I solved my TV streaming problems with this $30 keyboard

A few months ago, I kicked off an experiment to replace the Apple TV in my living room with a cheap mini PC, and I’m ashamed to report it hasn’t gone well.

The fault lies entirely with me, because after picking up a Beelink S12 Pro Mini PC and writing that story, I never got around to solving a fundamental remote-control problem. I didn’t want a full-sized keyboard and mouse on my coffee table, but I kept waffling on what to use instead. In the meantime I drifted back to my old streaming setup for the convenience.

But during a recent attempt to watch Mr. Robot on Tubi, in which a single episode was broken up by a half-dozen commercial breaks, I knew I had to take this experiment more seriously. Being able to skip those ads was one of my main reasons for bringing a mini PC into the living room, and I needed a proper remote control to make it all work.

I think I’ve finally found the answer.

The weird world of PC mini remotes

Search on Amazon for “PC remote,” and you’ll find options in all shapes and sizes, from air mouses with gyroscopic controls to full-sized keyboard/trackpad combos that sit on your lap. But I didn’t want anything too bulky, and waving a remote at the TV to control it doesn’t sound very relaxing.

Jared Newman / Foundry

Ultimately, I settled on a $32 mini remote from a brand called Fosmon. It has a little trackpad on the right-hand side, and mouse buttons along its top edges. The idea is to grip it in both hands like a game controller, moving the cursor with your right thumb and clicking with your index fingers. (You can also tap the trackpad to click or use the additional mouse buttons at the bottom edge.)

Compared to a standard streaming remote, the Fosmon remote is a lot thinner and only a little taller, so it doesn’t look out of place in the living room. It uses Bluetooth to connect wirelessly with the PC, and it has a USB-C port to charge its built-in battery.

As for the keyboard, it’s reminiscent of the landscape keys on old Android phones, such as the Motorola Droid. I wouldn’t want to write a lengthy email on it, but it’s a huge step up from the on-screen keyboards you must deal with on smart TVs and streaming players. The arrow keys beneath the trackpad are also helpful for scrolling through pages and advancing through videos, and unlike most streaming remotes, the keys are backlit (you can this off if you don’t need or want it).

Controlling your TV this way is obviously less convenient than using a traditional remote, but that’s the inherent trade-off with a living-room PC setup, where you’re navigating streaming sites that were made with cursor control in mind. I did need to dial down the mouse sensitivity settings in Windows to keep the cursor from jumping all over the screen, but I’d gotten pretty used to it within a few minutes.

Room for improvement

Jared Newman / Foundry

While I like this type of remote for living-room PC use, I’ve also identified some issues with the Fosmon remote that have me looking at other options.

For one thing, the Bluetooth connection isn’t ideal. Unlike USB peripherals, the Fosmon remote is unable to wake my mini PC from standby, which means I must set the PC to only turn its screen off instead of going to sleep when idle. The Beelink S12 Mini PC I’m using doesn’t consume much power to begin with, but I’d still rather not have it running at all times.

My living room also seems to be somewhat hostile to Bluetooth controllers in general. If I sit on the couch and lean back, the remote connection gets a little finicky. I’ve had similar issues with Bluetooth game controllers both in the living room and in the basement directly below, so your mileage may vary.

Lastly, the Fosmon can’t directly control my TV or soundbar. It does have built-in volume keys for adjusting the sound level in Windows, but that only works up to the maximum volume set by my TV remote, which I need to keep handy for TV power and input switching anyway.

Looking around on Amazon, I’ve yet to find any remotes that solve all the above problems while preserving the Fosmon remote’s design, which I really like. There are a bunch of remotes with similar layouts—including ones with wireless USB connectivity and a programmable IR emitter for TV control—but none with Fosmon’s convenient shoulder buttons for triggering mouse clicks.

iPazzPort

So far, the closest alternative I’ve found is a $22 remote from iPazzPort. It has a bulkier design that puts the keyboard underneath the trackpad, but it offers wireless USB connectivity, programmable IR controls, a trackpad you can reach with your right thumb, and shoulder-mounted mouse buttons. I’ll play around with that one next, and keep whichever option performs best.

In the meantime, at least I have a way to start using my living-room PC in earnest, complete with the ad-skipping tools and streaming guide apps I’ve been wanting to use for months. Next, I’ll start looking for software refinements to make the experience even more couch-friendly. Stay tuned.

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