Remote controls should simplify our lives with their presence as they enable the operation of devices even at a distance. Each remote-controlled appliance would, of course, have its own remote control. The reality of everyday living, even at the simplest households is the number of appliances, whose control has to be mastered individually.
Too many can be quite confusing especially since it is seldom that appliances are meant to work cohesively together under one control. At best, the attempt to provide a single control comes with a readily-packaged set of appliances. Even such attempts fail miserably as remote controls become more complicated to operate because of the sheer volume of function it has to perform. In the end, consumers find it easier to go back to one remote control per unit and get tangled just the same with the demands of the new technology.