Broadlink WiFi Smart Home Hub RM Mini 3 (2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Only) IR Automation Learning Universal Remote Control for TV Compatible with Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT

This is a fantastic device for consolidating control over multiple appliances. It worked seamlessly to manage my TV, AC, and other IR-based devices. The remote itself is reliable and versatile, but the biggest downside is the app. While it was once intuitive and efficient, it no longer works well, leaving the device underutilized. If the app were updated, this would easily be a 5-star product.

This device is definitely worth the money. It eliminates all your remotes, or at least it did mine. So far I have been able to control all my IR devices and WiFi devices. Works great with Alexa too. If you have a smart phone you won’t regret buying this. It’s a little tricky to set up but once you get it figured out it’s pretty simple. So far it seems to learn every IR remote that I have tried. It simply finds the Roku stuff.

This IR blaster works very well. If you are unable to directly find your device via the manufacturer or product name you can teach the blaster the IR codes. Due to its design it blasts the IR signal in all directions. I placed my on my fireplace mantle and am able to control two tower fans, WDTVlive hub and Sony Receiver. It integrates well with Alexa and you can setup scenes that are accessible from the App or from your smart speaker. My concern is the level permissions this app needs to run. After installation I denied, camera, phone and other non-essential permissions and the app crashes. The Developer purposely made these a requirement but they are not needed. You can actually uninstall the app and the service and IR blaster continues to work as its is cloud based.A nice feature about the App is that any device you add syncs to any other device you install the App on. Its a good product but the Dev needs to clean up their App permissions.

-----------------------------------update 4/19/2020 -----------------The link to Alexa completely failed and I had to disconnect the skill, delete all the devices and try to re-add them.This is just not a solid product. I'd recommend looking at alternatives.------------------------------------------------------------------------------I saw this as a way of integrating those "odd remotes", the stand-alone islands in our smart home ecosystem, and it almost does this. Feel free to skip to the Summary and pros/cons if you just want the bottom-line.The first challenge was getting it hooked up, it literally took me 10 times to get the remote paired. I don't know why. I don't know what I did differently to finally make it work. I just followed the same process over and over.Tip: Make sure you're on the 2.4 network in your house when you try to pair and make sure you know your WIFI password. (Neither of these were the issue I ran into, like I said, I don't know why it took so many tries, but this seems to be a theme.) Also, make sure you locate the receiver close to your router as it's WIFI connection is not great.Then there's the support number: 40-4476-4482 (it's actually 1 (404)476-4482, but apparently no one told them how Americans prefer to specify phone numbers.) They are there for you 24 hours a day but only Monday through Friday, no weekends. I also tried emailing, but that didn't work either because it thought I was spamming them (The mail system <[email protected]>: host mxbiz1.qq.com[203.205.232.191] said: 550 Mail content denied.)Once I got the remote up, I was able to hook the TV (Set Top Box/STB) up to it. For "known brands" there are templates for the controls. Unfortunately, because services like the XFINITY remote allow you to combine your set top box and TV onto one remote, the process for picking the template does not work. The on/off that operates the set top box will not operate your TV. It's very confusing....I actually had no desire to use ECHO to control channels but I was hoping for an ON/Off, after a couple tries I got it to learn the combined STB and TV codes from my X1 remote. "Perfect!" I thought, then I added it to my "LIVING ROOM OFF" routine that shuts off all the lights in the living room and turns off the fireplace. I thought I could have it turn off the TV at the same time, but forgot that the power control on TV's is a toggle, if it's on, it turns it off, if it's off, it turns it on, so the routine worked well in the evening after watching the news, everything turned off. In the morning, however, after coffee and listening to some music, when I issued the "turn off living room" command, the TV turned ON. This is not a failing of Broadlink, it's simply the way TV and STB remotes work.I also thought I could get my bedroom fireplace remote to work with ALexa using this, but the RF frequency is 308Mhz, way outside of the RF range of 432.5MHz-436.3MHz supported by Broadlink. Similarly, I tried to get my ceiling fan to respond, with no luck. Looking into forums devoted to home automation this seems to be a common theme with Broadlink. It will support newer remotes, but not older style remotes because of the frequency issue.I was however able to get it to control my deck sun-shade shade, which is simply a dumb RF remote.You basically control "odd gadgets" like this using the "Lightbulb" option and program on/off to mean something (I used that to control the shade - if it's On, the shade will close, if it's OFF, the shade will open). I have Leviosa shades on my windows so I can now raise and lower the deck shade shade along with the Leviosa shades via Alexa Routines. When I command "shades up" or "shades down" the Leviosa AND the stand-alone deck sun shadeboth operate. We have them go down a little before noon and then up at 4 minutes before sunset so we can enjoy it, so worth it right there.Tip: You may need to insert a WAIT into your Alexa routine after issuing a command to one of the Broadlinked items.It's a bit finicky at times and I noticed that it sometimes takes a couple tries to get it to "learn". I found that taking the the Broadlink unit and the remote you want to train and camping out just next to the router seems to help. You can then move the Broadlink unit back to it's home (ie, the WIFI is not so great). I also noticed that you need to click the SAVE button after training, or the sequence will not be committed to the button. The UI is not the best. It is also NOT capable of controlling my overhead fan, which I suspect is on an odd frequency, so check your frequency ranges ahead of time.Tip: If you're not sure if your remote is Infrared (IR) or Radio Frequency (RF), do this: Stick the remote in your pocket and click the on/off. If it works, it's RF, if it doesn't, it's IR.Tip: Read the screen, if you see a [SAVE] button, make sure you've hit it before you leave the screen.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SummaryFor $39, it's not a bad solution to integrate some of those "stand-alone" remotes you might have around the house, for instance, if you had a room AC you wanted to control or a (more modern) fan.Pros:- can integrate even off-brand remotes via learning the IR or RF codes- Integrates to Alexa- Can operate RF throughout the house from one unitCons:- Only operates on 2.4 GHZ WIFI (and then only when it's close to the Router)- Cannot control older standard ceiling fan and fireplace remotes- Subject to the constraints of the protocol (ie, there is no separate ON and OFF for stuff like TV's and Set Top Boxes)- UI is odd and strange ( oriental characters and options, even though I told them I was in the US, no warning when you leave a screen that you'll lose all your work, etc.)- No weekend support- Support email does not work (for me)- Multiple versions of the Alexa skill- IR range is limited to the current room it's in- RF range is limited 432.5MHz-436.3MHzRecommendation: For $39 it's not a bad investment, but with the limitations and the finicky and sometimes messy user interface, be prepared for some "sharp edges" - early adopters - have a ball!

Excellent, we configured it very quickly and we can manage to open garage door, air conditiner. Very very good

This is a good product. A very good solution to appliances or electronics that are not Google or Alexa enabled and use either RF or IR remote controls. I was able to make my fireplace "smart" and even my fake candles. That's great. HOWEVER.. there is a big flaw with the app and the Alexa and Google compatibility: The BroadLink app comes with pre-set devices, such as TV, Heater, A/C, etc... but if you are trying to add your own (let's say a fireplace) and you use the "UserDefine" option, which allows you to add ad many buttons/features as your remote control has... well.... guess what? It will not show on your Google Home or Alexa app! Only the pre-set devices will but none of your custom made ones will.Apparently this is a known issue as far as I can tell because there are YouTube videos talking about this back in 2022, so it has been at least 3 years and BroadLink still haven't fixed or figured out this problem. That is very poor tech department care. That's why I only give them 3 stars, otherwise I would give them more..Last but not least, I think the price should be about $20 tops. $35-$40 is a little steep for this device. It feels very "cheap", although it performs ok.