Patent ID: 8712352

Claim:
A method, comprising: accepting user input into a portable controlling device indicative of an operation to be performed by a one or more of a plurality of appliances to be controlled; determining a current location of the portable controlling device relative to the one or more of the plurality of appliances to be controlled; causing the portable controlling device to dynamically select as a function of the determined location of the portable controlling device relative to the one or more of the plurality of appliances to be controlled a one of a plurality of communication protocols for use by the portable controlling device in transmitting one or more commands to the one or more of the plurality of appliances to be controlled, wherein the one or more commands to be transmitted are selected as being appropriate for causing performance of the operation indicated by the user input accepted into the portable controlling device by the one or more of the plurality of appliances to be controlled; and causing the portable controlling device to transmit to the one or more of the plurality of appliances to be controlled the selected one or more commands using the selected one of the plurality of communication protocols; wherein the plurality of communication protocols comprises a plurality of different wireless communication protocols.