The remote controller doesn't actually disable it - well not by using the commands described in the relevant book anyway.
The remote enables a player to :
- Vent the steam, creating a cloud around the Ahrumaster ;
- Discharge the electricity, preventing it from using the big spark attack ;
- Disable the weapon system, which should, well, disable most weapons.
So basically it gives you a mean to create a cloud which will autostun it whenever one of the mage tries to supercharge it. It is still a good idea to position your characters far from the allied NPCs so that whenever he does his big rocket attack ( which doesn't seem to be deactivated by the command ? ), it won't hurt them.
Not using the remote indeed sounds harder as you have to navigate to the levers / place your party members next to them. The remote, on the other hand, cost 4ap to use while the levers only needs 2ap to activate.
