Is anyone familiar with these touchscreen remotes? I was wondering what is needed make these things work. I am really curious to know if there is a IR repeater available. I know you need a 418 or 435mhz RF gateway, is there a unit i can set in front of my equipment to send the IR signals rather than buying individual IR Emitters. I also want to be able to have multiple RF remotes to control these devices.

Can someone please tell me what you need in order to start a Crestron network system in addition to the actual remote (such as MT 500).

Thanks

Crestron systems are processor based as opposed to most of the "universal remotes" that you will see discussed here. The processor is where all of the programming logic is stored and has outputs for IR, 2-way serial device control, relay triggers, ethernet, etc. Crestron controllers come as either wired or wireless. The wired panels can often times display full motion video and even act as an intercom station. The wireless controllers communicate over RF using proprietary RF gateways or a wi-fi network.

Several controllers can interface to the same processor and Crestron also makes products for audio and video distribution, lighting control, HVAC control, etc. Since it is not a DIY product you will want to enlist the aid of an authorized dealer for design and implementation.

Thanks for the explanation!

another nice line of remotes to look at is RTI, they work well with crestron and use the same 433Mhz gateway as the crestron remotes.

We just finished a system with 3 RTI T3's and works awsome

www.rticorp.com

There's very little point in using the Crestron MT-500 (essentially a rebadged URC MX-700 that interfaces with Crestron processors) as the sole remote for the system when you can get an MX-900 with an MRF-250 RF base station for $500.

At a minimum, a good place to start with Crestron is an ST1700C wireless touch panel and an MC2W processor ($2,600 for the panel, $1,400 for the processor). The MC2W is a simple Crestron processor with no hardware upgradability, but does have an internal RF gateway and enough IR, serial, and relay outputs to satisfy the needs of a small 1-3 room system should you need to expand it. They also ship a bundled kit with these two items that is packaged with some IR emitters.

Programming a Crestron system is generally a lot more involved than standalone remote systems are, and dealers are very reluctant to sell Crestron hardware to DIYers. IMHO, advanced control systems like Crestron and AMX should only be considered for multi-room systems. Most home theaters do just fine with a standalone remote product.