Usability. Wearing gloves? Hands on handlebars? Using the smartphone app is next to impossible and you’re much better off with the smart remote.

GoPro has had four different remotes for their action cameras. Two of them are current models, two is an old model but you can still find it for sale in some places, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It consists mostly of a single large button (there’s actually second small button on the side that works as a power/pairing button). It’s waterproof (but doesn’t work actually underwater), rated down to 16 feet or 5 meters. In optimum conditions, GoPro claims it has a range of up to 33 feet (10 meters) away. The range is much shorter than the Smart Remote because the Remo connects only via Bluetooth, which has a much shorter effective range than wifi. And it recharges via USB, with a USB-C connector. If your GoPro features voice control (most of the newer ones do), you can control it remotely by saying one of the voice commands. All of these remotes have built-in rechargeable batteries that aren’t removable. So you need to connect the remote directly to a power source to charge it. Changing settings. Changing settings from the app is much more intuitive than doing it using the smart remote.All the accessories within this guide are either produced by GoPro themselves or by third parties that we know offer great solutions at a good price point to help boost your filmmaking. From chest mounts, and spare batteries, to lens mods - there is something for everyone on any budget. Perhaps the best upgrade over the original smart remote comes in the form of increased battery life, thanks to the newly implemented Bluetooth® Low Energy. The whole pairing process is also faster than before. Not all GoPros support these remote controls. The HERO7 Silver and White, for instance, do connect to the mobile app but won’t let you connect a remote control. Same with the HERO (2018). And some older GoPros, in particular, won’t work with the Bluetooth connection or voice commands of the Remo. This model has been discontinued. Even if you do manage to find one for sale, there’s really no reason to choose it over the new The Remote or Smart Remote, and there are some good reasons not to. The design closely resembles the first-generation GoPro Wi-Fi remote. It doesn’t feature a settings button like the second-generation GoPro smart remote (above), but it has all the other features including an LCD screen that displays key information.

Although expensive, the official GoPro “The Remote”, or smart remote for older GoPro models, are definitely my recommendations. Their native compatibility, mounting clip and superior WiFi range and waterproofing make it worth the extra money. GoPro’s screen protector set is a simple, inexpensive solution, not only safeguarding your screens from scratches and smudges but also reducing glare on sunny days, making the screen easier to see and use. FAQs What GoPro accessories are essential? Removing the other buttons from the face has also made for a bigger, higher resolution screen. This reduces the chances of needing to squint to see your camera status. Since I originally posted this, GoPro has discontinued the Remo. I’m not particularly surprised, honestly. Several times I ran into reliability issues when using it even just as a button remote with the voice aspect. And based on reports from other users that accumulated online, I’m not the only one. So unless you really need the voice control, I’d recommend steering towards the Smart Remote over the Remo.

Range. The smart remote has a typical WiFi range of 200-600 feet. The GoPro app has a range of 35-50 feet. It was an extremely welcome move when GoPro started introducing touchscreens into its Hero cameras, but screens of course do need to be looked after, and this is doubly true for action cameras that are thrown into tough situations.

It lets you change settings thanks to its dedicated settings button. It even includes a programmable button that the official Smart Remote doesn’t feature. Controlling multiple cameras. I haven’t tested this myself but the smart remote allows you to simultaneously control up to 50 GoPros! Because a GoPro has to be small, and do a lot of computing work to process stable video, it does use battery faster than a big camera. That's why it's important to keep more than one if you're looking to capture a day (or more). Why are there so many GoPro accessories? Another thing I’ve run into is that sometimes some cameras will start while others don’t. It’s frustrating to find later that one or more cameras simply didn’t start recording. So it basically means that you’ve got to visually confirm that they’ve all started recording. But the ability to control multiple cameras at once is still something I find very useful. If you want to use voice commands As you’d expect, you can power your GoPro on and off and hit the record button to begin recording remotely. It lets you add HiLight tags to mark key moments and the LCD display lets you know things like the remaining battery life and how long you’ve been recording.The GoPro Remo is proof that not every official accessory is great. It’s essentially a wearable wireless mic that lets you use GoPro voice commands to remotely control your GoPro. I’m personally a bit ambivalent about the voice control, and especially with the REMO remote. I’ve had too many times when it hasn’t worked as reliably as I’d like it to and I’ve ended up having to work around it. But in those situations where voice control is important, the Remo is the only option for controlling a HERO6 or HERO5 remotely by voice. The GoPro Smart Remote is GoPro’s official remote accessory for GoPros that preceded the GoPro Hero 8. It’s not the oldest official remote, however, as it succeeds an even older remote called the “GoPro Wi-Fi remote”. Once again, being an official GoPro accessory, it costs slightly more than unofficial options. If you don’t need the voice control of the Remo, the Smart Remote is by far the most powerful and flexible option, and it’s the remote I use most of the time. One of the key features of the Smart Remote is the ability to change settings using the remote. Third-party options and even GoPro’s previous Wi-Fi remote do not let you change settings using the remote. Though I don’t find myself using this button much, it’s definitely a neat addition.