00:00Some time ago, I made a video about giving new life to some old speakers, and I didn't expect much
00:06from that video.
00:07But it turned out so well that I thought, I think people might want some tips on other devices to
00:12make life easier,
00:13and maybe give new life to items that don't work anymore.
00:18So, if you, like me, have a bunch of remote controls at home and get stressed out by how many
00:22there are,
00:23or maybe you end up struggling, pressing the same button over and over,
00:27like a madman trying to squeeze one more drop of energy from the battery, or even checking if it doesn't
00:34work anymore.
00:34Today, I'm going to show you this.
00:38And yes, this is a remote control, but it's universal, and it fits on the tip of your finger.
00:51Hey, detailed engineering, think about the following scenario.
00:54Today, we have electronic devices that are already a few years old.
00:58The remote doesn't work as well as it did when the device was new,
01:03and you have to keep searching online for a remote that works.
01:07This could be a TV, an air conditioner, or an older radio that you like to listen to at home.
01:12In my case, I needed to control something very specific,
01:16and this little guy here helped me in that situation.
01:19And then it ended up being useful for much more interesting things.
01:23It all started when I realized that recording videos by myself was getting harder and harder.
01:28If you didn't know, before my brother moved abroad,
01:32he was the one behind the cameras, helping me with the recordings and vice versa.
01:36Every time he was recording, I was behind the cameras.
01:39But when I had to do everything by myself, things got a little harder.
01:43I don't know if you know, but it's tough.
01:45When you try to press the camera button, run into the frame,
01:49and when you finally start recording, you realize it's crooked and out of focus.
01:54Or with that expression like, is it going to work this time?
01:58I was stuck in that cycle, and the more I tried to speed up the process, the more time I
02:03lost.
02:03That's when I thought, is there a simple way to control the camera remotely,
02:08without needing expensive equipment?
02:10While searching online, I saw that the camera that's recording me now had its own remote control.
02:15And guess what? Here in Brazil, it costs part of my kidney, plus taxes.
02:20But by digging deeper on the internet, I ended up finding this little guy here,
02:25which is a universal USB-C remote control.
02:28In theory, it would only be used to control the camera's focus and recording.
02:33But in practice, I had no idea how useful this thing I just discovered would be.
02:38When the device arrived, my only expectation was to test if it worked as a remote control for the camera.
02:44And it delivered what it promised, and worked perfectly.
02:48It comes on this little keychain, where you connect it to your phone, download its own app, and that's it.
02:54Just choose.
02:56The hundreds, no, actually thousands of brands and devices that it can control.
03:00And that's when I found my camera's remote in the app, and that's it.
03:04Today, I start and stop recording with a click on my phone.
03:08I finally managed to record without having to run back and forth.
03:13And before you say this is just another sponsored video and that I'm being paid,
03:17I'll tell you right now, no, this video is not sponsored.
03:20I don't even know the brand of this thing because I threw the box away,
03:24and I only have the link where I bought it.
03:26But, like in any good engineering story, the most interesting part is never what you expect to happen,
03:32but what you discover along the way.
03:35It was only later that I realized it wouldn't just work as a remote for my camera,
03:40but as a universal remote.
03:42All of this because actually it's an infrared emitter,
03:46the same type of signal that many old remotes still use today.
03:51That raised the question at the time.
03:53What kind of device could I control with it?
03:56And it only took a few seconds for me to confirm that the old TV in the living room,
04:01the one that always took about four seconds to respond with the original remote,
04:06after pressing the power button hard, instantly obeyed the command from my phone.
04:11The air conditioner remote, which sometimes gets lost here in the studio,
04:15can also be controlled by the phone.
04:17And then, it hit me.
04:20If it worked with a TV and an air conditioner,
04:22what else could I control out there with this little guy?
04:26Here, my phone and yours become a universal remote for practically everything.
04:30TVs, sound systems, air conditioners, projectors, ceiling fans, robots, vacuums,
04:38and even my simple recording camera.
04:40And that opened a new door to another situation I had been facing for months,
04:45a silent yet chilly battle.
04:47The air conditioning war at the office.
04:50You know that co-worker who comes to work wearing a thick sweater?
04:53And instead of taking off the sweater,
04:55goes straight to the air conditioner and sets it to the lowest possible temperature.
05:00The kind of person who acts.
05:01As if the air conditioner actually needed to preserve meat like a refrigerator,
05:07instead of keeping human beings comfortable at a pleasant temperature.
05:10And I used to sit right there, under the air conditioner.
05:14And while some people were comfortable,
05:16I spent the whole day with my teeth chattering.
05:19The question I always asked was,
05:21why are there people who think that 16 degrees is an acceptable temperature to work in?
05:26Then, one day, almost like an epiphany,
05:29I remembered that my phone was now a universal remote.
05:32I took my little USB-C universal keychain,
05:36opened the app,
05:37discreetly pointed it at the air conditioner,
05:39and click.
05:40Magically,
05:41people couldn't understand how the air conditioner went from an incredible 16 degrees to 22 degrees.
05:47I was finally able to work without freezing,
05:50and best of all,
05:51no one knew who was adjusting the temperature.
05:54I just watched in silence while the Arctic air crowd wondered if the air conditioner was broken.
06:01But the question that really stayed in my mind was,
06:04how could something so small solve so many problems at the same time?
06:08And the more I explored the device,
06:10the more uses I found for it.
06:12It became my ally in the studio,
06:14in the office,
06:15in the living room,
06:16and even during trips,
06:17in hotels.
06:19For example,
06:19have you ever come across a TV that seemed to have been made before Wi-Fi,
06:24or an air conditioner,
06:26whose remote control probably retired years ago?
06:29So you can see that this mini USB-C universal remote has many uses.
06:34Even if you wanted to act like a fifth grader,
06:37went to a mall,
06:38and just started turning off the TVs in the stores,
06:41that's pretty bad, right?
06:42Igor?
06:43That's right.
06:44With this here,
06:45I didn't need anything else,
06:46because my phone did everything.
06:48And all of this without needing batteries in the remote.
06:51A simple detail,
06:52but it makes a difference
06:53when you've already lost countless hours
06:55looking for batteries in mysterious drawers.
06:58Of course,
06:59this made me reflect,
07:00why do we still underestimate
07:02small technological solutions so much?
07:06Many times,
07:07we're so busy looking for complex tools
07:09that we forget to look at simple solutions
07:11that are already within our reach.
07:13In my case,
07:14it started with the need to record videos
07:16in a more practical way.
07:18I looked for a solution to a specific problem,
07:21and found a tool that solved several.
07:23And I'll be honest,
07:24I don't know the brand of this remote,
07:26because it doesn't have any logo,
07:28and I threw the box away.
07:30If you want to take a look too,
07:32my tip is that it has options
07:34for both Android and iOS.
07:37In other words,
07:38even though both are USB-C,
07:40what works on Android doesn't work on iPhone,
07:43and vice versa.
07:44When I started using this remote
07:46to adjust the office air conditioning,
07:48I thought it would just be a useful gimmick.
07:50But over time,
07:51I realized that the environment
07:53became more comfortable for everyone,
07:55not just for me.
07:56It's interesting to think
07:57that such a simple device
07:58can even regulate the temperature,
08:01literally.
08:01In the end,
08:02this little universal remote
08:04changed not only the way I record my videos,
08:07but also the way I interact
08:09with technology in my daily life.
08:11Since it comes like as a keychain,
08:14I carry it everywhere,
08:15and it's no wonder I keep it
08:17with my house keys.
08:19It showed me that smart solutions
08:21can come from where we least expect them.
08:23And maybe the most important question
08:25to wrap up this video
08:27is exactly this.
08:28In how many areas of our lives
08:31are we struggling with problems
08:32that could be solved
08:33with something as simple as this?
08:35If you've ever gone through something similar,
08:37whether during recordings
08:38or in a freezing office,
08:40tell me about it in the comments.
08:41Who knows?
08:42Maybe your story will become
08:43the topic of the next video.
08:45If you've made it this far
08:46and enjoyed the video,
08:47take the opportunity to subscribe.
08:49If you're not subscribed,
08:50leave your like
08:51and turn on the notification bell.
08:52And seriously,
08:53this is a personal recommendation from me.
08:55It's really worth having one.
08:57And you,
08:57do you already have
08:58a universal remote at home?
08:59Have you ever thought about
09:00having a fingertip-sized remote
09:02or already have one?
09:04Share your thoughts on this video below.
09:06Want more videos like this on the channel?
09:09Check out two interesting video options on the side.
09:12And one of them is the video
09:13where I showed the Bluetooth receiver,
09:15which will give new life
09:16to your old sound system.
09:18And if you haven't seen it,
09:19it's worth watching.
09:20If you'd like to support us,
09:22please like,
09:23subscribe,
09:23turn on notifications,
09:24and consider becoming a channel member.
09:26Thanks, engineering enthusiasts.
09:28Take care.
09:29See you in the next video.
