Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 Remote Review

We used the Comcast ENT-EXPL-3005 remote for decades with set-top boxes ans so, review it here. Very good results over all.

It’s a slim and sleek remote that fits comfortably in your hand. Plus, you can reach all the major feature / function buttons with a simple thumb extension.  While DVR support is not provided here (this remote has been around too long for that), it has enough functions to adequately control standard definition (SD) televisions, video cassette recorders (VCRs), and popular set top cable boxes from Scientific Atlanta, Pace, and others.

Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 Remote Review: Benefits, Features, Pros, and Advantages

All ON and All OFF Button

Allows the user to press a single power button in order to turn on and off all devices controlled by this universal remote. However, these command sequences take a second or two to completely transmit.  So avoid blocking the path between this controller and your entertainment center, until after you’re sure that command transmission completes.

Good Sized Number Keys

The number keys are reasonably big, which makes this unit more accessible to the blind or vision impaired.

Long Battery Life

The batteries last a very long time (well over a year) and I used the ENT-EXPL-3005 a lot.  In fact, I worried that they’d begin leaking before they actually went dead.

Stands Up Well to Wear and Tear

This Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 universal remote is quite durable.  Indeed we never experienced any buttons failing to register when pressed.  For this, the manufacturer ought to be proud.

Powerful Command Transmitter

The infrared signal is unusually strong. I’ve successfully operated my cable boxes from fifteen feet away, and I need not point this universal controller directly at the cable box either. Pointing it at an adjacent wall or even at dark-colored furniture still properly actuates the cable box. Very long range.

Bright LEDs Show Command Transmission Underway

A red LED for each device, near the top of the unit, blinks brightly when a command transmission to that device is in progress.  By looking at the lights, you can tell, for each key press, which device you are controlling. You can also tell when long command sequences finish.

Disadvantages, Problems, Cons, and Limitations of the Comcast ENT-EXPL-3005 Remote

Loose Battery Cover

The battery access door on the Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 remote falls off often. Even when you just lightly drop the remote onto a carpeted floor from just a couple of feet up, that door still pops off. This remote still operates with the missing door. But the battery door contains instructions on how to program the remote. Without that, you may not be able to use the controller with a different set or cable converter box if you must reprogram the remote.

Easily Broken Door Hatch

The latching tab on this door stick out pretty far, held to the door itself by a thin strip of plastic.  This make the latch springy, but also easy to break off.  Adelphia should go with a less protruding latching design for the battery door in later revisions of this controller.

Programming Instructions can be Hard to Find

The programming instructions were not easily located on the Internet. So I’m including them below, just in case I lose the door in the future, or someone else needs them.

No Dying Batteries Alert

You get no real warning that the batteries are dying; not, that is, until the unit begins emitting faulty commands. Adelphia might add a blinking code or warning beep, to tell the user when the batteries have gone too dead to reliably operate this device. However, the very astute remote wielding couch potato may realize that his batteries are running on their last legs by noticing that the LED brightness fades steadily as end-of-life for the cells draws nearer.

Some Keys are Too Small

Some of the more unusual function push-buttons are a bit small, like the (A)ccept key.  They may have squeezed too much functionality onto the face of this unit. Bigger keys, please.

No Back-Lighting  

No illumination provided for the control panel.

Comcast ENT-EXPL-3005 Remote Programming Instructions

If your remote ever stops working with your TV or cable box, try reprogramming it before concluding that it has gone bad.  The instructions are pretty simple, and you don’t necessarily need to know the exact remote codes for your devices.

    1. Turn on the device you want to operate with this universal remote (TV, VCR, Etc.);
    2. Press and hold the matching mode key until mode keys flash;
    3. Press power key. You will shortly see the mode key stop blinking and stay lit;
    4. Press and hold up-arrow key until the device turns off;
    5. When the device turns off, press OK/SELECT to save the code.
    6. Your universal remote is now ready to use to control your device.

However, if you’re unable to program your devices to this remote with the procedure above, then check out this remote’s  users guide  for more specific (and involved) instructions, that almost always resolve any remote control programming problems that you may encounter.

Our Rating for the Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 Remote

This control is exceptionally easy to program, light on batteries, and not terribly expensive. You can configure it to command about every television or set-top cable box we tried it with, and its extended range is phenomenal.  So we rate it at 95 out of 100.

Where to Buy the Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 Remote Control

This is a 1990s vintage control.  So it’s hard to find it in today’s retail stores.  But you can still get ont on eBay, sometimes in huge lots, for very cheap; way under $10.

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References for this Comcast ENT EXPL 3005 Remote Review

    1. Where to Buy the Comcast ENT-EXPL-3005 Universal Remote