IR extenders

[JimS]

Looking for recommendations on IR extenders. I have an RCA unit that you simply plug in with cone shaped reciever and transmitter (converts to RF and back). Easy setup but I have had one set go bad after a few years and now the 2nd set is acting up. I have trouble with it putting out IR when I am not sending anything to it and overloading the thing being controlled (direct TV box) so that I have trouble controlling it when I am using an IR remote directly aimed at the box. Have tried a shield so the extender doen't pick up so much of the room lighting which helped a little.

Also would like to tie this into my home automation system (Misterhouse on Linux). Doesn't need to be wireless.

 

[kmitchell]

Looking for recommendations on IR extenders. I have an RCA unit that you simply plug in with cone shaped reciever and transmitter (converts to RF and back). Easy setup but I have had one set go bad after a few years and now the 2nd set is acting up. I have trouble with it putting out IR when I am not sending anything to it and overloading the thing being controlled (direct TV box) so that I have trouble controlling it when I am using an IR remote directly aimed at the box. Have tried a shield so the extender doen't pick up so much of the room lighting which helped a little.

Also would like to tie this into my home automation system (Misterhouse on Linux). Doesn't need to be wireless.

Hi Jim,

I use a wired Xantech system and it has been flawless after over two years of operation. I have 2, model 291-00 IR Receivers wired (Cat 5) to a model 380-20 J-Box IR Blaster in the same room as the AV equipment. You can get a 390-20 shelf version of the blaster as well if you don't want to mount the IR blaster in the wall. You'll also need a 12V power supply (781RG) to provide power to all of the devices. A word of advise... Don't use any other PS other than the one from Xantech. If you do and you need to call them for tech support you will not get much sympathy until you replace the PS with one of theirs. Finally, If you think you might have problems with stray IR (like from a Plasma or CFL) you may want to get the 291-80 CFL friendly version of the receiver. Xantech uses standard 12V IR signals so it should be pretty simple to interface it to your home automation system.

It's not a cheap solution but it's rock solid.

Hope this helps,
Ken

 

[Photon]

I set up a wired system using Buffalo components from Automated Outlet.
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home?search=buffalo

It is rock solid and it IS a cheap solution.

Regards. . . .John

 

[kmitchell]

I set up a wired system using Buffalo components from Automated Outlet.
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home?search=buffalo

It is rock solid and it IS a cheap solution.

Regards. . . .John

Hi John,

At the time (over two years ago) when I was installing my setup there was only about a 20% difference in cost between the Buffalo and Xantech and an installer friend of mine told me that he had less problems with the Xantech. Probably not a great reason to go with Xantech but if I was going to ask my friend for help I was mostly likely going to get an "I told you so" lecture. I also remember him telling me not to mix Xantech and Buffalo but I don't remember why that was.

Jim, Buffalo looks like a cheaper solution than Xantech but it is still more than a pair of PowerMids which I think was $29.95 last time I checked.

Ken

 

[bjdraw]

I use Xantech connecting blocks and flashers, but their receviers are just too expensive. I have a plasma and they want like $150 for a plasma friendly receiver. I have some off brand that was like $50, which works better than a non-plasma friendly Xantech, but you have to be right in front of the TV for it to work. Luckily I have an articulating mount on my 60-inch kuro.

 

[sic0048]

I'm going to thread crap a little, but I think my question will be related enough and actually may be important to the OP, so here it goes.

I have a Xantech system hooked up in my house which consists of a shelftop receiver connected to a 791-44 distribution block via about 25' of cat5e wire. This setup works just great.

However, I am trying to get a similar system set up at my parents house and I am running into trouble. I have a LCD proof receiver and a 789-44 distribution block connected via about 50' of Cat5e wire and I cannot get it work work. I have good power at the receiver end of the cat5e wire, but I cannot get a good signal back to the distribution block. I've even doubled up with wire so that I am using a pairs of wires in the cat5e wire for each of the three connections (power, gnd, and signal) thinking perhaps it was a signal loss issue.
But since nothing seems to work, I am looking for suggestions on what to look for or try. I really need to find a working solution to finish out the installation. Any suggestions?
Thanks,

EDIT - Problem solved - see below for details (but basically it was a wiring issue ).

 

[kmitchell]

I'm going to thread crap a little, but I think my question will be related enough and actually may be important to the OP, so here it goes.

I have a Xantech system hooked up in my house which consists of a shelftop receiver connected to a 791-44 distribution block via about 25' of cat5e wire. This setup works just great.

However, I am trying to get a similar system set up at my parents house and I am running into trouble. I have a LCD proof receiver and a 789-44 distribution block connected via about 50' of Cat5e wire and I cannot get it work work. I have good power at the receiver end of the cat5e wire, but I cannot get a good signal back to the distribution block. I've even doubled up with wire so that I am using a pairs of wires in the cat5e wire for each of the three connections (power, gnd, and signal) thinking perhaps it was a signal loss issue.
But since nothing seems to work, I am looking for suggestions on what to look for or try. I really need to find a working solution to finish out the installation. Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Hi Brian,

When you say "LCD Proof" receiver are you referring to the 291-80 or something else? The Xantech receivers that are CFL, Plasma, etc. Friendly have a band-pass filter on them that has to be adjusted to the frequency of the remote. If they are not adjusted properly you will not get the proper signal passed from the receiver to the blaster. When you say you have good power at the receiver end of the cat5, what are you using to measure that?

I have a friend who is a custom AV installer so if you can give me some more details I can email him as ask for some suggestions.

Ken

 

[sic0048]

Hi Brian,

When you say "LCD Proof" receiver are you referring to the 291-80 or something else? The Xantech receivers that are CFL, Plasma, etc. Friendly have a band-pass filter on them that has to be adjusted to the frequency of the remote. If they are not adjusted properly you will not get the proper signal passed from the receiver to the blaster. When you say you have good power at the receiver end of the cat5, what are you using to measure that?

I have a friend who is a custom AV installer so if you can give me some more details I can email him as ask for some suggestions.

Ken

I'm pretty sure they are the Xantech 480-85 Dinky LCD Proof receivers. I saw that they have the adjustable IR reciever range, but honestly I have not changed it from where it was set at purchase. To be honest, I've been a little nervous to change it because the directions warn you not to change it. I am using this with a regular IR remote (for a Sharp LCD TV) and will eventually change to a Harmony 550 remote. I use this same equipment at my house without problem, so I have assumed that the stock setting would be correct for those devices.

When I say I have good power, I am simply taking a voltage meter and seeing what the results were at the TV. It was showing 12volts from what I remember. Whatever the result, it didn't strike me as low at the time.

I also think I have at least one more shelf type reciever at my house that is currently unused. I really need to take it to my parents house and see if it works. If it does, then I would be more inclined to start playing with the IR frequency setting on the 480-85.

But I would love to hear if these adjustable settings are usually wrong from the factory.

 

[kmitchell]

Hi Brian,

When you say "LCD Proof" receiver are you referring to the 291-80 or something else? The Xantech receivers that are CFL, Plasma, etc. Friendly have a band-pass filter on them that has to be adjusted to the frequency of the remote. If they are not adjusted properly you will not get the proper signal passed from the receiver to the blaster. When you say you have good power at the receiver end of the cat5, what are you using to measure that?

I have a friend who is a custom AV installer so if you can give me some more details I can email him as ask for some suggestions.

Ken

I'm pretty sure they are the Xantech 480-85 Dinky LCD Proof receivers. I saw that they have the adjustable IR reciever range, but honestly I have not changed it from where it was set at purchase. To be honest, I've been a little nervous to change it because the directions warn you not to change it. I am using this with a regular IR remote (for a Sharp LCD TV) and will eventually change to a Harmony 550 remote. I use this same equipment at my house without problem, so I have assumed that the stock setting would be correct for those devices.

When I say I have good power, I am simply taking a voltage meter and seeing what the results were at the TV. It was showing 12volts from what I remember. Whatever the result, it didn't strike me as low at the time.

I also think I have at least one more shelf type reciever at my house that is currently unused. I really need to take it to my parents house and see if it works. If it does, then I would be more inclined to start playing with the IR frequency setting on the 480-85.

But I would love to hear if these adjustable settings are usually wrong from the factory.

Hi Brian,

My friend replied that the factory setting (38Khz) on the dinky-link should be fine for a Sharp LCD TV remote. He suggested that you string another Cat5 across the floor and see if you can get it to work with fresh wire, thinking that maybe the cat5 was damaged during installation or by other remodeling work. He just had an install where a sheetrock screw had missed the stud and went straight into a Cat5. He also said that there could be a lot of stray IR in the room where the equipment is located and asked what IR Blaster you were using?

Ken

 

[sic0048]

I'm actually not using a blaster - at least not at the TV. All the equipment is serial controlled via CQC. All I am doing is having the ability to get commands into CQC via a simple IR remote. So I'm just using the regular stick on emitter that is connected to a USB-UIRT. This is done at the distribution block site. There is no emitter run back to the TV or anything like that.

I'll certainly try the wire on the floor method.

 

[DaveW42]

I use Microsmith's Hot Link Pro. It works well, and I've never had any problems with it. It is also very highly reviewed on Amazon (4 1/2 stars based on 195 reviews). I have never tried the Xantech unit so I can't compare, but I have definitely been very happy with the Hot Link Pro.

Dave

 

[sic0048]

I had a chance to get by my parents house today and fixed the problem I was having with the Xantech IR system. I am using cat5e wiring that is terminated at a punch down block as my main transmission wire. I then cut a cat5e cable in two to provide 2 ends to attach the receiver at one end and the distribution block at the other. I turns out that somewhere in that system, the 12v+ and ground where switched. In other words, at the distribution block I was using green for ground, orange for 12v+ and blue for signal. At the receiver end, it turns out that the orange was ground, the green was 12v+ and the blue was still signal. Once I had a chance to take my voltmeter to it again I immediately discovered the issue and it was a quick fix.

I really like the small form of the dinky receivers. I have them mounted in the upper corner of the TVs. The TVs trim is black and the receivers are black, so they literally disappear on the TV. They of course blink when you use the remote, but other than that you would not notice they are mounted on the TVs.

I didn't have time to take any pictures. But hopefully soon!

 

[Ed Nelson]

Hello Jim;

I use the NILES IR Extender System and have had no problems with 1 exception over the last 2 years. The one problem I did run into was with the latest generation of DirecTV (black boxes versus previous metal gray) units. They cannot be controlled at least not by the NILES units. I got around this by leveraging DirecTV's RF function w/in the remote control. This however is not optimal. Niles says it is a DirecTV issue however, I'd be interested in any feedback particularly from a XANTECH user.

This week, I am about to trial the Philips Pronto IR extender primarily to test out RS232 commands. This will give me far greater control over lights and Whole House Audio over the Pronto Remote.

Hope this helped.

- Ed