The X10 MouseRemote is a truly universal remote. Not only will it operate all your TV and stereo components, but it will also allow you to control the cursor on your PC. More usefully, you can program it to perform various PC functions with the push of a button.

Secret Codes
Getting this universal remote to control the usual assortment of home stereo components is fairly straightforward. Nine pages of numeric codes in the manual correspond to various makes and models of TVs, VCRs, CD players, and other devices. Enter the proper codes, and you'll have remote access to all your devices. Press the button labeled DVD, and you will control the DVD player. Press TV, and the controls will apply to your television.

Setting it up as a wireless mouse is a cinch, too. All you need to do is attach the remote control receiver to your computer's serial port and run the installation software. We did run into a problem trying to make a PS/2 mouse work simultaneously, but a quick call to X10's 24-hour tech support had the question resolved.

To move the cursor around, you press a round disc on the top of the remote. We didn't like the way the cursor moved only at a slow, fixed speed. It's a very different feeling from traditional mousing and makes most cursor-intensive tasks tedious. The mouse buttons are on the underside of the remote, which is a pretty good arrangement, since you can access the navigation disc and both buttons without repositioning your hand.

Take the Time to Configure
While a few buttons on the remote are preconfigured for keyboard functions, such as going to the beginning or end of the document, you'll get much more out of it if you program the remote yourself. Using X10's configuration program, we mapped the Web button to launch our browser and the ten numeric keys to jump to our ten favorite Web sites. We then programmed the DVD button to run our computer's DVD player. If you're sitting far enough away from the computer screen for a remote to be useful, you won't really be able to see the cursor, so assigning functions to the buttons yourself is crucial.