Sofabaton X1S Smart Remote with Hub Review

Sofabaton X1S Smart Remote with Hub Review

Buy it at Amazon: Sofabaton X1S Smart Remote with Hub [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Large device code database, commands can be added manually, able to combine multiple remotes and utilize voice commands.

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You’ll receive the X1S remote, IR hub, two 4 ft USB-A to USB-C cables: one for charging the remote and one for the hub’s power, single and double 6ft infrared transmitters, a wall adapter and a quick start menu and instruction guide.

I’d previously reviewed the Sofabaton X1 and this is the upgraded version. The primary changes are a brighter screen, new raise to wake function, a change in the font on the OLED screen, and software and hardware upgrades behind the scenes. This universal remote still works with over 500,000 devices using infrared, Bluetooth, and WiFi connections thanks to a vast cloud library of codes.

The remote control measures 7.5” long, 1.75” wide and 0.5” thick. At the top is an OLED screen with bright easy to read text. This remote uses an internal battery that charges via USB-C.

The layout of the remote is the same as the previous version with an “off” button, back, and scroll wheel for the menus, and the remaining buttons are for your controlled devices, including a 5-way navigation wheel, back, home, and menu, channel and volume keys, mute, rewind, play/pause, and fast forward and four additional programmable keys.

To wake up the X1S, simply pick it up and the display will light up as well as the backlit keys. The screen shows you the battery life and has three main functions: activities, devices, and set. Activities are groups of devices that you define so that they can work together, so for example you can group your TV and soundbar, so when you press the channel up/down keys the channels will change while the volume buttons control the soundbar. To back out of a menu, press the back button at the top. Devices will have a list of all the devices you have programmed into the remote, and Set changes the remote’s settings like syncing to the hub, adjusting the LCD timeout, or restarting the system.

The X1S hub measures 3-7/8” square by ¾” thick. On the back is a setup button, USB-C power input, and 2 IR blaster outputs. On the bottom are rubber feet and mounting key holes for wall mounting. On the front is an LED status light. On top, you’ll point the remote at the dot when manually programming a device’s remote that isn’t already in the code library. The hub needs to be plugged in with a line of sight to the devices you want to control, since it sends out IR signals in 360 degrees.

However, if some devices are on shelves or in cabinets, you can use the IR extenders to communicate with those devices. They have double-sided stickers on the back allowing you to mount them in place.

To configure the remote, download and install the Sofabaton smart remote app and login or register an account. Once logged in, select X series, then tap set up new hub. Plug in the hub and press and hold the button on the back of the hub for three seconds until the LED blinks. Check off the box to confirm and tap next. You’ll need to allow location access then tap Sofabaton X1S. Next, connect to your home WiFi network and tap OK. In the app settings, you can find firmware updates for both the remote and hub that will download and install on them over the air, but note that they are not pushed automatically.

It’s easy to add your devices’ remotes to the X1S. The first remote I want to add is my Epson projector. In the code library I can search by brand then look for the model number. There isn’t an exact match for mine, but it looks like another user shared their manually entered remote, which is a close match. If we test the power function by tapping trigger, we can see that the projector turns on and can be turned off again, so let’s use this code.

It looks like not all the remote’s functions have been uploaded for this code base, so if I want to use the other keys, I can go ahead and add them in the repair section. For example, I can program in the ‘up’ key by pointing the projector’s original remote at the dot on top of the hub and then pressing that key. And here you’ll see that I’ve added both up and down. We’ll test the soft keys in the app to make sure that they’re working. And finally, we’ll assign keys on the X1S remote to use those functions, so up and down on the nav wheel, let’s set the menu key to input, and the home key for power. Now on the X1S remote, I’ll go into devices and select the Espon 4K projector and test the keys that I’ve assigned, for input, up and down, and power. Great, everything works perfectly.

The next device I’ll need to add is my Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar, so that I can change the volume. And that one is in the library so if we test the commands, the soundbar responds to them all. Finally, I’ll add a FireTV from the Bluetooth devices menu, since it’s the input device on my projector. I’ll need to turn on my FireTV using its original remote first. Then go into the settings in order to add the Sofabaton as a new remote. Once added, select the FireTV on the remote and you’ll be able to use the X1S right away to control it, and you can see that I’m able to navigate the menus and make selections.

Now that I have these remotes added, I can combine them using the activities feature. This is where the Sofabaton takes it to the next level. I’ll select all three devices for this activity, so I can have them all turn on at the same time, and I want the volume and mute keys on the X1S to control the soundbar, and the rest of the keys to control the FireTV. I’ll name this activity Theater. For activities, each button can have up to two commands for either short and long presses, giving you more flexibility. You can customize every key on the X1S and even assign macros to them.
If you find that a key needs to be pressed several times to trigger, and you can tell the remote to do this automatically. In repair keys, select command repeats and choose how many additional times to send the command. Since manual programming takes a bit of time and isn’t always perfect, you can also reach out to Sofabaton tech support to see if they can add the product code to their cloud library.

One quirk you should know about is that the ‘off’ button in the top left corner only works for Activities, and not individual devices. When I press off, the menu automatically switches to my activities, even though I had a specific device selected. To execute any command, even if it’s not assigned a button, choose the device in the menu and you will see a full list of programmed commands.
Another useful feature is the ability to use Amazon Alexa for voice control by creating a routine.
The remote isn’t limited to entertainment devices, however, and I was even able to manually add the remote control for our fireplace to be controlled with the Sofabaton. The possibilities are endless.

Last but not least , if you can’t locate the remote, just go in the app and tap look for remote and a built-in speaker on the X1S will beep to help you find it. You can also short press the button at the back of the hub and it will perform the same action. Press any key on the remote once you’ve found it to stop the alert.

Overall, the Sofabaton X1S is a powerful universal remote with a broad selection of devices in its code library that is updated all the time, but can also be manually programmed in a pinch. It was easy to set up, can combine multiple devices into a single controller, and even execute multi-step macros. With voice commands, it’s even more convenient and all your remote controlled devices can be integrated seamlessly into your smart home routines.


Buy it at Amazon: Sofabaton X1S Smart Remote with Hub [Affiliate Link]