Monday, December 6th 2021
Omni Remotes launches "perpetual" remote control
Omni Remotes, a global leader in home control solutions, today announced a new remote that requires no battery replacement or recharging over its entire product lifetime. The solar-powered Model P has the potential to significantly reduce the use and disposal of alkaline batteries. Leveraging Omni' low-power hardware platform, Model P supports standard voice commands as well as Bluetooth and infrared keypresses, while drawing virtually no current while in standby. Coupled with advancements in solar harvesting, Model P can essentially operate in perpetuity, given 8 hours of daily indoor lighting. Even in complete darkness, its built-in power reserves can sustain 4 months of regular use.
Designed without a battery compartment or charging port, Model P measures just 10 mm thick. Its solar panel is seamlessly designed into the rest of the remote, defying the utilitarian look of conventional solar devices. Currently offered to leading pay TV operators, it is compatible with Android TV, RDK and other popular set-top box systems."The humble remote control is often overlooked, but is one of the few truly ubiquitous devices," said Jean-Paul Abrams, President of Global Sales, Omni Remotes. "As an industry leader, we hope that Model P points to a greener way for the millions of remotes made each year."
Model P is part of the "Omni Greenovation" program, a broad-ranging sustainability effort that includes implementing ink-free manufacturing processes, using recycled and ocean-bound plastics, and adopting paper-based packaging.
Source:
Omni Remotes
Designed without a battery compartment or charging port, Model P measures just 10 mm thick. Its solar panel is seamlessly designed into the rest of the remote, defying the utilitarian look of conventional solar devices. Currently offered to leading pay TV operators, it is compatible with Android TV, RDK and other popular set-top box systems."The humble remote control is often overlooked, but is one of the few truly ubiquitous devices," said Jean-Paul Abrams, President of Global Sales, Omni Remotes. "As an industry leader, we hope that Model P points to a greener way for the millions of remotes made each year."
Model P is part of the "Omni Greenovation" program, a broad-ranging sustainability effort that includes implementing ink-free manufacturing processes, using recycled and ocean-bound plastics, and adopting paper-based packaging.
16 Comments on Omni Remotes launches "perpetual" remote control
But doesn't that mean all those other remotes made unnecessary are replaced with yet another product?
Reason >< Madness? It can't be about those 2 AA cells we save every two years, can it. They have those in rechargeable version btw.
No play/pause/rewind buttons. No numeric pad...pfff
Who wants a chunky remote? There's really no need for it any more. Seems like a lot of people here have never used "solar" powered calculators.
It's meant to be used with Android TV/XBMC etc, e.g. you are not switching channels, but scrolling through content.
D-Pad (or a touch wheel), volume rocker and a couple of buttons is all you need nowadays. You don't have to memorize numbers for your favorite channels anymore. Just look at the new AppleTV remote - its even more bare. There's a bit of a difference here: Logitech KB uses their proprietary low-power RF, it's a low-bandwidth HID device, and it's barely using any power in standby. A single fully charged 200mAh cell will last you several months, so charging or lack of sun isn't really an issue for it. Even LED or fluorescent lights can charge it.
This thing, on the other hand, is not just a BT remote, it's a voice remote. In case of Xiaomi variant it's detected as a multi-endpoint BT device (HID and headset, so no magical BLE HID here).
Not only does it use more power while operating, it also consumes a lot more while on standby. Mine eats through a pair of AAA batteries every couple of months, even if not used at all, so I only put batteries in when I need it for something (maybe once or twice a month). It's even more power hungry than my old PlayStation Bluray remote, which uses much-much older Bluetooth revision.