 Chances are watching anything on your TV requires juggling a bunch of remotes for a bunch of different devices. You've got one for your TV, one for your cable box, one for your Blu-ray player, one for your Apple TV, maybe even one for your Roku TV or Fire TV or even a gaming system. Juggling all these remotes when you just want to watch a TV show kind of sucks. So a good universal remote can really make your life a lot easier. A good universal remote controls all of the devices in your entertainment cabinet, even ones that don't use standard IR controls. And they make it easy to turn on the right devices in the right order with just one button press. It also should be accessible for anyone in your house to pick up the remote and turn on the TV. Smartphones may seem like a good choice for a universal remote, but unlocking your phone, launching the app, waiting for it to connect is really kind of cumbersome when you just want to turn the TV on or change the volume. There used to be a lot of companies offering universal remotes, but in the past couple of years, Logitech's Harmony line has become the de facto choice. That means that picking the best universal remote really means picking the best Harmony remote that Logitech offers. And the best of the field is the Elite. The Harmony Elite has everything you could need in a universal remote. Support for IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, a vast database of codes, and a straightforward app to program it. It also has a smart ergonomic layout, so all the controls you could need are right in your thumb's reach. Since the Elite performs its tasks through a hub that sits on your entertainment center, you don't have to worry about pointing it at the right devices the entire time it runs its commands. Logitech has also made it easy to program automated functions. So single button press can turn on your TV, turn on your cable box, and set your TV to the correct input. Or you can program a setting that turns the TV on, dims the lights, and automatically launches the Netflix app. The Harmony smartphone app, which is used to set up and program the Elite, can also be used as a remote itself, which is convenient. I wouldn't rely solely on my phone as a remote, but it can come in handy when the remote is out of reach. Unsurprisingly, a runner-up pick is another Harmony, the 650. The Harmony 650 is about as straightforward of a universal remote as you can get. It can control up to 8 devices, has an ergonomic backlit keyboard, and has an LCD screen for more advanced functions and on-board help. It's also a lot cheaper than the Elite. The 650 can only be programmed via a Mac or PC app, which is a bit clunky and has no aspirations of leaving the living room. You can't use it to control smart home appliances at all. And since it only works over IR, it can't control Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, such as Amazon's Fire TV or PlayStation 4. The rest of the choices available include other Harmony models that either rely too much on smartphone control or don't have the smart home features of the Elite, and don't add enough to justify their cost over the 650. There's also a newcomer called the Ray Super Remote, which blends a smartphone-like design with smart home control. But the Ray doesn't have as expansive of a selection of smart home controls as the Elite, and its mostly touchscreen design left me wanting for physical buttons. Either way, whether you go all-in with the Harmony Elite or keep it simple with the Harmony 650, there's really no need to be juggling a bunch of remotes anymore.
 Chances are watching anything on your TV requires juggling a bunch of remotes for a bunch of different devices.
 You've got one for your TV, one for your cable box, one for your Blu-ray player, one for your Apple TV,
 maybe even one for your Roku TV or Fire TV or even a gaming system.
 Juggling all these remotes when you just want to watch a TV show kind of sucks.
 So a good universal remote can really make your life a lot easier.
 A good universal remote controls all of the devices in your entertainment cabinet,
 even ones that don't use standard IR controls.
 And they make it easy to turn on the right devices in the right order with just one button press.
 It also should be accessible for anyone in your house to pick up the remote and turn on the TV.
 Smartphones may seem like a good choice for a universal remote, but unlocking your phone, launching the app,
 waiting for it to connect is really kind of cumbersome when you just want to turn the TV on or change the volume.
 There used to be a lot of companies offering universal remotes, but in the past couple of years,
 Logitech's Harmony line has become the de facto choice.
 That means that picking the best universal remote really means picking the best Harmony remote that Logitech offers.
 And the best of the field is the Elite. The Harmony Elite has everything you could need in a universal remote.
 Support for IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, a vast database of codes, and a straightforward app to program it.
 It also has a smart ergonomic layout, so all the controls you could need are right in your thumb's reach.
 Since the Elite performs its tasks through a hub that sits on your entertainment center,
 you don't have to worry about pointing it at the right devices the entire time it runs its commands.
 Logitech has also made it easy to program automated functions. So single button press can turn on your TV,
 turn on your cable box, and set your TV to the correct input.
 Or you can program a setting that turns the TV on, dims the lights, and automatically launches the Netflix app.
 The Harmony smartphone app, which is used to set up and program the Elite, can also be used as a remote itself, which is convenient.
 I wouldn't rely solely on my phone as a remote, but it can come in handy when the remote is out of reach.
 Unsurprisingly, a runner-up pick is another Harmony, the 650.
 The Harmony 650 is about as straightforward of a universal remote as you can get. It can control up to 8 devices,
 has an ergonomic backlit keyboard, and has an LCD screen for more advanced functions and on-board help.
 It's also a lot cheaper than the Elite.
 The 650 can only be programmed via a Mac or PC app, which is a bit clunky and has no aspirations of leaving the living room.
 You can't use it to control smart home appliances at all.
 And since it only works over IR, it can't control Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, such as Amazon's Fire TV or PlayStation 4.
 The rest of the choices available include other Harmony models that either rely too much on smartphone control or don't have the smart home features of the Elite,
 and don't add enough to justify their cost over the 650.
 There's also a newcomer called the Ray Super Remote, which blends a smartphone-like design with smart home control.
 But the Ray doesn't have as expansive of a selection of smart home controls as the Elite, and its mostly touchscreen design left me wanting for physical buttons.
 Either way, whether you go all-in with the Harmony Elite or keep it simple with the Harmony 650, there's really no need to be juggling a bunch of remotes anymore.