Satechi Bluetooth Media Button with Steering Wheel Mount – Wireless Music & Volume Control for iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Android, Car & Bike Audio Systems

I have had this thing for over a year now, probably coming close to two years. I had to replace the battery once, but I use it often and have long commutes for work. It works great and is easy to connect. It does take a second to respond when it cuts on and I do have to hit the skip or repeat button twice for it to follow the command even when it’s on but it has been so dependable and consistent I really can’t complain. I would buy this item again.

Small, sleek and well designed. Because of my car setup, I keep my phone attached to my window mount and it becomes a bit out of reach when driving. It's too dangerous for me to keep stretching out my arm for the sole purpose of changing a song. This has resolved this issue.This came with a small charm/necklace lanyard which is always a nice feature, although I dont need it. The steering wheel attachment is excellent. My only concern is the lack of a strap to secure the open end. I feel like its very possible to fling this off your wheel and out your window in the right circumstances, but overall it has a very solid grip.Once you position it correctly, it's feels like much less of an obstruction. I chose to have it right next to where I grip my wheel the most, so it's very easily accessible with my thumb and I don't have to move my hands off the wheel. Because of the simplicity of the product, it also can be used by left handers as well, although I am right handed. Just something to note.The packaging and instructions were also a nice touch. It doesn't take much to be a bit more thoughtful about your overall design, and Satechi has taken pride into their box design just as much as their product and it shows.My only gripe with this is that at the end of the day, it's only a small bluetooth controller. I can't necessarily say I think it's worth 30, even though its works great, but in a sea of complete garbage that is Amazon nowadays, it stands out from the rest. So in this case, I consider it a solid purchase.Just as a side note: I did not encounter the issue with the keyboard and not being able to type while it is in use. I sent a text, looked up address, messaged people on instagram, all no problem. Perhaps try switching the system keyboard if you encounter the error. I didn't need to do anything.As for de-sync, it takes less than 10 seconds to reconnect at most. If you cannot deal with waiting 10 seconds, then reconsider buying any sort of bluetooth remote.

Edit: I've discovered that some of the settings on my Android music player app were interfering with the Bluetooth commands being sent from this remote. The new behavior is:After not using the remote for 10 or 15 minutes, it takes about 6 seconds for the first button press to be recognized by the Android device. This command works, it just has a delay of about 6 seconds. After that, all button presses are recognized almost instantly and work as you'd expect. Then, 10 to 15 minutes after your last button press, this cycle repeats. It's not perfect, but it's not so bad either. I'm adding back another star in my rating. I might buy this device again; I'm on the fence. It could still benefit from a more secure mounting method for steering wheels and handle bars like my watch band mod described below.Original Review:This mostly works as advertised, but it has a couple of flaws I wish I'd known about. The biggest one is that it goes to sleep after 10 to 15 minutes of not being used. This makes some kind of sense, as it's battery powered. But this is not mentioned in the product description. In practice, this means that, if you don't use any buttons for 10 minutes (maybe 15), then next time you press a button, nothing happens. The blue light flashes, but the command is not received by the device. After about 8 seconds, the remote is connected to the device again, and *then* you can press a button and have it work. For me this means that I'm constantly having to "wake up" the remote in case I want to use it again. Otherwise, my next button press does nothing and I have to wait 8 seconds for it to wake up, then press the button again.A minor issue I had is with the steering wheel mount. It's made of a rubbery plastic that's nice. But it's grip on a typical steering wheel diameter is only moderately strong. It's very easy to knock it off. I had the remote go flying in my car 5 or more times in the first 2 weeks. Finally, I modified it by cutting slots in the ends of the mount and threading velcro straps through the slots. Now it's like a velcro watch band. I secured my DIY watch band to my steering wheel, and now it is very strongly secured and doesn't go flying when I bump it as I go around corners in my car. My "watch band mod" would be a great product feature straight from the factory.Overall, it's a decent product. It's well made and mostly does what it says it does. But I wouldn't buy it again.