The Q7's remote control is of the "credit card" variety. That means small. Not too thick, and with buttons that just aren't a solid feeling as you get with "real" remote controls. On the other hand who wants a huge remote control with a small, very lightweight projector.
The remote control for this Qumi projector allows for basic remote mouse functions, including navigating, (but only up/down/left/right, as there is no joystick or disc pad to allow you to move the cursor at an angle).
Range can be anything from pretty good to a bit iffy. The IR sensor on the projector is in the back, right below the USB input and the two HDMI inputs, and very close to where the power cord plugs in. For the most part, the remote worked out to 15+ feet, but for fun, I put cables into both HDMI, and a USB thumb drive in the USB. Depending on where I was standing, relative to the cable clutter, the range from some angles dropped to 7-8 feet on average, but if I moved a foot or two in some direction, I'd get a cleaner shot at the sensor, and the range would be back to 15 feet.
Let's look at the remote control for the Q7, and its functionality.
We'll start our tour at the top!
Power switch, top left. Press once for on, twice to power down. just below is the navigation area with the four arrow keys and the Enter button in the middle. If you are doing some remote mousing the button that puts you in computer mode is on the left with a clever image of a computer mouse on it. Opposite it, on the other side of the down arrow, is the Exit button which will take you out of the menus, no matter how far down you've drilled.
The Menu button is on the left on the next row. When you are in the menus, pressing the Menu button always takes you back up one level.
The Mute is next, and on the right is the Source button, to bring up the list of sources.
Back to the left where there are a pair of buttons one above the other, for more "remote mousing": Page Up and Page down, for PowerPoint among other applications. Across are the volume up, and down.
And that folks is it. FYI, the remote runs on a single 2025 button battery, which should be easy to find. There's no backlight, of course, you just don't find them on credit card style remote controls. The remote's layout works well, although I'd rather they had switched the Menu with the Remote Mousing button. That said, someone who uses remote mousing a lot, would prefer it where Vivitek put it.
