Product Review: Monster EZClick Remote for iPod
Riding a motorcycle with the option of having music, podcasts, or audio books piped into your helmet certainly makes a mundane ride more enjoyable. However, there are quite a few times when the iPod’s horrible shuffle algorithm serves up either stuff you don’t want to hear at that moment, or it repeats songs you’ve heard 20 minutes earlier. The obvious answer would be to just play with your iPod controls but that’s obviously not advisable while riding down the road. Enter the iPod remote.
There are several remotes on the market now, but at the time I needed to get one, there were fewer choices that would work with the iPod Nano. Even fewer seemed like they would stand up to the rigors of being exposed to the elements on a motorcycle. The Monster EZClick promised to solve all these issues at a fairly reasonable price.
In the picture above you see the two pieces that make up the product. A small receiver plugs into the bottom of the iPod. A transmitter (a little bigger than a silver dollar) controls the iPod from wherever you mount it. The kit comes with an elastic armband that you can wrap around your jacket sleeve. I opted to mount the receiver to my brake reservoir with some industrial strength Velcro. My receiver has been out in the elements and it seems pretty waterproof.
For the first 8-9 months the remote worked flawlessly. There is a small delay between pressing the button and the iPod reacting but once you get used to it it’s pretty self explanatory. The receiver is powered by the iPod’s battery. However, I had no problem riding all day with plenty of power to spare. I started to have the following issues with the remote after a while. The volume up would appear to “stick” and send the volume to maximum for no reason. Likewise, turning the volume down would sometimes cause the volume to shut down completely. The other big issue was that if I tried to advance to the next track the iPod would shut off. The only way to turn it back on was to unplug the receiver, turn the iPod on by hand, then plug in the receiver. Needless to say this was VERY annoying. I hit the internet and it seems I was not the only one having these issues. Some people had taken their transmitters apart to find sticky contacts. Mine seemed to be fine. I tested the battery and it showed decent voltage on a multimeter but I decided to replace it anyway. Well, low and behold, it works fine now that I have a fresh battery. We’ll see how long it goes this time before getting flaky.
Pros:
- Easy set-up.
- Waterproof.
- When it works it works well.
Cons:
- Flaky operation at times.
- It seems you either get one that works or you don’t. Lot’s of people on the internet are unhappy with it.
- No power pass though to charge the iPod while you ride.
Conclusion:
Overall, I’ve been pleased with the product. I have had issues but, as of this writing, they’ve been resolved by replacing the battery.
Rating: 
For more information check out the manufacture’s website: Monster EZClick
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