Cantata Haptique RS90 universal remote control review

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REVIEW – How many remote-controlled devices are in your home theater? How about in your entire home? I took a quick inventory and topped 30 gadgets before my brain was overloaded. I sure hope the Cantata Haptique RS90 can fill the universal remote void!

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $412
Where to buy: Kickstarter, IndieGoGo

What is it?

The Cantata Haptique RS90 is an Android-based, app-programmed, programmable electronic device emitting infrared, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi signals to control televisions, media players, and other appliances remotely.

What’s included?

Cantata Haptique RS90 remote control
Charging base
USB power supply
USB-A to C cable

Tech Specs

ARM-enabled Bluetooth 8.1 + BLE wireless technology.
WIfi 2.4 GHz.
Onboard Infrared Blaster.
Horizontal charging mounting dock system.
3.1″ Touch screen.
24 Physical buttons.
Dedicated power on/off toggle switch.
Connect and configure Haptique® RS90.
Test Infrared codes from the database.
Set a custom room background image.
Create sequences & macros
Design room UI layout
Quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor
8GB FLASH
1GB RAM
Microphone input
Audio Speaker
ABS plastic backlit keypad
Gravity acceleration sensor
2000mAh battery
3.1-inch LED capacitive touchscreen, 480 x 800 resolution
USB-C (supports charging and firmware updates)

Design and features

I bought a single brand of universal remote for each of my seven screen-equipped rooms a while ago. Each has separate programming, and, on occasion, the wrong remote mysteriously migrates into a different room, and havoc ensues. They slap each other a high-five, snicker, and punch each other in the shoulder until I figure out how to send them back to their correct rooms. Reprogramming is needed whenever I add a new device, replace, upgrade, or move the gadgets around. It can be tricky without any display, app, or software.

My home theater is another ballgame. It requires a dozen remotes to manage, and there are more than 40 steps to ensure everything is activated, including switches, heats, lights, and displays. I still use a Philips Pronto remote and have searched for an equally capable device for over a decade.

In the past year, I’ve tried several remotes with high hopes, only to have my patience worn thin by overly complicated, confusing, and, most notably, limited software. It was with excitement that I received a Cantata Haptique RS90 Universal remote. I crossed my fingers, eyes, and toes in anticipation.

The Cantata Haptique RS90 remote appears in a dapper box that screams quality.

The upper body of the remote is smooth, luxurious-feeling anodized aluminum. The remote has an interesting bend in the middle. After a few weeks of testing, I found the curve design was convenient for screen viewing, but it made the RS90 top-heavy. Operating the touchscreen requires two hands.

The top is a responsive OLED touchscreen. I had no trouble navigating pages or typing on the on-screen keyboard. Very nicely done, Cantata.

The bottom has user-programmable, backlit buttons with a pleasant tactile feel.

The backlighting is lovely!

RGB LEDs behind the cursor buttons are colorful and bright. I found them distracting but very fun.

The pins on the bottom of the remote mate perfectly with the connectors at the charging base, and the fit is superb. The remote fully charged in a few hours and lasted for several days under moderate use. Alternatively, it charges through a USB-C port.

The power button is on the left side. Bootup takes just under a minute.

The RS90 uses a customized Android operating system with ample configuration options.

The RS90 requires a Wi-Fi connection and an Android or iOS device for configuration. Scanning a QR code initiates the process.

To configure the RS90, you’ll need to use the three different programming sections: “Device Pool,” “Sequence,” and “Rooms.”

The “Device Pool” section contains a list of the devices in your system (or your entire home). Tap “Add Device” in the upper right corner to add a device.

You can choose from IR, Philips-Hue, Sonos, Denon, Home-Assistant, Custom-URLS, and Android TV.

Infrared is limited to the following list of device types.

The software appeared uneasily familiar to the Sofabaton X1S (reviewed here) and SwitchBot Universal remote. I contacted Cantata’s customer support for confirmation (and to answer a few questions) but received no reply after several weeks. I do not doubt that the holiday season, combined with an ambitious production schedule, has them hopping, but who knows?

Programming is a somewhat clunky process, but it works: After selecting the device manufacturer, you’ll need to grab the remote, go to the “Settings” page, click “Add remote,” Pick up the phone again, and tap the button until the device responds. The RS90 cycles through the database until you tell it that the device responds. If it doesn’t, you’re out of luck. Cantata states that you can contact them to have infrared codes and devices added to their database, but I’m skeptical there would be any action. Some of the gadget manufacturers in my home theater system weren’t compatible. It isn’t very reassuring, particularly for a remote with a steep retail cost. Still, I’m optimistic that software updates and the learning capabilities in the RS90X will rectify the situation.

I don’t have Philips Hue products, so I can’t comment on compatibility.

Selecting Sonos, Denon, Custom-URLS, or Android-TV pops up a “coming soon” message.

“Home Assistant” requires a URL, port, and token on a compatible device to access open-source automation control. I don’t use it, but knowing it’s an option is excellent.

Cantata’s tutorial (located here) steps through initializing the remote adding devices, sequences, and rooms.

I spent a few hours familiarizing myself with the hardware and software. I had trouble and found a missing critical step in the tutorial, resulting in a “no rooms available” message. After creating a room and adding devices, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the room, choose “Edit,” “Select Haptique,” and then choose the remote from the pull-down list. If you miss this step, the software won’t transfer the configuration to the remote.

I encountered some disappointing limitations – only devices in the device pool are selectable for sequences. There are also no delay timers, and buttons on the touchscreen can’t be edited, moved, or customized.

Suppose all of your devices are in the RS90’s supported database. In that case, complete control of your system is possible, but at the current software version, editing screen buttons, location, and mix-and-match functions (commands, macros, timers, and “jump to” control) isn’t possible yet. I hope Cantata will implement a freeform approach soon to let me choose button locations and their names, sizes, shapes, icons, and functions.

For me, the whole idea of having a touchscreen universal remote is the ability to customize buttons and layouts until I can hand it to anyone, and they would be able to operate all of the functions without lengthy instruction. It’s not until I can edit each screen’s layout, learn infrared codes, and add combinations (macros, commands, delays, and “jumps”) to each button that I’ll be able to make that happen.

Final thoughts

The Cantata’s Haptique RS90 remote hardware is attractive, with a bright display satisfying tactile feedback buttons. The app is well-designed, but the programming process is somewhat clunky. The lack of learning capabilities and screen customization will be problematic for many, but overall, it’s still the best contender for replacing Logitech Harmony and Philips Pronto remotes. Well done, and thank you, Cantata!

What I like about the Cantata Haptique RS90 remote

Excellent craftsmanship
Bright display
Excellent touchscreen

What needs to be improved?

There were frequent delays between button presses and IR transmission. I hope software updates will alleviate the issue.
I often needed to press buttons twice.
The inability to learn IR commands limits the RS90 for elaborate and legacy systems. The anticipated release of the RS90X will be a big help.
Documentation is very sparse.
Setup and configuration feel complicated and fiddly.
A freeform approach is needed to allow user configuration and location of each button, configuration, and location.

Price: $412
Where to buy: Kickstarter, IndieGoGo
Source: Cantata provided a free sample for this review but did not provide input, guidance, or editing before it was published.