crowning touch? When you cycled to the end of the channel list, the TV turned off — and then back on at full volume! Couple that with the raging hormones of pregnancy, and you can imagine the sweet time I was having.

The Short Form

Price: $12.99 / universalremote.com / 914-835-4484

Snapshot

This inexpensive, toy-like remote is handy for a surprising number of applications.

Plus

•Incredibly simple to program and use •Low price makes it great for “high-risk” environments or situations •Controls most TVs and cable and satellite boxes •So tiny you can take it anywhere

Minus

•Controls only two devices •Controls only power, volume, and channel

Key Features

•Tiny size •Controls TV and cable/satellite set-top boxes •Power, channel and volume up/down, and mute keys •Quick programming •2.6 x 1.1 x 0.5 in

Then I remembered the R2-Mini that URC had left me when I reviewed a trio of its remotes back in September. The Mini seemed the perfect solution to my crisis. I mean, if I was going to be staying with my wife through Prison Break, The Unit, and Lost on a recliner about a foot too short for me, having a decent remote was the bare minimum of creature comforts. I tasked one of the in-laws with bringing it stat.

Once it arrived, I breezed through the programming procedures, hoping it would control the off-brand hospital TV. After several presses of the CH+ button, the TV turned off. I pressed the TV button and it turned back on. Channels changed up and down, as did volume. Oh, sweet Jesus, we were in business!

The Mini stood by my side through the rest of our hospital stay. And when my wife was discharged before our daughter was able to come home, I simply reprogrammed the Mini to operate the waiting-room TV. You can just imagine how impressed all the other waiting-roomers were, as I deftly and covertly changed channels from across the room, forcing them to watch my programming!

BOTTOM LINE Offering only the most basic commands — power, channel, and volume — the Mini is by no means a full-control solution. But there are times when you just need a good, reliable, bare-bones controller, and that's when you'll want the Mini. Here are a few possibilities: That spare bedroom where you've lost or broken the remote. A hotel/motel where the remote can't be found or isn't working. Sports bars when you can't get the bartender's attention to change the game to your team. When you don't want the kids handling your $1,000 touchpanel. When your relatives can't figure out your $1,000 touchpanel.

In line with my own hospital experience, URC's national sales manager, Debra Sharker, said that some hospitals are looking to buy the Mini for sterile wards where everything a patient uses must be thrown out. There, the low-cost Mini is the perfect solution.

As for me, I've learned the value of this unassuming little remote out in the real world. My advice: Make it like your American Express card, and don't leave home without one.

Remote Control Station
Back to Homepage
What's New on S&V