Universal Remote Control KP-900 Offers Ease-of-Use

The KP-900 remote control from Universal Remote Control (URC) is a keeper.

The small remote can be used for a number of applications beyond controlling an advanced home theater, and the ease-of-use of both its user interface and installer program make it a reliable choice.

Unlike many remotes powered by lithium ion batteries, the KP-900 uses four AAA batteries. It can be hung on a wall or refrigerator door to keep it out of the reach of curious children -- without looking large and overwhelming.

Learning how to program the remote is easy. The programming software is based on the company's MX-900 software. But since I didn't know the MX-900 software, I trained myself using the company's online resources.

I quickly learned to program everything in my home theater (except my cable box), including a Toshiba HD DVD player, a Panasonic Blu-ray player, a Cary Audio DVD, a Cary Audio CD player, a Key Digital video processor, a Hitachi plasma television, an IR-based Lutron light switch and a Bryston amplifier/preamp processor combination.

Overall, I found the remote easy to program and operate. The only problem I ran into with the remote is that it eats batteries almost as fast as a digital camera. This could be a problem for some clients -- without warning, the remote has gone dead on me.

It could also present problems to an eco-conscious customer bothered by the disposing of many batteries. Ed's Note: URC tells CE Pro that they have had no reported battery consumption problems like in this review, and they suspect this particular unit was a defective sample.

Nevertheless, the remote is ideal for most multiroom and small system control applications. Its capabilities can also be expanded and made more powerful by using it in tandem with one of URC's RF base stations or its MSC-400 Master System Controller.

MSRP: $499