With the launch of the Neeo for Control4 at the end of last year we have received a number of orders and enquiries from people eager to get their hands on this impressive piece of kit. As one of the leading smart home installers in the south of England we are always keen to keep our clients up to date with the latest technology and industry news. If you’re thinking of getting smarter for 2020 make sure you get in touch.
In our previous article we took a look at the details of the new Neeo for Control4 handset and showed you what it was like ‘on paper’; but now we’ve had our hands on it for the last month or so, how does it measure up to the industry favourite the Control4 SR-260 Remote.
The Old Favourite
The SR-260 came out a few years ago and it quickly became one of the most popular universal remotes on the market. Its simplicity in design and the functionality of having a tactile button for almost every function makes it easy to use and the intuitive layout of the buttons means it has the familiar feel of a normal TV remote.
It has customisable buttons which can be set up by your Control4 engineer to do pretty much anything you like – we often use them to create home cinema settings or mood lighting for social events. This remote is robust, super functional and hard wearing – it has become a favourite of our clients for very good reasons.
Then there’s the price. This older (but still hugely capable) technology is less expensive than several competitors’ remotes and is less than half the price of the new Neeo.
The Neeo for Control4
With its cutting edge aesthetics, Swedish style design and sleek lines the Neeo looks amazing! The touch screen at the top means that it can display the same user interface as control panels in the home and is designed to show off the Control4 OS3 at its best. Users can set up favourites and customise their own buttons and quick access profiles easily, and changes you make to your interface on a touch screen, smart phone or tablet will display in exactly the same way on the remote – so you’ve got one seamless interface between all devices. It’s very impressive.
One thing that really blows us away with the Neeo is the speed and response times of the remote. There’s no more accidentally zipping passed the option you want to select.
Remote auto updates to the latest software without you having to do anything; even when setting it up, you simply connect it to your Control4 system and wait, it does the rest for you. It is worth noting that the Neeo remote only connects to a 2.4 GHz network so if you are only using 5GHz we would need to manually add this network.
It is also important to note that the Neeo only works with OS3.1. If you have really old hardware you may need to replace or upgrade them in order to make the move to OS3 but you wouldn’t regret it!
So which is better?
The easy answer from a design and aesthetic perspective would be the Neeo, but like everything in the technology sphere, it’s not that simple. While the Neeo is undoubtedly a sublime piece of kit, we think that most of our customers will combine using their SR-260 with their Neeo. Perhaps the Neeo will be their primary remote – located in full view in the living room, with a few SR-260s dotted around the house.
The simple fact is that the Neeo, even though it’s been tested, just doesn’t feel as robust as the SR-260. Those with young children can rest at ease knowing that the SR260 can withstand drops and crumbs and the odd spillage, and as they’re cheaper to replace you would probably be a little less precious about it.
There is no getting away from the fact that the Neeo is stunning though, it reminds us of some of the Bang & Olufsen stereos and telephones from the early 2000s in that they really stand out.
Get in Touch
If you would like to speak to a member of our expert team about upgrading to OS3 or the Neeo for Control4, make sure you call us on 0345 505 1760 or email us. You can even follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The Smart Trilogy
We’ve got together with Quiet Interiors and SeriouslyCinema to form The Smart Trilogy – your one stop shop for all your smart needs. Our new showroom is now open – make sure you get in touch to make an appointment.
