BroadLink RM4 Mini IR Universal Remote Control (2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Only), Smart Home Automation Wi-Fi Infrared Blaster for TV, AC, STB Audio, Works with Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT

Overall pleasantly surprised, especially with all of the negative reviews online. Broadlink (BL) recently provided a firmware update so perhaps that explains the improvements.Setup was very simple - download the BL app and follow the in-app directions. It'll ask for your phone to be connected to a 2.4Mhz channel of your router - I have Google Wifi which, like many other newer routers, will automatically assign the proper channel to each device, so I ignored the warnings and my phone (on 5Mhz channel) sent the wifi info to BL which then connected to the proper 2.4Mhz channel automatically - no issues. I also then reserved the IP address that my router assigned to BL - not sure if this is required but saw it suggested on another forum.Adding IR/RF remotes was fine - selecting the known brands (e.g. TV > Sony) didn't seem to work for any of my devices so I just used the "learning" capabilities where BL learns the remote codes from each of my remotes which worked flawlessly just takes a few mins to learn all the devices and buttons I wanted. For RF devices (if you dont need RF then get the non-pro version) I didn't know the exact 433.XX frequency but the "auto-detect" feature worked great, then similarly just "learned" my RF buttons from the remote. Once the remotes were all set up, BL "scenes" were also very simple to create allowing me to string together commands across my devices (e.g. I created a "Watch TV" scene which turns on my TV, sets the proper input on my receiver, etc) and can set timing delays between commands if necessary.The best feature (and the reason I bought this) was Google Assistant integration. Once you link your BL account from within the Google Home app, all of the BL scenes you create become available for voice command (e.g. "Hey Google, activate Watch TV"). I created a "Volume Way Up" BL scene that would increase the volume in increments of 5 to avoid having to say the volume command over and over.Another feature I found super helpful is that you can also create Google routines to run a BL scene. Just type out the Google routine's "action" to say "activate <scene name>" (e.g. "activate watch TV"). Since Google routines can have multiple actions, this will be great to be able to have google assistant voice commands control not just BL but other devices on one command. Just need to be careful that your BL scenes aren't named the same as generic Google Assistant command (e.g. turn on the lights) or else Google gets confused.The ability to control devices directly from within the Google Home app is limited to certain device types and basic commands (power on/off, etc), but this wasn't important to me (I cared about voice, and I can use the BL app for everything else).Overall- simple install and easy IR/RF remote "learning" capabilities- works great for Google Assistant voice commands for your not-smart IR and RF devices, particularly if your desired voice commands are all focused on your BL-enabled devicesSuggestions- more standard device types (e.g. "receiver" wasn't a listed type which means I had to create a custom type which then isn't available in Google Home app, though still works fine for voice commands)- more options available to control devices directly from within Google Home app (not just voice/assistant)- better suggested remotes to reduce having to "learn" them all manually-support more RF frequencies (only the 2 which seem most common are supported so check your devices before buying)

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I set up this universal remote in my living room to control a bunch of things that use IR and RF remotes, like the TV, ceiling fan, and an old stereo. The device itself is small, so it fits easy behind the TV. The first step was connecting it to my Wi-Fi, and I had to make sure my phone was on the 2.4 GHz network. The app walked me through the steps and it didn’t take too long. For my TV and fan, I tried the preset brands first, but they didn’t match, so I used the learning mode. I just pointed my regular remote at the device, pressed the button, and the remote copied the command. I did this for the buttons I use the most.It also works with my smart speakers. I made a few voice commands, so now I just say what I want, and the TV turns on or the fan starts. The app lets me put all my devices together, and I can set up different scenes, like turning everything off when I go to bed. I still keep my old remotes in a drawer just in case, but I haven’t needed them much. This makes my setup less cluttered.

I originally purchased this to control the ceiling fans in my house and it doesn't do that. It does however control basically everything else with an RF or IR remote I have pointed at it. I troubleshot that over a few days. Reached out to the fan manufacturer to get the Rf frequency and their "Tech Support" had no idea what I was talking about. I finally realized that they FCC ID would have the frequency and that is stamped on the controller.I started Googling the FCC IDs of every RF controller in the house and found that almost all of them were in the controllable range. The big hint here is to Google FCC IDs to get their approved frequency ranges.The software hasn't been reviewed by a native English speaker, so it has some quirky language that can be a little confusing. For example in the setup flow there is a button that you have to click to move forward. The button is labeled "I know it". (pictured) My guess is that it was supposed to say something like "I understand". I read that page a few times before I understood that it was just a notification screen.Also the setup process makes perfect sense from a programming point of view, but for an end user it feels a bit backwards. You have to define the device name and type in a separate process than you program the functions for the device. Totally normal for programming. Define the variable, then populate it. But there are four or five (necessary) steps to defining and then they conclude with a screen that asks you if you want to go to the device or not.Once you have the device programmed connecting to Alexa is smooth and so far it "just works". I am going to keep it around because I found a bunch of stuff to connect, just not ceiling fans.