SeKi Slim, Universal, programmable remote control with large buttons.

Sooner or later when you have an elderly relative unable to cope with stuff that seems simple to the rest of us; you will find yourself looking at TV remote controls. There are a large number to choose from out there but I suspect we all take a similar journey. At first you start with a control that has big buttons because the relative cannot see the buttons. I soon found my parents still struggled with knowing which buttons to use even when they could see them. With Parkinson's and Dementia the big button controls alone were not an effective solution. The next step is to then go for an even simpler control with just volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down, and Power. You also have to have an 'AV' button which my parents find incredibly confusing. TV's when my parents grew up you just turned on and that was it. None of this pressing 'AV' to navigate through 10 inputs with acronyms they will never understand or remember such as HDMI2, AV2, PC, COMPONENT etc. But you have to have an 'AV' because TV designers are all young and don't consider older customers. My parents TV's can't be set to default to the input source they need. The next obstacle will be how easy the buttons are to press. They need to be responsive to a light touch as many elderly people can't press buttons easily. I've got through a fair few models before I found these controls. They have a lighter touch than all others. The soft buttons are elevated out of the control casing. This is very important and I have not found a better alternative. Another thing to consider is weight. Something younger people would not normally consider. When you are in your 80's even picking up a remote control is not easy. These units are feather light. This is important for people with Parkinson's or similar problems. They are however a little flimsy but not dis-proportionally so. If you stamp on them with army boots they will still break but they are robust enough for most people. The buttons are labelled and grouped logically and clearly but they are probably not going to be large enough for many elderly people to read. The all important power button is red and at the top so in my experience it can usually be identified by an elderly user. The volume and channel buttons are logically grouped with a distinctively different smaller button for 'AV' selection. These controls also come in a variety of different colours. This is very important option that needs consideration. A bright coloured control will be easier to find in a busy room. It's unlikely you will have many bright orange, white or yellow furnishings so the controls in these stand out in a room. It makes life easier for the elderly finding the control. If you have light coloured fabrics a darker colour may be more appropriate. Programming the control is of course an essential element. Many alternatives used to come with codes for all popular TV models at the time but I rarely found they worked. This model just requires you to teach it the corresponding Infared button press - regardless of the TV model. I have had no difficulties with this on my Panasonic TV's. Pressing two buttons down and pointing it at the original control when pressing the button you want to clone is as easy as it will ever be. Out of the many controls I tried these definitely worked the best for my elderly parents. They are light. They are responsive. They are easy to set up. They have the bare minimum buttons to reduce confusion. They come in many colours to suit an elderly user's environment. They are cheap and although you may find you have to buy a new one every year or two through wear and tear they are still the best option for elderly users. I would recommend buying more than one if you are buying for the elderly. When one gets lost or damaged you don't want to wait for a replacement and you also don't want to have to try and retrain an elderly person to use another model if they are no longer still selling these controls. I also use them myself for my TV's as they are easy to find and use. I have more than one for each TV to get round the problem of losing one behind the sofa for a few weeks from time to time. At this price it's worth it. They are much effective than the models you get with most TV's. These days TV's all come more buttons than a 1980's Texas Instruments scientific calculator all of which have stiff button's the size of a half a tic-tac - most of which you never use. Obviously you can't replace a complex muti-role control such as a Sky or Virgin on demand system with one of these controls but for simple TV control options you won't do better than this.

I wasn't able to program all the buttons in one go, having started the process. For each button, I had to start from scratch. Additionally, sometimes the TV doesn't seem to respond. Generally, it is doing the job I'd expect it to and actually it is a clever device in the fact it can learn from other devices (luckily I had a remote I could use for it to learn from - if you don't then this may not be the device for you). I would buy the device again.

Excellent, very easy to use. Great for programming TV for elderly people. So easy to set up, my mum is in her 90s and loves it. The bright colours make them easy to find too. A good quality remote control.

Annoyingly it was not clear I needed a remote to connect this new remote. That the whole point of buying this one! Waste of money for me.

Took a chance ordering this remote. Wanted a better, easier remote for my bluetooth speaker and was unsure as to whether this would work...but it does! Setting up this remote is quite simple, but you must have the original remote in order to allow the Seki to 'learn' or copy the code so it can control your tv, stereo or almost anything you want. You can program each key individually to suit your needs. This remote will hold all your settings once programmed, even when you remove the batteries and replace them and can easily be re-programmed in the future to control something else if you wish. Although i just bought this to replace a poor original, i would recommend it for anybody that would like a simple remote that enables just the basic controls such as volume up/down, channel up/down, power on/off & mute. It is around 18cm long and very light in weight with buttons well spaced apart and easy to press. I would imagine that elderly people would find this remote very easy and less fiddly to use than an original one. I previously tried a number of other remotes to operate what i wanted to without success until this one. Worth every penny. A good quality, well made item that does the basic stuff...very well!

The programming setup activated once - set the device up but it did not work. I tried again this time the programming setup would not re-activate. Tried their website for troubleshooting advice - nothing. Tried to return item but it apparently comes from somewhere in Europe. The options offered were to take it to a UPS drop off or post it myself. Neither are options. It was resolved after getting through to Amazon Customer Services +1 (But I did think it was a customer return already, unless it is usually sealed with some dodgy sellotape by the manufacturer -1)

A lot smaller than I expected and it feels cheap. However, it works great. Easy to set up and use. Bought it for an elderly relative who was confused by her sky remote and posing the wrong buttons. This has made her life easier. Don't think you will find a better remote for the price

My old mums cognitive ability is deteriorating so she just couldn't work the remote that came with her LG TV. Many of the buttons are required seldom and others not at all. This caused confusion, which when combined with the tiny buttons it was impossible for her to work her telly. The Seki remote is easy to programme and she can work it. Ok it doesn't have the full range of functions but she no longer has to wait for a visitor to get the tv on, she can adjust the volume and change channels, albeit in sequence. I've said before on other reviews that companies need to have a long hard think about how user friendly their products are. It's hard enough getting old and being stuck at home without having to sit staring into space because you can't work the telly. The Seki has solved this, at least for now so 5 stars.

Acquistato come è facilmente prevedibile per sostituire un telecomando rotto ha finito per sostituirne uno funzionante grazie alle dimensioni ed alla semplicità d'uso. Naturalmente come si vede in foto e nella descrizione i comandi sono super basic acquistandolo se ne deve essere ben consapevoli. Per me Consigliato

Completely worthless, but what can you expect for this price. Do not buy this. The remote only learns either volume up or down but never both. Same for channels. UNUSABLE!

Was bedoeld voor tv van mijn demeterende vader, maar niet alle functionaliteien worden overgenomen tijdens programmeren.

Peu encombrant, programmation simplissime si on lit le manuel -en francais-, pas trop couteux en cas de perte, ideal pour mettre a l'abri de mains malhabiles ou peu soigneuses la telecommande d'origine (sachant que seulement 2 ou 3 fonctions sont possibles) Ce n'est pas une telecommande de remplacement totale, mais un dispositif adjoint tres utile si enfants ou personnes a comprehension altérée

Mando muy sencillo y funcional. Tiene solo los botones necesarios para usarlo en el día a día, en vez del mando original. También es perfecto para personas mayores y/o niños. El ángulo de direccionamiento es mas limitado por solo disponer de un led IR pero suficiente en la mayoría de casos. Muy buen producto.