Why I buy this one ?
- Model NO. MCC AVL300-S
- Omnilink Rf To Infrared Bridge Translates Rf Signals Into Infrared Signals So User Can Control A/V Equipment From Anywhere In The Home
- Controls Wireless Illuminessense Light Switches & Dimmers Throughout The Home
- Customizable Lifestyle Activity Buttons Simultaneously Set Illuminessence Lights & Send Commands To A/V Components
- Controls & Integrates Up To 64 A/V Components

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What our customer's say!

"terrible product", It's such a great idea, but it simply doesn't work as an RF device. It will work as IR device, but is much too expensive as a universal remote. I was very disappointed because I had high hopes and monster is well known company. It just won't work in cabinets and through walls as advertised. The software is even worse. There are no instructions and the manuals will not open up on-line and support is available only 8-5 Monday thru Friday, so when does a working person call? Oh well, a $300.00 dollar lesson. Please don't but this product.

"AVL 300-S", I like this remote and it works very well. It looks and feels like a quality piece of equipment. I set it up in about an hour and it worked
without a hitch! Pretty good for the first day of ownership.

The next day, I wanted to tweak some settings. OOPS! That is when frustration set in. The Omnilink quit communicating with the remote control because I pressed the connect button, go figure.

As I tried to find answers in the supplied user guide and in the on-line software it became very apparent that Monster had dropped the ball.

It took about an hour of trial and error to resolve the RF network glitch and the remote works great.

Unlike all of my home theater components the AVL300 does not come with a comprehensive user manual. What you get is a quick start guide that could almost fit inside a CD jewel case. The guide has absolutely zero information about lighting control. Now that is pretty sad considering what you pay for this remote.

If the supplied users guide was more robust and contained advanced information on setting up and troubleshooting a system I would have no problem giving this product a 5 star rating.

I would recommend that if you purchase this remote control and have a problem that you cannot solve with the on-line troubleshooter the first time around, call the support line to avoid prolonged frustration.

"MCC AVL300-S", Not being a techno wiz, I had someone program the remote for me. While it may be somewhat pricey, it does everything it's supposed to do, and I finally put away 6 other remote controls. What a joy to have this item on my theater armchair.

"Thank Goodness For This Monster!", My husband and I were about going crazy with all the remotes. We did not even look for a "one size fits all" because we thought we would have to spend a thousand dollars or more. Low and behold, I found the Monster when I decided to shop for one to give to my husband for this past Christmas. We have now used it for 6 months and we love it. It is definitely user friendly. This is the only remote we use. Be prepared to spend some time setting it up, but after all that, we have had only one issue with it: after we shut off the system subsequent to watching a DVD, when we go to turn the system on for just regular TV viewing, the right video number does not come on. We then have to turn the system off and then turn it back on. Everything is great after that. A minor inconvenience when we think about all the frustration we experienced with the handful of other remotes. We simply have not had time to reconfigure the settings and after all the reviews regarding the customer service, I am very encouraged to contact them and feel confident that this minor problem will be fixed. I highly recommend this remote.

"Major hassle - does not consistently work", I have programmed and reprogrammed this device to watch TV, DVR, DVD with a stereo for sound. I choose the radio signal option instead of the infrared and it DOES NOT WORK with any consistency. My family no longer uses it. I have been on the phone with support at Monster. They are nice but the problems do not get fixed. It works for awhile for some things and then other times it just doesn't turn the volume up, turn the TV off, etc.

After about 12 hours of time spent on it over a few days, I have come to hate the thing.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"MONSTER AVL300", I purchased this remote as a transition remote until I can justify buying an automation system. However after owning this remote, I think I may be able to do simple automation to my home for a fraction of the cost. Yes I will compromize customize-ability. However in keeping it simple it will be reliable, and user friendly.

I have never set up a multi room remote before, infact I purchased a very expensive marantz remote with a touch screen, but I was never able to figure it out so it sits in my attick. Maybe Ill put it on ebay. Anyway, this remote did take some time to set up and reset up because I made mistakes, but after some trial and error and patience it works beautifully on my theater room (jvc dla rs1, speakercraft inwall surround, marantz reciever, dish 622, and ps3 blueray), living room (vizio 32 inch lcd, dish 211, oppo dvd), and master bedroom (pioneer 50 inch plasma, dish 211, and sony dvd). I have just the one remote for all three rooms, and I just carry it from room to room as needed, but I would like to buy 2 more, they do communicate with each other so as not to over lap if certain components are on and dont have discrete off, the #2 remote wont mistakenly turn off something that remote one has turned on, in an attempt for remote 2 to turn that device on. another feature

"Excellent remote with minor issues", I purchased this remote recently after comparing this one to the Harmony 890. I have since had a chance to use the Harmony and as such will provide a bit of comparison.

Pros: Wide ranging support of devices, good button ergonomics, good lighting support, flexible configuration

Cons: Clumsy and slow customization interface

Overall I am very happy with this purchase. The remote controls all of my devices (including a DVD player purchased in Japan) and has the flexibility to allow me to control them in the way I want.

The configuration software provided is very poor. It is essentially a limited web browser used to connect to www.myremotesetup.com. I assume they use the client to allow seamless updates to the remote via the USB interface, but it is very slow and cumbersome. I have found that using the web site directly with a browser is much faster, and you can then use the software simply to perform the update to the remote.

While the customization interface is poor, its functionality is quite good. I have been able to define a number of "Activities" (think macros or series of button pushes) which involve all of my entertainment components. The Activities set up both your components and your remote for a given purpose, for example "Watch Cable" or "Watch DVD". For each Activity, you have the ability to "punch through" buttons. That is, you can map any command to each button, for example, the Channel Up button might change the channel on your cable box while the Volume Up button changes the volume on your receiver.

An important feature is that the remote is aware of the state of any given device that it controls. This is very helpful when switching between Activities. For example, say there is an Activity for "Watch Cable" that turns on the TV when you start it, and turns off the TV when you go to another Activity called "Play CD". If you were to click "Watch Cable" and then press the button for "Play DVD", you do not need to worry about the TV being turned off first (as it stops "Watch Cable") and then turned on again (as it starts "Play DVD"). The remote knows that the TV was on because you were using "Watch Cable" and simply leaves it on for "Play DVD".


Comparison to Harmony 890

To compare this remote to the Harmony 890 is fairly straightforward. The only item that is not well-known is that there are two versions of the Harmony, the 890 and the 890 Pro. The former is the version that is most commonly purchased. The "Pro" version is exactly the same as the 890, but it has better support for the Z-Wave protocol used by many light controllers. As a result, it has slightly better features for controlling outlets and light switches. For controlling regular entertainment devices (TVs, DVD players, etc) they are identical.

The Monster remote is based on the Harmony 890 Pro, so it has better support of the Z-Wave protocol. If that is something you care about, it is worth noting. The rest of the differences are primarily cosmetic. The Monster remote is a bit heavier, with more of it's weight above it's centerline, it is also a bit wider, owing to its rectangular, rather than peanut, shape. As a result, for those with smaller hands, it may not be quite as comfortable to use. The button arrangement is very similar, but there are slight differences.

The Monster remote is centered on a joystick which has the same functions as the "D-pad" style on the Harmony 890. However, surrounding the joystick are the Pause, Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop and Record buttons. On the Harmony, the D-Pad is surrounded by the volume and channel controls as well as Page Up/Down. For those who make significant use of the former set of buttons, this setup is much more convenient. For those who don't use those buttons as often, they are still available on the Harmony, but are located two rows down from the center (under buttons such as Guide, Info, Menu and Exit).

Finally, the software for customizing the Harmony 890 is faster, more responsive and easier to follow than the software for the Monster. That said, it has exactly the same functionality and, in fact, uses the same web site to retrieve and store data.


"Cheaply built, EXPENSIVE, poor customizing abililty, poor interface", Pros:
Lighting control


Cons:
Flimsy. Internet connection required to program. poor interface for programming control


Full user opinion
I bought this remote (at a premium) thinking it would be the best universal remote available, and inexpensive compared with RTI, Crestron, or Universal Remote. That couldn't have been farther from the truth.

First of all, the remote is not built well. The buttons are the flimsy, "raised" hard plastic type, not the firm plasticized or rubberized type, and the center "joystick" control protrudes much to tall--enough to where you could accidentally snap it off. The remote's plastic creaks when you press certain buttons. Not what I'd expect for $350!

If you are an A/V enthusiast, and you want complete control of your multiple components, consider a remote by Universal Remote Controls (URC), or if you have the money, Remote Technologies Inc (RTI), but not this. Although you have a cute color screen, the appearance of the "soft buttons" cannot be customized. You can simply change the text in them, that's all.

You MUST have an internet connection to program your remote because the software (and your configuration) resides completely on their website. If their site is "experiencing difficulities" (which I've had occasionally) or your connection is down, you can't program the remote.

The "programming" of the remote is very rigid. You cannot assign whatever you'd like to the soft buttons, nor macros, nor delays. The programming website asks you a series of questions about your components and it pretty much sets up the remote how it believes you need it based on what components you have and what are called "activities". "Activities" seem to be the dumbed down way of programming many of these remotes (such as those by Logitech & Harmony) where you answer a few questions about which A/V imputs are used by your components (to watch TV for example), and it figures out all the component switching and assigns it all to a button titled "Watch TV". This is great for grandpa and grandma who have no idea of how to work remotes, but when you want to control other components briefly, then return to "Watch TV" it becomes problematic.

The lighting control is a nice touch, but the in-wall dimmer I replaced in my master bedroom RARELY receives its commands from the remote, and it's not more than 40 feet, through a few walls (which they claim RF is supposed to allow for up to 120 feet).

This remote simply isn't worth the money or aggravation. If you are an A/V enthusiast, consider RTI, URC, Pronto, or if you have the money, Crestron.

"Monster AVL300 is the way to go", I looked high and low at reviews of dozens of remotes. I previously used a Logitech Harmony 688 remote that was good, but didn't give me the flexibility I wanted. Also, I needed RF capabilities for my home theater. The Monster AVL300 has exceeded my expectations once I got it setup. I would buy another if I needed it.

Pros:
-RF works great and has made a huge difference in reliable control of my components
-I like having hard buttons to press, instead of touch screen. Easy to find your way around the remote without looking at it.
-Nice to have a charging cradle, and it lights up when you pick it up...no need to touch a button, like some other remotes
-Supports Z-Wave lighting, although I haven't tackled that yet
-Comfortable feel, easy for the whole family to use
-You can setup Favorite Channels with icons of the channel. The only issue is that it's not well documented where to go setup the favorites. I just had to hunt around to find the option to assign the channel and a small graphic (You can download graphics for many channels out on the Monster website)

Cons:
The documentation is too simple, and doesn't go into detail. It gives you the first layer needed to setup the remote, but not a lot more. Luckily, it's pretty straight forward to set the remote up for use. Key Issue I Found: If you have a Harmony Remote, uninstall the software and delete and folders associated with the HArmony Remote before you install the Monster Central Control software. It looks as though Monster licenses the Harmony software, and it will get confused if the software is associated with a Harmony remote before you setup the Monster remote.

[...]

The one big issue I had was setting up the Omnilink RF-IR bridge that's included. It's easy to setup, but there are options for each component on how the Omnilink talks to the components, which is confusing: The options are All Ports, IR Blaster, Port A, Port B, Port C and Port D. I assigned each component to the appropriate port, as it seemed the best thing to do. There is no documentation for this feature that tells you anything but that you can assign a port. I got it working and didn't play around with it to exactly figure out what all the port assignments do.

"Issues with software but customer service was excellent", Previously I used a Harmony H659 remote. Even though all of my AV equipment is outside of cabinets and generally in the line of site for use of a conventional IR remote such as the H659, I would occasionally get the equpment out of sync with the remote. So I bought the AVL300 more for the RF capability.

Monster apparently licenses Logitech's software so I expected setup to be simialr to the Harmony. However, I spent several frustrating hours last weekend and could not get the remote to work properly. No help from "help" on the software or Monster's web site. On monday called Monster. There tech support was excellent. I was only on hold 2-3 minutes before getting someone. Since the software is web-based and all remote settings are stored on their server, he was able to see exactly what I
was doing. Turns out, the Monster software was conflicting with the Harmony software that was still on my PC. Once I deleted that (and turned off my firewall and ant-virus) everything worked perfectly. I was able program the remote easily.

My major complaint is the lack of good online help. I would have had a less frustrating weekend if Monster had simply stated somewhere in their help or FAQ that you need to do these things. The tech support guy knew immediately what the problem was so it can't be that rare. In addition, there is very little little documentation for the software so you basically have to play with it for a while in order to figure out how to work all the features. But the good side of this is that the software is very intuitive and helpful.

I especially like the ability to program macros (which wasn't available on the H659). For instance, I have a macro soft key that goes through a series of steps to turn closed captioning on and off (normally requires 5 steps on my cable box). I am going to program in soft keys for my favorite channels. Next step is to get some light controllers.

In summary this is one cool remote. Some frustration initially but Monster's telephone support was excellent. I chose it over the Harmony 890 because I liked the styling and button size and layout better and over the Harmony 1000 because I prefer to have more hard keys and the conventional look and feel.