URC : Total Control

As much as I love Loxone, its a really weak product for AV control, even Loxone admit that, so i’ve been on the training course and purchased a selection of URC:Total Control demo kit to integrate with my Loxone setup.

URC is a complete control solution from the US, which means its built for Audio Visual control from the ground up, not that control of lighting, heating etc is not included, its all there, this stuff talks to almost everything, Rako, Hue, HDL, Sonos, Honeywell, HEOS, Sony, Denon to name but a few.

I ordered the mid range MRX10 controller, its a 19″ rack mount unit, which is big enough to run a complete house, the basic remote control the TRC-820 and the recently released TRC-1480 remote, which is a best.

I’m only using it for AV control at the moment. Integration with Loxone happens via a small extension, written in the UK by the main distributor, and is fully 2 way so allows feedback from Loxone so it knows the status of a function, ie is a light turned on?

The programming is very different to Loxone, but once you start to work through it, its pretty easy to get to grips with, I’ve pretty much got the config for the AV kit working perfectly.

Control is via either network commands or infra-red eye’s and the database of devices is one of the largest i’ve ever seen,

Of the two remotes the URC 1480 is vastly superior to the 820, but it is significantly more expensive. I initially didn’t like the 820, but after a slight technical issue with the more advanced 1480 which we’ve been using, its definitely a nice piece of kit.

Whats the main difference between the two? well the 1480 has a better wifi chip, it has a colour touchscreen, USB c charging and a charging base to store it in, and finally the remote can move between rooms. Oh and it also includes voice control with Alexa and Siri.

URC have a number of other control devices, including in wall, and tablet style devices, as well as apps on phones and tablets. The interface does look a little old fashioned in my opinion but there are two applications for programming it, one having the ability to completely customise the interface, its mainly intended for commercial use, and i’ve yet to investigate it.

Well here’s my first post on URC, there will be more to follow, I am hoping to post a little more as I do more with it.