IR extender kits

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › IR extender kits

gedc

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#223183 17-Sep-2017 23:29

So...TV on one side of the wall and all the amp, Skybox, DVD gubins on the other side in a cupboard so it's all nice and clean. When I set it up a few years ago I purchased a blue eye IR extender / hub kit to allow me to control them all. First one didn't work. Spoke to the guy that sells them by email. They sent another one out and that worked. However, it always looked like someone had knocked them up in his shed and RJ45 plugins that didn't quite fit snugly etc...However all was fine, it worked pretty well, but the IR flashers ( 8 of them) started to fail one at a time. It gave up the ghost a few weeks ago when I had to unplug it while moving some kit and just didn't operate after that. So realising the Mrs wouldn't want to be up and down into the next room every ad break to FF sky I bought an IR extender kit from jaycar - Cat No AR1828. They assured me it works fine with SKYHDI boxes as I knew there had been issues in the past with the new skyboxes not playing nicely with some IR extenders.

It works perfectly with all my kit but is somewhat flaky on the skybox. It almost appeared to be flooding the box with signals so I looked through the one page manual and it did say to take the flasher off the unit and to lay it inside the cabinet instead. That improved the situation somewhat but it still can be a bit patchy. Signals often appear to be repeated so pressing back whilst in the planner / tv series will take you back into firstly the main menu then up into one of the sub menus. Pressing record will highlight the programme for recording with the little R symbol then it will disappear thinking it's been pressed a 2nd time to cancel etc. It can also just be slow / non responding and buttons can be mashed without anything happening onscreen...

What do people out there in the community use for the above situation ? Has blueye come on with their products or are there comparable things out there? Also, any ideas why the 'cheap' IR extender from jaycar works well with all my kit but just not the skybox

Thanks

davidcole

6041 posts

Uber Geek

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#1867747 18-Sep-2017 08:03

One of the solutions being used at the moment is the Broadlink RM3. IT's not an extender though, but a wifi controlled IR device. So rather than using the normal remote and broadcasting in one location and transmitting it where the device lives, it's another whole independent connection.

I know that not really what you're asking.

Perhaps it the jaycar solution you have....I know there are home automation installers etc, that would have recommended products, but unsure what brand they are.

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trig42

5816 posts

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#1867798 18-Sep-2017 08:48

I have a Jaycar wireless extender. Goes from Bedroom, through two wall to lounge and works OK.

It isn't great, and sometimes registers double presses, but it works for what we need (we have Mysky HDI).

Just checked the Jaycar site, and it isn't there any more - they look like (black) UFOs.

gedc

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1867818 18-Sep-2017 09:16

The jaycar one I have works - albeit unreliably for the skybox so hence I am looking for other brands. I might end up back at the blueye IR products but before splurging just keen to hear feedback from others who may have a better solution that is rock solid etc

Dingbatt

6760 posts

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#1867819 18-Sep-2017 09:16

I have the older version of the Jaycar IR extender you have and bought it specifically because of problems with trying to get wireless ones to work with mysky.
I found the receiver very sensitive and had to be positioned carefully. Mainly to avoid being blinded by the plasma but possibly from reflections as well.
The particular encoding the mysky uses is always going to be a pain. Can't wait for Sky to bring the next gen decoders that have Bluetooth into NZ (somewhere round 2022 probably :-/).
In the meantime I have moved to using a Harmony Elite remote because the hub means I can bypass the ir side of things for the mysky particularly. Not cheap though. But if you are talking about splurging it may be worth considering.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

gedc

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1867916 18-Sep-2017 10:49

Thanks for that Dingbatt. How does the harmony elite remote work ? I understand it connecting to the HUB wirelessly but then I presume the hub uses an IR blaster / Emitter to ping the signal into the skybox ? Does it work well / all the time or any patchiness ?

Cheers

robfish

683 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1867986 18-Sep-2017 12:12

trig42:Just checked the Jaycar site, and it isn't there any more - they look like (black) UFOs.

I have two receivers and one sender (to the Sky box). It works fine after I found that the sender unit, although looking very similar to the receivers, does not seem to "receive" IR signals.

Rob

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

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#1868007 18-Sep-2017 12:42

The best extender I've every used for Sky remote is the "Nextgen repote extender plus". It uses a "magic battery" trick to sniff the battery current and send that over 433MHz IR to a blaster. Seemed to work from a neighbouring room fine, but I needed it to operate a decoder in a closed cupboard. Only downside is you need to swap the batteries from time to time. It came with two, so one was always charging in the base unit while the other was in use.

Generally available on eBay etc dirt cheap.

https://www.nextgen.us/remote-extender-plus-receiver-kit-p/remoteextenderplus.htm