Do you have some details on the "difficulties"? Whenever someone tells me they are having trouble with voice recognition, I always verify that the basics are in place - high enough spec computer, good microphone, etc. But, Dragon and Chrome have a sorted history. I would try another browser like Firefox and see if you get better results. Also, inside of Chrome Apps (Google Docs and such) called Google Voice Typing, which provides pretty good results.
There are a number of IR senders that can be used with a phone - my go to is the Harmony Hub. Another option for TV control - assuming the PALS voice is still good is the Amazon Fire Cube - for systems that it works for, it is dead simple to set up.
Sincerely,
Antoinette Verdone, MSBME, ATP
Founder, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist
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