Universal Remote – Roomie for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By Gewehrschuss

  Simple, beautiful interface for integrating multiple systems

  I’ve gone back and forth for a long time to try to find a good looking interface for controlling g everything around the home. There are systems that do it well, like control 4 and Savant, but those are really expensive and I don’t want to hire an integrator. There are completely DIY options like Home Assistant that just don’t look as good. Roomie Remote is a great balance between those two extremes. I just hope the folks at Roomie Remote continue to invest in the platform by adding new integrations and options. I haven’t needed tech support or requested it but I do hope they recognize that their true market is likely tech saavy folks that don’t want to hire an integrator. Users might need a little guidance and assistant from time to time getting everything set up properly and it would really help the platform get adopted if they invested in providing some tech support to users beyond bug reports. I’m in the process of getting a ton more Microsoft gear and iPort mounts so I can roll this out all over my house. Since the app is so configurable, I’m sure I’ll find more ways to integrate new stuff and make it even more useful over time!

  
  
• By w i n t e r m u t e

  Roomie Remote v.7 is simply the best remote control app available. Period.

  I’ve been using Roomie from the start and through its segue as Simple Control and then back. I’m so glad Will and the gang are back on track. This latest version and their revised purchase/subscription plans with Family Sharing and free access to the app for guests eliminates a lot of the annoyances of previous versions. Yes, the app isn’t what I would consider inexpensive, but nothing on the market comes close to offering what Roomie can do all in one simple and clean interface without installing an all encompassing proprietary home automation system. With Roomie, you can press a button to control (or voice command) all your AV gear, lights, scenes, cameras, etc. from various vendors and using multiple protocols… you’re not limited to just HomeKit devices or just one brand of receiver or lighting control… you can use just about anything and have them all work together under Roomie.

  
  
• By Ron McDon

  Pitiful. Don’t waist your time or money. Bait and switch.

  I was a happy user of Roomie Remote from 2012. Had purchased the unlimited license. ($$$). Spent the money on the hardware and loads of time passing the steep learning curve. Well they changed names to simple control and functionality stayed the same for a while. Then they stopped supporting the app all together. They developed a newer app marketed towards the home user. (called Roomie Remote again). This requires a whole new purchase. Since I had already invested a couple hundred dollars in hardware, stupid me bought the new app($$$) and began setting it up. -Application crashes periodically. -A whole new learning curve. -Horrible setup manual. (Vague) -No video tutorials. After spending hours setting up devices and activities and withstanding the crashes, I had a couple quick questions that should be easily answered by a knowledgeable representative. I emailed product support. What a joke. Incredibly rude and condescending. No support. Zero. I was told to read the setup manual again or hire an integrator. I definitely was not expecting that after spending this kind of money. Unless you have loads of time on your hands to perform trial and error type tasks within this software, stay far away. You will get absolutely no support from this company. Pitiful.

  
  
• By y. Gutowski

  When it works its great

  Have been using this for 3 years under Simple Control. Worked great. Went to move to new roomie remote and after it moved my old config in, power off activity stopped working. Submitted a bug report and was told not a bug, go hire an installer. Wrote back it worked and then it didn’t and waited for reply. In mean time looked at simple control setup and found roomie remote was missing all power off function in the room setup. Re-did config and now fixed. Reply back came and told me power off was missing and basic trouble shooting would have found such a simple problem, don’t bother them and find an installer for such stupid problems. If you get it to work you will love it, if it doesn’t work, good luck on getting any help, it won’t come from the app creator.

  
  
• By Rth98122

  Fooled Again

  Loved the original Roomie Remote - all the way up until the original one-time lifetime purchase was rendered useless when they quit supporting newer equipment basically forcing us to “upgrade” to their new improved Simple Control. But that was certainly no upgrade - it was/is horribly laggy and devoid of key features like the video scrubbing bar that made Roomie awesome - and don’t even get me started about the hub that was required to run multiple devices. Was excited when the new Roomie was released - the perfectly misleading promo picture shows a scrubbing bar like the old app had so immediately paid to “upgrade” once again (this time voluntarily and enthusiastically). Only to find out the supposedly new app is EXACTLY like Simple Control. Still laggy AF and absolutely no sign of a video scrubbing bar. By now am very of being slapped in the face by these people.

  
  

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