I have an S-100 wireless remote control for my RayMarine autopilot
I have a SidePower wireless remote control for my Bow & Stern thrusters (in addition to joysticks at the helm).
I love these remotes and use them a LOT - but for convenience only. I try not to use them for anything critical - especially where there's no quick "plan B" available. Normally, I do not have signal problems with them. For me, the main risk is not knowing exactly when the batteries in the remotes might decide they no longer have enough power to give. For the thruster remote, I have to change the batteries only about once per year. For the Auto Pilot remote, it seems I need to change them 2-3 times per year, depending on usage.
Some examples of "non-critical" things I use these remotes for are:
Auto Pilot Remote:
1) My helm seat is not very ergonomic. If I position myself so I'm sitting comfortably for long stretches in canals and rivers, I have to lean over every time I want to turn the wheel just a bit. With my remote, I can sit in a comfortable position and tweak my heading via the remote. I wouldn't do this, however, if the waterway was busy.
2) Sometimes, in more open waters, it's nice to be able to sit on the bow of the boat, as I don't have a flybridge. I put the boat on autopilot and take the remote with me in case I need to tweak the heading for a fish buoy or another boat. I am comfortable doing this because my boat is only 33' long and it would take me only about 10 seconds to get to the helm if the remote failed.
Thruster remote:
1) I find this an enormous help going through locks (especially those of the ancient, rough European variety). Helps you keep the boat on or off the wall while you're tending a line rather than standing at the helm. Also reduces the mate's stress a bit too, especially if a line is dropped.
2) Turning 180 degrees in a very tight marina dockspace (i.e. where you might have only 12" clearance to do the turn). One can stand on the dock holding the bow in position and use the remote to gently push the stern around 180 degrees.
3) And finally, an unexpected and rather amusing use of my thruster remote...
I was in a remote area in Norway, with my bow pulled up to shore and tied to a tree. The stainless steel "hull plate" that protects the fiberglass hull from the anchor was apparently so mirror-shiny that a swan thought it had found a mate and kept coming back to bang its bill against the hull during the wee hours of the morning. Finally, I got up and retrieved my thruster remote and took it to bed with me. It only took a few more times before the swan decided he no longer wanted to deal with the output from the bow thruster