My wife does not share my affinity for A/V equipment. Which are the best options for controlling hidden components. The equipment will be in a closet about 10' from the main listening position.

I'm in the same boat. I'll be using an IR repeater system. Not sure which one. I know both Xantech and Niles audio make systems and seem to be good products. I believe you can find stuff at Radio Shack as well.

Good luck!

I looked through this forum and found some info on microsmith hot link. From the talk and their website I am giving it serious consideration. Cost is around $125.

What are you using to control the system? What remote? Factory remotes or a universal?

If you dont already have a universal remote you might want to look at this : http://mcmelectronics.com/product/58-13155

For $40 you get a learning universal remote that works with an RF base station. The remote communicates via RF to the base station and the base station delivers IR to the components via emitters (aka flashers).

I looked through this forum and found some info on microsmith hot link. From the talk and their website I am giving it serious consideration. Cost is around $125.

If your remotes or universal are all IR (we use the Harmony One) then I can heartily recommend the hot link system. We use the XL Cat 5 (IR over cat 5... we use a 50ft cable) product along with their expansion product (as we have over 6 components) in our home theater as the equipment rack is in a different room. Works great... in fact better than when the components were in the front of the theater itself.

If your remotes or universal are all IR (we use the Harmony One) then I can heartily recommend the hot link system. We use the XL Cat 5 (IR over cat 5... we use a 50ft cable) product along with their expansion product (as we have over 6 components) in our home theater as the equipment rack is in a different room. Works great... in fact better than when the components were in the front of the theater itself.

I will probably be getting a harmony. That is another model/mfctr decision I am not really well versed enough to make. I know there are extensive discussions here about it and I'm learning. Although I find that I can handle the functions I regularly use with the factory remotes fairly easily, I,m sure the universal is the way to go.

I will probably be getting a harmony. That is another model/mfctr decision I am not really well versed enough to make. I know there are extensive discussions here about it and I'm learning. Although I find that I can handle the functions I regularly use with the factory remotes fairly easily, I,m sure the universal is the way to go.

Wouldn't a Harmony 890 work better in your situation that incorporate both IR and RF.

Wouldn't a Harmony 890 work better in your situation that incorporate both IR and RF.

You may be right but I am unfamiliar with what you mean, newbie to rf/ir stuff. Any info you may have would be an enlightenment to me and I am sure many others. If you have the time please do not feel your words will fall on deaf ears.

Thanks

Tom

You may be right but I am unfamiliar with what you mean, newbie to rf/ir stuff. Any info you may have would be an enlightenment to me and I am sure many others. If you have the time please do not feel your words will fall on deaf ears.

Thanks

Tom

Sure, read here. (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/devices/374&cl=US,EN)