clckworang

I'm sure most people around here already know about my backyard setup, so I won't get into it much. So, here's the latest little upgrade I'm considering. I would really like to find a way to be able to control all (or at least most) of my devices (DVR, PS3, DVD player) with my Harmony 880 remote while sitting on the deck in the back yard. As it is, if we're watching a show with commercials, I have to get up to go fast forward. Sometimes I'm able to stick my arm through the doggy door and angle my arm enough to make it work; other times I will have to go back inside to do fast-forward. Of course, this doesn't take into account the times when we would like to rewind something or pause or when we're going through extra features.

So, is there something I can buy to get this to work? I remember about 10 years ago having a remote from Dish that allowed me to control the box from any room in my apartment, so I know it should be possible in some type of capacity. But I don't know if I need a specific type of remote to be able to do it or if I can purchase something else to extend the range.

Yes, I've sort of looked into this a little bit myself, but I really have no clue what I should get. I read the descriptions of what these things are supposed to do, and I still don't really know. An IR repeater? Extender? Something else? Nothing because it won't work?

I did buy an IR extender for Harmonys during Black Friday, but it hasn't accomplished much. I suspect it's just not strong enough. It talked more about being able to use devices that are behind entertainment center doors rather than behind an exterior wall. Even if the range doesn't extend all the way to where I sit on the deck, it would still be more convenient to just walk closer to the house to get it to work.

Any ideas? Besides to quit bitching about such a little problem, of course.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/co...r-systems-work

Other than that, there's always the option to go with an RF setup.

Mr. Salty

I'm wondering if using IR outside during the day is even possible. I would think sunlight would be an issue. You might have to go to RF. I know Harmony makes RF remotes, including a version of the Harmony One.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

You can in the day but then you run into signal strength from the remote, along with distance. Short answer: It depends.

clckworang

Daytime use won't be a factor. I'm not able to use my projector during the day anyway. I appreciate the link Mister Peepers. I looked over it a bit, got really confused and decided I'll look over it again tonight. It seems like the setup might be kind of tricky. I never thought there would quite so many variables and didn't know light would affect things so much. At least I feel more reassured that it's possible.

Would RF be any easier to set up than IR? I saw on Mister Peepers' link that there are converters for that as well.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

RF is nice, since you can sit on a couch and hit the button without having to worry about pointing it at anything. Counterpoint is how many times have you accidentally hit a button on a remote and been glad it wasn't pointed at whatever it was for?

Think of the IR repeater this way. You are X, the repeater is R, what you want to control is D. In this case, D is your wife and the repeater is a kid. Your wife is also deaf but can read lips. You need to tell your wife to cook dinner but you're on a recliner with a beer watching porn. You can't see your wife, you don't want to get up, correction, stand up, but you can see your kid and your kid can also see your wife. You yell at the kid to tell her to make dinner. He flails his arms until she notices and then mouths the words "make dinner".

X |
|
|
|
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R D

If you have an RF setup, you may not need the kid anymore if your wife is close enough and your telepathic powers are strong enough to reach her. You are still watching porn and you still want dinner. If you aren't close enough, you telepathically connect to your kid which then scans your wife, blowing her head up.

andy434343

I have used these for years.....they work great. I recommend you give it a try.

http://www.amazon.com/Next-Generatio...4971145&sr=8-2

clckworang

You see, now that I think I sort of understand!

clckworang

Thanks for the suggestion. The price looks nice, but it doesn't look like it would work with the Harmony. I suppose I could use the original remotes for a couple of the devices. It's more tempting the more I think about it because one of the advantages of the Harmony is that it's set to always control the volume on my inside receiver, but my outside system isn't controlled by that volume. So, basically, the original remotes are all I technically need. I just need to be able to find them all again!