Griffin Beacon

Cheap and flexible but somewhat US focused device

Like the Gear4 Unity Remote and the RedEye Dock, Griffin’s beacon consists of a control app that you download from the App Store, along with a separate IR adapter that relays commands from your Apple mobile device to your TV and other equipment.

Currently, the app is only available for iOS devices, but an Android version is due in a few months’ time. The Beacon adapter looks like a large pebble perched on an ashtray. It’s cheaper than some of its rivals, but requires four AA batteries compared with three for the Gear4 Unity.

There are actually two apps needed to run the device properly. An app made by Dijit provides the remote functions, but Griffin also supplies its own Utility app that you need in order to install software updates for the adapter unit.

The Dijit app is easy to use, but too US-centric. Its code database covers hundreds of well-known brand names, and we had no trouble setting it up to control our Samsung TV and Panasonic Blu-ray player. You can set up actions that can control multiple devices simultaneously and customise the control layout on the iPhone screen. You can also program and customise a number of ‘gestures’ that use two or three-finger swipes to perform tasks such as adjusting the volume or changing channels.

However, Dijit’s US bias meant we weren’t able to locate a convenient set of codes for our Sky+ or for our FetchTV box. Like most of its rivals, the app does have a training mode that allows you to program codes into it, but this is something of a chore and really shouldn’t be necessary for something as popular as Sky+. Other features, such as the programme listings option, are also only available in the US.

It’s the software side of things that lets the Beacon down a bit. The Dijit app is easy to use, but needs to cater more for European users.

PLUS
-Competitively priced
-App very customisable
-Good use of touch-sensitive controls
Minus
-Adapter needs four AA batteries
-Dijit app is too US-oriented
-No preset for Sky+

Build ★★★★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★★★
Performance ★★★★★★★
Features ★★★★★★★★
Value ★★★★★★★

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