Caavo remote gives Sonos a screen on your TV, lowers price to $60
The bad news? The service fee is going up to $4 per month.
The Caavo Control Center is now $60.
Caavo, the media startup trying to take on Logitech as the universal remote control of choice, has a new partner: multiroom audio specialist Sonos.
Even better, Caavo slashed the price of its Control Center remote to $60, although the company has upped its service fees to $4 per month (up from $2), $40 per year (previously $20) or $130 for a lifetime option (previously $60). It's only available in the US.
Thanks to Caavo's on-screen interface, the integration allows Sonos owners to view and control their music playback on a TV. Skipping tracks, playing and pausing are all options you can control through Caavo. The TV can also display album art.
While there have been other ways to control Sonos in the past, including the Sonos app, voice assistants such as Alexa and music-playing apps such as Spotify and Apple Music , controlling playback on a TV screen is something new. Harmony works with Sonos as well, but not with an on-screen interface.
Sonos running on Caavo.
In addition to the Sonos integration, the company is also updating its iOS app to allow you to control your Caavo system, including switching inputs and powering devices on or off, from mobile devices -- another ability Harmony has offered for years.
Also new: a Family Care feature that gives parents the ability to monitor what's playing, get notifications when certain levels of content (such as R-rated films) are playing or when certain devices have been turned on. The company will also allow parents to send messages to the system that will appear on the TV, letting you tell Junior it's time to stop playing Fortnite and go to bed.
Caavo's update is the latest in the battle for media room supremacy. Last month, Logitech updated its Harmony line with a new $250 Harmony Express that added Alexa integration into the remote. Caavo's remote has its own voice system, also works with Alexa and includes an HDMI switch that allows it to overlay your TV with its on-screen interface.
While the Control Center's new price is quite a bit cheaper than the Harmony Companion, CNET's favorite universal clicker, Logitech, does not require any additional subscription fees to use. You can also use Caavo without paying the service fee, but you lose most of its advanced features.
