My equipment does not have a direct line of sight with my Harmony 720 - what to do?

[rocko1290]

I have a PJ setup and all my equipment is out of site in a cabinet behind the seating area. When I use the equipment, I will open the cabinet. I do not want to have to reach back and point my remote for my equipment to respond to my Harmony 720. What can I do so I can point the remote somewhat straight ahead of me and have my equipment respond to it?

[sterno3]

Originally Posted by rocko1290

I have a PJ setup and all my equipment is out of site in a cabinet behind the seating area. When I use the equipment, I will open the cabinet. I do not want to have to reach back and point my remote for my equipment to respond to my Harmony 720. What can I do so I can point the remote somewhat straight ahead of me and have my equipment respond to it?

In my bedroom, I use a mirror. I have heard of people being able to use normal framed (with glass) pictures to bounce the signal around. Trial and error will tell you pretty quick what you can use.

[rocko1290]

Isnt there some kind of extender you can use? How do those work? Do you need 1 for each piece of equipment?

[sterno3]

Originally Posted by rocko1290

Isnt there some kind of extender you can use? How do those work? Do you need 1 for each piece of equipment?

yes...have you researched any of this yourself? Have you heard of google?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...er&btnG=Search

If you know about the extender concept, why even ask...I contributed my experience ...

[rocko1290]

Originally Posted by sterno3

yes...have you researched any of this yourself? Have you heard of google?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...er&btnG=Search

If you know about the extender concept, why even ask...I contributed my experience ...

Thanks for the link. I just didnt really know what to type in. I knew about the concept of IR extenders, but not any more than that.

Do those extender sets which convert IR ---> RF ---> IR cause a delay in the response of the equipment because of all the conversions?

Can 1 of those extenders be used for all equipment with IR sensors?

Is it possible that they can cause any problems?

Do you have any recommendations?


EDIT>>>>>

Here is my setup:



I don't want to use the RF extender if I don't have to, since my equipment is in the same room. Could I just place 2 IR extenders where I show on the image? (the equipment closet will be open, so I will have line-of-sight to the equipment if an IR extender is placed there.).

So can I use two IR extenders to achieve what I'm trying to do? If so, do they need to be of the same namebrand & model and/or be synchronized with each other?

[BruceS]

The Harmony 890 is designed for this purpose.

It can use either Radio Frequency or Infra Red signals for each device it controls. It also comes with an Extender box that can be put in your cabinet out of site and control your devices in your cabinet.

If you can set your hidden devices to use RF signals, you can probably do without the extender and use the Harmony 880 instead, which costs less than the 890.

I looked at the Harmony remotes on the www.logitech.com WEB site, and could not find the 720. Are you sure that is the model you have?

[remoteshoppe]

I've yet to hear from anyone happy with the X10 Powermids that come up at the top of that google search. Personally I would recommend the Hotlink Pro IR Extender

http://hot-link.com/

[rocko1290]

Originally Posted by BruceS

The Harmony 890 is designed for this purpose.

It can use either Radio Frequency or Infra Red signals for each device it controls. It also comes with an Extender box that can be put in your cabinet out of site and control your devices in your cabinet.

If you can set your hidden devices to use RF signals, you can probably do without the extender and use the Harmony 880 instead, which costs less than the 890.

I looked at the Harmony remotes on the www.logitech.com WEB site, and could not find the 720. Are you sure that is the model you have?

It's slightly newer than the 880, but I don't think it has RF capabilities. Supposedly it's in limited distribution and is available only at stores like Target, Wal-Mart, etc. I'd rather not switch remotes, and just use some kind of extender. I appreciate the help though.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000GD3J3G

[egoesch]

Basically the same as the 750

[rocko1290]

http://www.amazon.com/Terk-LeapFrog-...&s=electronics

Has anyone used that set? Since it's converting the IR signal to RF then back to IR, can all those conversions cause lag?

[ptsenter]

I use X10 extenders already many years and never noticed any lag.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by rocko1290

http://www.amazon.com/Terk-LeapFrog-...&s=electronics

Has anyone used that set? Since it's converting the IR signal to RF then back to IR, can all those conversions cause lag?

Yes, I use them and no there's no lag at all. I can reliably control components in my basement from the 2nd floor.

I don't use the included IR emitter because it wasn't necessary since the receiver module is in front of the components being controlled.

[js5752]

I've used the radioshack extenders which look to be the same as the powermids. They changed the design in the past couple of years to make them a little smaller, and more rounded, but I'm guessing it's the same thing under the hood.

Pick up a set, and get a multiple emiter cord to plug in to the receiver on the extender. Then you can bury it in your equipment rack, and run the wires up to the IR imputs on your devices. I've done this in a few different setup, and it works fine.

-Jeff

[rocko1290]

Originally Posted by js5752

I've used the radioshack extenders which look to be the same as the powermids. They changed the design in the past couple of years to make them a little smaller, and more rounded, but I'm guessing it's the same thing under the hood.

Pick up a set, and get a multiple emiter cord to plug in to the receiver on the extender. Then you can bury it in your equipment rack, and run the wires up to the IR imputs on your devices. I've done this in a few different setup, and it works fine.

-Jeff

I don't want to run anymore friggin' wires. Is it necessary? I thought IR sensors were wireless, except for their power cord.

Thats the idea of a remote control. ***WIRELESSSSSS!***

[rocko1290]

Originally Posted by Vin

Yes, I use them and no there's no lag at all. I can reliably control components in my basement from the 2nd floor.

I don't use the included IR emitter because it wasn't necessary since the receiver module is in front of the components being controlled.

So you weren't using the little deal that converts the IR to RF? Do you have to set it up so you can use it that way?

[remoteshoppe]

Originally Posted by rocko1290

I don't want to run anymore friggin' wires. Is it necessary? I thought IR sensors were wireless, except for their power cord.

Thats the idea of a remote control. ***WIRELESSSSSS!***

The PowerMids and other extenders discussed here are IR Blasters. The unit that sits in front of your equipment blasts an IR signal to the equipment. For simple set-ups this works fine. For more advanced systems it does not so IR emitters are used which are small bulbs with thin wires that are placed over each individual component.

You would want to use IR emitters in the following circunstances:
1. You have multiple units with the same or conflicting IR controls. Two of the same cable boxes, a Sony DVD player and a Sony VCR that may share like codes, etc.
2. Your equipment is tucked away snugly in a cabinet where a blaster signal cannot be placed to easily reach all units. Again... not a problem when you have a cable box, dvd player in tv. But, in my home my equipment rack houses a cable box, direct tv receiver, av receiver, dvd player with hd upconversion, dvd/vcr, dvd player with Divx playback capabilty and more. They stack up pretty quickly.

Remember the nice thing about the radio shack pieces is that if they don't work for you you can easily return them

[Vin]

Originally Posted by rocko1290

So you weren't using the little deal that converts the IR to RF? Do you have to set it up so you can use it that way?

The "little deal" (the IR emitter) is just an extension of the receiver module. The transmitter module (the one that you point your remote at) is what converts the IR signal to RF. The RF signal is then sent to the receiver module that's located near the components where the RF signal is converted back to IR.

Again, depending on your set-up (as remoteshoppe explained) you may or may not need IR emitters.

[rctoyguy]

Anyone got any experience with the Jensen remote extenders? I see some of them on a popular auction site that are tempting based on the prices.