If you want to use your iPad or iPhone to control your home theater, the Griffin Beacon for iOS could very well be the ideal way to do it. This $69.99 (direct) infrared blaster follows the lead of the previous Editors' Choice Peel Universal Control [1] ($99.99, 4 stars) and the Logitech Harmony Link [2] ($99.99, 3.5 stars) by letting you use your iOS device like a remote control. The Beacon connects to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over Bluetooth, and through the free Dijit app it handles multiple devices and activities with ease. It offers the same functionality as the Peel, but with a lower price and an easier, Bluetooth-based setup, making it our new Editors' Choice. An Android version of the Beacon is also available, though it's not clear what the differences are aside from the app used.
Design
The Beacon looks more like a Zen-inspired desktop sculpture than an infrared blaster. A black plastic "stone" sits on top of a rounded square plastic base. The stone can be pressed like a button, and a small blue light indicates when it's looking for a connection. Four AA batteries fit in the base and serve as its only source of power. Unfortunately, you can't just plug it into a wall and let it go, and you'll need to replace the batteries about as often as a remote's batteries.
The Beacon connects to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch through Bluetooth. All you have to do is hold the stone down until the blue light flashes rapidly and pair it to your iOS device. It's simpler to set up than the Peel, which uses a Wi-Fi connection and a third component besides the IR blaster and the iOS device.
To use the Beacon, you also need to install the Dijit remote app from the iTunes Store. It's a free app, and surprisingly flexible. I used it with an iPad 2, and was impressed by the app's broad feature set. Dijit offers standard remote app functions, such as remote buttons on the touch screen, as well as programmable activities that chain commands together between multiple devices.You can browse all of the channels available from your provider, or filter them based on high definition channels, premium channels, and even genre programming. You can even narrow the channel guide down to only show new episodes or season premieres. If you create a free account with Dijit, you can make a list of your favorite shows that appear in the channel guide under its own view, as well as check into the app and post on Facebook and Twitter, among other social networks.
You can also link your Netflix account to Dijit, which will then show your Instant Queue, and let you browse movies and shows. But you still need to manually access the programming through the device you normally use to access Netflix; the app doesn't automate viewing Netflix content. While the iPhone version of Digit is more cramped, it offers the same channel guide and Netflix navigation as the iPad version.
Customization
The app lets you customize your virtual remote, with an easy drag-and-drop system for rearranging buttons. You can also choose between a conventional four-way direction pad and a gesture pad that activates the same navigation commands with sliding instead of tapping. It's remarkably flexible for a free app used with such an inexpensive product. Like most app-based remote systems, there is a slight lag between tapping a button and the command being transmitted, but not enough to disrupt the TV-watching experience, and the useful features make up for the split-second delay.
The Griffin Beacon is the most accessible, affordable, and most importantly functional way to control your home theater devices with your iOS device yet. It's simpler to set up than the Peel Universal Control, more powerful than the Logitech Harmony Link, and less expensive than either of them. If you have an iOS device and a home theater system, the Griffon Beacon is currently the best way to link them.
More Media Hub and Receiver Reviews:
•  Griffin Beacon for iOS [3]
•  Warpia ConnectHD Wireless Webcam SWP400VC [4]
•  Dish Network Hopper [5]
•  Dish Network Joey [6]
•  Netgear NeoTV NTV200 [7]
• more [8]
Links
- ^ Peel Universal Control ('http)
- ^ Logitech Harmony Link ('http)
- ^ Griffin Beacon for iOS ('http)
- ^ Warpia ConnectHD Wireless Webcam SWP400VC ('http)
- ^ Dish Network Hopper ('http)
- ^ Dish Network Joey ('http)
- ^ Netgear NeoTV NTV200 ('http)
- ^ more ('http)
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