Acoustic Research XSight Remote - Page 17

Just a quick comment.

I needed a warrantly replacement on my ARRX18G and I must tell you that I went round and round with support trying to get this replaced.

I was not able to get my problems solved till I spoke with support via chat from the support web site. I had better luck getting support that way than any other way.

While the first support folks I spoke with over the phone claimed that the remote was discontinued and all they could offer me was a refund because they had no units to replace it with and it was discontinued.

The support guy in the chat (Scott) was able to direct me to the correct phone number where the operator on the other end of the phone was happy to set up my RMA to get my remote replaced.

Just figured that I would share my experience in case anyone else needs to contact them for service or replacement.

@Justind

A macro is a sequence of commands. I don't understand the rest of your question.

@dstell

So they aren't discontinued? Please post back when you get your replacement and let us know if the new one is AR or One-For-All.

TIA

I've been looking into Acoustic Research's ARRX18G remoter control and was wondering if anyone has used it. So far as I can see the only question I might have is how long do the rechargeable battery last? I understand it uses a lithium battery and can't be replaced with any other type of battery. Reason I ask is 'cause when I watch tv I'm constantly switching back and forth between programs and just plane using the remote alot. I know this much use up more battery than "normal" use.

Any help will be appreciated,
James

This has already been covered in the main xsight thread. But the short answer is mine lasts about a month between charges under normal use. Under heavy use just keep it in the cradle every night and you should be fine.

Thanks,
James

My unit gets a lot of use and needs recharging about every two weeks.
So every 2 weeks before it gets completely discharged I just put it in the charger overnight.
There is a battery level meter on the LCD display to make it easier to see when you might want to charge it before it stops working requiring a charge.
I see there are replacement compatable batteries available at low cost from several online sources if the battery eventually needs recharging too often.

My concern is more over the keys lifespan. On other remotes I've used over the years I've found some of the frequently used keys can wear out (require extra hard pressing) after only a year or two. On my ARX18G after several months use, I've already found the up arrow key is now requiring more pressure to work compared to the other keys...

Just picked up the 15 device one and have been programming it pretty well so far. Just a question: what is the "press and hold" option for in the time delay settings for the macros?

Good question. I have a couple of guesses that maybe you could confirm. First it could be to hold or repeat a signal for that duration in cases where a held button is required, like some projectors/tvs that require you to hold power for 2 seconds, for example. It could also be that the macro only runs if you hold the assigned button for that duration. For example if you put a macro on button 3, a short press of 3 would send the command assigned to 3, and a long press for the press/hold duration would run the macro.

I can see the usage on a few keys on my Harmony 650.

I looked through the xsight but didn't quite find an answer.
I purchased the ARX18G remote and will be delivered in a couple days.
As far as setting up devices, activities and all, what is the best way to accomplish this, using the PC wizard software or from the remote. Is it a good idea to use both?

Thanks,
James

Ah, OK. I believe it does the first option that you mentioned about a sustained send. I brought it to work to continue some programming so I can't physically test it yet, but I dropped a 20 second "press and hold" on a key to test and it seems from the transmit light on the screen that it does send the signal out constantly for the duration. I wish it would've been the second scenario where a held press would run the macro instead of the single-press command, but it looks like you can only either have a single command or a macro on a button, not both. Thanks for the heads up.

It's designed for the initial device setup to be done on the remote. Activities can only be set up in the software. If you have no activities and don't want to set up favorites or customize any buttons, then you can get by without using the software

I will be getting an ARRX18G remote in a few days.
Was curious which is better to use for setup-The remote or the software or both?

Thanks,
James

I already answered in your other thread. Instead of starting a new thread every few hours for every question, please ask in the main thread. Other's may have the same questions (or answers), and that makes things easier for everybody.

What main thread are you referring to??

I created this last question as a new post.
How the heck am I supposed to know that the question was inserted into this thread????

First, why was my question placed in my other thread??? A half hour after posting I checked to see if there was a response but I couldn't find it. I thought I inadvertently closed Internet Explorer without clicking 'Post', so I reposted. Then I find that the first question did get posted but inserted into one of my other questions about the same remote. I don't get it! I'm registered with over 20 forums on the internet and not once has my post been diverted in such a manner. At the very least the forum would tell me they diverted it.

I can sense your irritation, but that sentence might be constructed as being rude to people who are trying to help you, even though your intention may not be that.

As for merging questions, many an admin do merge threads that are relevant. it has benefits as you get a central repository of all relevant information and downside is that the main thread is become a bit overwhelming for someone looking for a quick answer.

If you are kind of asking about one product, it is better to post it in a the appropriate main thread for the same product- in your case the Xsight 18 remote thread. My 2 cents.

I understand why my post was diverted. I wasn't told that it was diverted so when I couldn't find my post I created another post. But then I get chastised for reposting.
It would have been nice to know that my post got diverted before I created a new one.

Now I know,
James

mdavej...?
Do you Primarily just use activities in your set up EX: system on, system off, watch tv, watch tv with sound system, watch movie, play game etc.... OR do you have macros within your activities (system on, (watch tv (watch tv with SS)))? ETC....

I have lots of macros within my activities. That's the main reason I have Xsight instead of harmony. Most new harmonys can't macros inside activities at all, and older ones can but are limited to 5 steps. Most of my macros are typically for things like toggling captions, navigation, lighting control, etc. If I want Watch TV and Watch TV SS, I'll typically just make one Watch TV activity and put vol controls for both as well as a few buttons/macros to switch back and forth. So yes, my setup is like the latter that you described.

.mdavej

May I know what kind of remote light controls you accomplish with Xsight 18? Are they RF or IR based? What compatible accessories do you use?

I was trying to see if I could use some dimmers and blinds/shades work with Xsight.

Thanks in advance..

I'm using X10 which uses an IR to power-line gateway (IR543). It's cheap and works for me, and I'm comfortable with it since I've used it for at least 15 years. But I wouldn't recommend it to anybody at this point. X10 is flaky, and the gateway device is almost impossible to find since it was recently discontinued. Just try to find some good devices that can work via IR, and they should work fine with Xsight. I wish I had some better advice for you.

Since I'm going to have 4 total activities, (2 in living room and 2 in bedroom) watch SAT and watch DVD, should I setup everything including devices fro0m the PC software? Or should I setup the devices from the remote then do the activities from the PC? Or does it matter?

James

Answered HERE , HERE and HERE.

None tell me whether I can setup everything form the PC (Devices and Activities)

Here, Here

You asked if you SHOULD, not if you CAN. You SHOULD do your initial device setup on the remote because you can confirm that the signals work before the codes are committed. I think you can set everything up from the PC if you want, but I've never done it. You can't program the remote online ahead of time, if that's what you're asking, because you can't log in if the remote is not connected.

Got it.

Thanks,
James

I want to create a short sequence for an activity but can't seem to find out how. I want to use the 'Yellow' to bring up the normal command but I want to add the 'Ok'. I have no idea where to start.

James