I can't answer those questions for the RCU-1 specifically. However, we have a wireless remote for our B&G AP.
We have never used it. Remotes sound like a good thing, but I haven't had any case where it was more convenient or useful than just using the AP control head itself. For those times where course corrections or direction changes are to be made, I always want to be at the helm near the plotter to ensure that the changes are appropriate, and to be ready to take over the wheel if something goes wrong. For those times where we are threading our way through a coral reef, I don't want to be controlling the boat from the bow with an AP remote, and one of us is bow watch then giving directions to the helm.
I can't think of a single use case for us where a remote control is useful or more convenient.
Perhaps single handers would have a different opinion, but I'm not sure mine would be different if I was single handing.
Mark
Edit: I just looked at the RCU-1. It has two features our B&G does not. The point and go function is just silly, so I discount that. However, it seems to have a solo sailor function that turns the boat into the wind if the person falls overboard. This might be useful for a solo sailor.
I would be concerned that it is triggered simply by loss of bluetooth connection, and that might mean some surprising unexpected boat movement if the remote batteries go dead or the remote signal is blocked by something. The latter can be more common than you expect, as bluetooth tends to be squirrely this way. We have several BT device on our boat where I lose connection to them when I am in certain areas of the boat. Not because I have moved outside of range, but because some combination of fixed things between me and the device are causing problems.
Also should note that while the AP might turn the boat into the wind, this will be a very temporary thing, as once boat speed is lost, then the AP has no control over it anymore. The boat could tack/jibe and take off in a different direction, the AP gains control again and turns it up again (if doing so repeatedly is part of its function), etc, etc, until one has no chance of getting back to the boat.
