Consolidation is the word of the year. We’ve got to consolidate. We’ve got to simplify, merge, integrate, incorporate, assimilate, downsize, rightsize, and all those other buzzwords of 2001. These words have been bantered around at work, but they apply at home as well.

One of the most obvious places to consolidate would be the area of remotes. It seems that anymore there are just too many remotes to keep track of. There’s the remote for the VCR, the remote for the TV, the remote for the CD player ... did we miss anything? More than likely we did. Anymore, we need a remote just to handle our remotes. So let’s talk about that.

As you know, X10 makes remotes, and Universal remotes are our specialty. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to put all your other remotes away and instead use only one remote to control everything? What better way to consolidate your stuff than with an X10 Ultimate Remote? So in this How2, we’re going to show you how to program your Ultimate Remote so that it can take over for all those little remotes.

First things first though. The first thing to keep in mind regarding your remote is batteries. Your remote needs four AA batteries to function. Without those batteries, you won’t be able to get that remote to do anything... unless of course you’re experienced in the Jedi arts.

Before we begin though, let’s talk about the remote for just a moment and familiarize you with some of the buttons. Some of these are similar to your regular remote and so therefore won’t need any explanation. In this How2, we’re only going to cover the buttons that you will need to program the remote, as most of the other buttons should be self-explanatory. (If they’re not, we have a list of all this on our website.)

Indicator Light - This is an LED light on the top left of your remote that flashes whenever you press a button.

Power Button - Works the same way as your other remotes.

TV/VCR/CBL/AUX/SAT/DVD - These buttons allow you to select between the VCR, the Television, the Cable Box, your Auxiliary, a Satellite Dish, and the DVD.

Display - This button allows you to have the track/time/date information on the screen, or it will take it off of your screen if it’s already on there.

Return - This button returns you to your previous menu.

UP/Down/Left/Right DVD Keys - These are your menu navigation keys.

OK - This key is your "Enter" button.

Exit - This allows you to clear, and/or finish your program.

Setup - This is what tells the remote you’re going to be programming it.

0-9 - These are the buttons you will use to program in your device codes (we’ll go over that just below).

A-B - This is your DVD setup.

X10 On/Off Keys - Here you can control you X10 modules to operate your lamps and other appliances through ActiveHome.

Alright, let’s set up your TV and VCR

1. Turn on the device you want to add to your remote (for example, your VCR).
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Indicator Light" (see above) lights steadily. Once the light is steady, then release the "Setup" button.
3. Now press and release the "Mode" button, i.e. VCR. (If you’re setting up CD components, use the "Aux" function.)
4. Enter the code of the device that you want to control. The code is a three-digit code that identifies the maker’s signal. If you don’t know the code, we have a list of codes at ftp://ftp.x10.com/pub/manuals/codelist.pdf, and we’ll go over how to find the code if you don’t see it on the list. (To run this site, you’ll need Adobe Acrobat, which is available to download at http://www.x10.com/support/support_manuals.htm.
5. Point your remote to your component and press the "Power" button. If everything went well, your component should turn off. (Also if it responds to the channel, volume, etc, then it’s working fine.)
6. Repeat these steps for each component you wish to program into your remote.

Now if you’re setting up your remote and realize that you don’t have any record of the three-digit code for the device, then you can search for that code on your own. Here’s how you do it.

1. Turn on the device you’re wanting to program.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button on the remote until the LED lights steadily, then release the "Setup" button.
3. Press the mode button that matches the component that you’re programming, i.e. VCR, CABLE, TV, etc.
4. Press the "Channel+" button until the device controller changes channel. If you go too far, then simply press "Channel-" and go back. The remote has found your component’s code and you’re done searching.
5. Press and release the "Enter" button, and your setup is complete.

If that doesn’t work, there’s still one more way to search for those codes. And here’s how.

1. Turn on the device you’re wanting to program.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the LED lights steadily, then release the "Setup" button.
3. Press the mode button that matches the component that you’re programming, i.e. VCR, CABLE, TV, etc.
4. Press and release the "Setup" button so that the LED blinks once.

Let’s look for the first digit of the code.

1. Press digits 0-9 on your remote’s number pad. Press each digit slowly, keeping your eye on the LED. If the LED blinks, then the last number you pushed is the first number of your component’s code.
2. Now let’s start again. Press digits 0-9 on the number pad, again keeping your eye on the LED. When the LED blinks again, you’ve got your second number.
3. Do the same to find your third number. When the LED blinks, you’re done. You have your component’s code. Once this third digit is found, your remote’s LED will turn off.

From here on out, you should be able to neatly stack those extra remote controls in drawer or a box, and put them away forever. You’ve got all the remote you need with the Ultimate Remote.

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