Best Presentation Remotes

What Features to Compare

Design and Convenience

The first thing you should pay attention to when making a choice of a wireless presentation remote is the design. Consider the shape and the size of the pointer as well as the material it's made of. You should use the device that you will be able to hold comfortably. If the material is slippery, you might even drop the device. Also, if the remote is too big for your palm, using it won't be convenient. Also, the best gadgets have a special storage place for a USB receiver. This way, you will never lose this tiny yet indispensable peripheral. If the model you choose has no receiver storage, make sure to check if it has a special case or a bag. The best wireless presentation remotes have light indicators, informing you about such important issues as the battery charge level and the signal strength. There's another highly important aspect we are going to draw your attention to - very often we prepare files for presentations and forget to copy them to a flash drive. Has this ever happened to you? Quite likely it has! And that's why the best presentation remotes have a receiver with a slot for microSD cards. Thanks to this important feature, you can copy all your presentation files to a memory card. That's particularly handy for busy people like teachers and professors.

Controls

Next, you need to know what each wireless presentation remote can actually do. It's self-evident that slide switch is not the only option these devices can cope with. There are many other handy capabilities that will make your presentations really interesting and efficient. Many presentation remotes support a Mouse mode which allows you to control the cursor on the screen of your computer. This way you can pick the files you need, open them, as well as launch apps/videos or even click on hyperlinks. Very often the audience can't get major points of a presentation and that's why a laser pointer comes in handy too. How does it work? You just need to push the button and a laser pointer will appear on the screen, so you will be able to highlight the most important features. Many people think that the laser pointer glows red only, but this is wrong. Today, some wireless presentation remotes glow green - a green laser is brighter. Moreover, some devices feature violet or blue laser pointers but they aren't widespread yet. Finally, when you are done with the slides, you may need to switch the audience's attention from a large glowing screen to yourself. How to do it without losing time? The answer is simple - turn off the screen completely. That's why most presentation remotes have a Black Screen button that allows you to do it in the blink.

Operation and Extras

We've come to the final features that are worth you consideration. Since nearly all presentation remotes are wireless, you should know their operational range. If the computer is too far, the signal from the remote to the receiver won't be strong enough. No need to say, the range is important if you are going to make presentations in large premises. If it's just a small conference room in your office, the range won't be important. Also, don't forget to check which operating system a USB presentation remote is compatible with. Most of them are compatible with Windows (usually, all versions are supported, though Windows 10 might be a trouble for certain dongles), but if you make lots of presentations and, thus, need to use different kinds of computers, choose the remote compatible with Mac OS as well. Some devices can also work with Linux and Android-operated computers. In the end, check what power source every device uses. As usual, it's either a built-in battery or 1-2 AAA batteries. The batteries can be replaced quickly but if a remote has a built-in battery, it should be charged in advance.