Great remote control unit (and is a full android tablet)

Other Devices & Integrations Home Theater & Smart Speakers
1

http://www.touchsquid.org

Great device, and I must say, their support is second to none. Finally I am able to control my AV gear + my Zwave gear (using Home Buddy) all with one device.

P.S. I do not work for TouchSquid or am getting paid to write this entry, I am a very satisfied end user more than happy to recommend this device to anyone looking for an IR remote control that can also be used as a full Android tablet, hence Home Buddy can be installed and you have control of over your devices via VERA.

2

The Sony Tablet S can do that too, it has an integrated infrared transmitter. That is a fully grown android tablet, and the price is almost the same, the 16gb version is $399.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666369301

3

chixxi, you are correct, Sony Tablet S (as well as Vizio tablet) can do the same, the problem is that those were designed as tablets not necessarily AV remote controls, so you have certain limitations. The most annoying one, you cannot create macros, so you are forced to tap various buttons (on various screens) to get all your AV gear to turn ON when you have to do something.

Do not get me wrong, I have both, Sony and TouchSquid (and I also tried a Vizio tablet some time ago), but for AV control TouchSquid is much better - my personal opinion. If you are looking for a full functionality, professional tablet that you can carry with you in and out of your home, then Sony Tablet S will also be my choice. For controlling Home Theater equipment (more than a display and cable/sat box), then TouchSquid has proven, IMHO, to be much more flexible and easier to work with.

4

OK, especially your point with the macros is a serious argument.

I was just a little surprised about the quiet high price tag for such a small tablet and wanted to provide an alternative.

I personally use SQ blaster to control my home gear. This allows me to control the devices from different remotes and also directly from the vera.

The Sony Tablet S is only used for a secondary tv in another room.

5

As they are Android powered systems with IR emitter, can those emitters be controlled by the application Tasker ? If so, we could easyly make macros to send several IR code on one button.

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@chixxi → price is high, but not even close to what a good IR remote control will cost you (Nevo, Philips, etc). For me it was a good alternative to replacing my old Philips Pronto and still have the possibility to control my ZWave gear. Originally, I was going for the SQ blaster, but I wanted an actual, physical device that I could always have as a remote control, iPads were too expensive back then, so I opted for the TouchSquid unit at a discounted price when they just hit the market.

@shaiga → tasker sounds like a good alternative, I am not familiar with it, but sounds like it will require to create an action and have that associated to a button on the remote control application; this last part is what I think is not possible. Nonetheless, a very good option to the short comings of not having the ability to do macros on most android tablets with IR blasters.

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Maybe we just should ask the Tasker dev to add the IR support to his app, then, we could be able to send any IR code by the app, without the need of the “remote app”.

8

My android tablets seems to be wiping and re-wiping itself now. The welcome screen keeps recurring and my apps are being deleted. I don’t plug this into a PC at all. I just charge it up.

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Which version of android does the Touchsquid run?..

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Anyone played with this lately? I would love to learn more about it and it’s integration with Vera.

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It seems to be Android 2.3

Envoy? depuis mon Nexus 4 avec Tapatalk

12

The more I learn about this product, the more I like it.
A 7" Android tablet with a charging dock and IR emitter for 150$
I have some programming questions for the manufacture on Monday but so far it seems like a nice product.

The only part I do not like is that you need a separate app to control your Zwave devices. through Vera.
With Irule, it seems that you can program (a lot of programming) and control all of your AV gear and Zwave gear with one app and macros with both can happen.

13

Any advantage of this device for IP connected AV equipment? I’m considering getting a couple Nexus 7 or ipad mini for scene/AV controllers. What I like about the mainstream tablets is long term OS support.

14

Turns out Touch Squid hardware will not continue. I talked to the owner of the company yesterday. He told me that after the less than 100 he has left to sell, sell he will not be making any more of them. The company will continue to make the app for tablets and smart phones.
I was thinking of using their tablet with the Irule software, but after I asked if it would run on their hardware, he could not guarantee it.
It is quite a deal at 150 for a 7" tablet and charging dock but the technology is at least 1.5 years old and that is too much for me to deal with with tablet technology advancements today.
I guess my options at this point are cheaper slower tablets or the Nexus 7 with a charging dock and Irule.
Any thoughts?

15

The advantage of the Nexus is long term support for the OS. Tablets are only inexpensive if they last for more than a year or two. Hopefully the squid vendor can port what he has to a great app.