Using the Caavo Control Center in Canada
If you’re someone who has quite a few streaming boxes or game consoles connected to your TV then you’ll want something like an HDMI switcher.
One option is the Caavo Control Center which allows you to connect up to 4 devices to it and seamlessly between HDMI inputs.
Even though the Caavo Control Center isn’t officially available in Canada, you can still use it with any issues.
Setup
To get started with the Caavo Control Center, you’ll first need to create a Caavo account. After that, you’ll then be asked to connect the Control Center to your TV using the HDMI out on the device.
The Caavo Control Center has support for 4K UHD and HDR video output and Dolby Atmos sound. The device also has an Ethernet port and IR port for the included IR receiver cable. The top of the device has a button that will chime the remote, so you can find it if you lose it.
You can also control the Caavo Control Center using your Google Home or Amazon Echo but that requires Caavo’s service plan. I wasn’t able to get the Google Home and Amazon Echo control working in Canada, even if I was to switch my devices to the English (US) setting.
The Service Plan costs $1.99 USD per month, $19.99 USD per year or $59.99 USD for lifetime service. Whichever option you choose, you get a 45-day free trial to try out the Service Plan before you’re charged.
The Control Center Service Plan isn’t fully required to use the device but if you want to get the full functionality, then you’ll want to purchase the Service Plan. The plan adds features like universal search, voice control, content deep linking, voice assistant control (Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa) and Watch features such as For Your Consideration, Crowd Surfing, Caavo Cach and My Lists.
Then you’ll start plugging in your devices to the 4 HDMI inputs on the Caavo Control Center. The Caavo will automatically which device you plugged in, whether it’s an Xbox One, Apple TV or even Nvidia Shield.
Once that’s done, you’ll be able to use the included Caavo remote to control your devices.
Using the Caavo Control Center
Getting around the Caavo interface is fairly straightforward. When you press the Caavo button on the remote, it brings up the Caavo menu overtop what HDMI input you’re on.
There are five sections, Search, Devices, Apps, Watch and Settings. Search is where you’ll be able to find content to watch across all services you linked included Netflix and Prime Video (both of which work in Canada).
Devices show you the currently connected devices you plugged into your Caavo Control Center. Apps are where you’re streaming services end up and if you prefer a specific device for Netflix, you can easily arrange that, for example, when you press Netflix, it will open Netflix on your Nvidia Shield or Prime Video on your Fire TV Stick.
Watch is where Caavo’s AI recommended content such as For Your Consideration, Crowd Surfing, Caavo Cach and My Lists.
One helpful feature is that when you just place your finger over a button on the Caavo remote, it’ll show you a hint on the screen of what the button does. This is especially helpful because some of the button icons on the remote aren’t clear what they do.
In Summary
In the US, the Caavo Control Center can be purchased from Amazon.com, Best Buy and Caavo’s website. In Canada, the Caavo Control Center isn’t officially available here but you can pick one up from Wantboard.
In summary, the Caavo Control Center is a good way to seamlessly control all your devices connected to your TV.
Canadian Compatibility: Most of the features of the Caavo Control Center worked in Canada, so long as you subscribed to the Service Plan. The only major feature that didn’t work was the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support.
Where to Buy: