[dadioflex]

So you can get magic eye extenders that use a radio signal to send key presses to your Sky box (or whatever) in a different room, but they're notoriously poor.

You can get home network extenders that work over your internal mains wiring and they generally work very well.

Can you get something that combines the two, an IR extender that works over the mains wiring?

I've searched but either I'm just not using the right terms or it doesn't exist.

[gomezz]

Sounds like bright idea that no-one has marketed yet. Perhaps you should contact one of the usual suspects who make AV accessories to see if they think it is a goer?

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

So you can get magic eye extenders that use a radio signal to send key presses to your Sky box (or whatever) in a different room, but they're notoriously poor.

You can get home network extenders that work over your internal mains wiring and they generally work very well.

Can you get something that combines the two, an IR extender that works over the mains wiring?

I've searched but either I'm just not using the right terms or it doesn't exist.

Presumably you have some sort of physical connection from where you want to transmit remote signals to be able to watch what you are controlling. There are existing solutions to use this to pass remote control back to the video source.

For coax connections you can use Sky magic eyes with a suitable converter box (Triax Trilink).

For hdmi

http://www.hdcable.co.uk/ir-over-hdm...c-eye-kit.html

Baluns with ir transfer are available for cat5 HD links.

[dadioflex]

It's for my mum's new house. It's set up so she can watch what's on the Sky box in the front room in her bedroom, but she can't change channels. there's no problem with the video signal, just the remote control. We've been told the GHz IR transmitters are a waste of time, and my own experiences would bear this out.

I have personal experience of using homeplug network extenders to network computers without running cat5 cabling. You plug in 2 or more units and "pair" them all and it creates a virtual computer network using your existing mains wiring.

Like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-P...dp/B004INVKP4/

What I'm surprised nobody seems to have made is something that combines a Magic Eye transmitter with the mains wiring network. For instance, theoretically I could have two computers plugged into such a mains network and do exactly what I want. One computer could receive the signal, transmit a message over the mains to the other computer which would then output that same signal using a USB IR blaster. But that would be overkill.

At this stage I'm fairly certain no-one has made one yet.

edit: in retrospect I'm thinking that most of the poor performance with the AV senders is down to sending the picture, which I don't need to do. From what I've read the IR part is the bit that usually works okay. Hmm. Going to try a cheap IR extender and see how it works. Easier than re-inventing the wheel, right?

[chrisjr]

But how are you sending the signal from box to telly at the moment then?

As has been pointed out above if you have some sort of link between the two then that are options already available to do the remote control.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

It's for my mum's new house. It's set up so she can watch what's on the Sky box in the front room in her bedroom, but she can't change channels. there's no problem with the video signal, just the remote control. We've been told the GHz IR transmitters are a waste of time, and my own experiences would bear this out.

I have personal experience of using homeplug network extenders to network computers without running cat5 cabling. You plug in 2 or more units and "pair" them all and it creates a virtual computer network using your existing mains wiring.

Like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-P...dp/B004INVKP4/

What I'm surprised nobody seems to have made is something that combines a Magic Eye transmitter with the mains wiring network. For instance, theoretically I could have two computers plugged into such a mains network and do exactly what I want. One computer could receive the signal, transmit a message over the mains to the other computer which would then output that same signal using a USB IR blaster. But that would be overkill.

At this stage I'm fairly certain no-one has made one yet.

edit: in retrospect I'm thinking that most of the poor performance with the AV senders is down to sending the picture, which I don't need to do. From what I've read the IR part is the bit that usually works okay. Hmm. Going to try a cheap IR extender and see how it works. Easier than re-inventing the wheel, right?

If it's a sky box all you need is a a magic eye.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Global-TV-...item3f031a4a35

You need to check that 9V power is enabled on the Sky box.

The system is designed to send back remote control signals over the coax used to send the pictures, it's used in millions of installations.

A over the mains Video/Audio link with remote control would be a usefull gadget but one purely for remote control where a wired link already exists would be totally pointless.

[Chris Simon]

As others have already mentioned, there are already adaptors that are able to send IR back down the video cable, whether it's coax or HDMI. I have one of those HDMI adaptors and it works a treat.

As they have already pointed out too, if there exists a wired coax or HDMI cable to the second TV, it's pointless sending the IR back via a network if it can be done via the video cable.

Where network IR would be useful is where there is no wired cable back to the device you are controlling, or if there is a cable where no-one has yet created an IR adaptor for it (e.g. a hi-fi, or speakers?)

However, fear not there is a solution, albeit pricey! The KIRA system from Keene. An IR receiver at one end that transmits to an emitter at the other end over the network. If you haven't got suitable network points nearby then you can always plug these units into a standard Homeplug mains system.

It's not exactly what you were after, it requires a network, but it would certainly allow you to transmit IR over mains wiring.

[Winston_1]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

I have personal experience of using homeplug network extenders to network computers without running cat5 cabling. You plug in 2 or more units and "pair" them all and it creates a virtual computer network using your existing mains wiring.

Like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-P...dp/B004INVKP4/

The mains wiring is not designed to be used like this. These network extenders (homeplugs) are electronic filth which create interference to other users of the radio spectrum. We certainly don't want any more such devices.l

[platelet]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

It's for my mum's new house. It's set up so she can watch what's on the Sky box in the front room in her bedroom, but she can't change channels. there's no problem with the video signal, just the remote control.

So I'd assume from that they have wired in an RF feed from the sky box and you have tried a magic eye connected on the end of that - and that doesn't work?

If so:

• As Graham suggested check that the power supply is turned on on the sky box (and the RF feed is coming off the right socket)
• Check the magic eye works if connected directly to the sky box - it could be a fault with the eye it self
• check the TV set in the bedroom is not interfering with the magic eye. This is common with LCD sets. If you fit a one meter patch lead (old VCR leads are good for this) between the ariel socket of that set and the magic eye that may cure the problem. I've seen recommendations that say this may need to be up to three meters in length.
• try changing channels without the TV connected at all, if this works then you may need a decoupler
• after that I'd start to support wall plates or loft connections of blocking the return and then it depends on how much effort you want to put in to tracing the issue

[Deacon1972]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

It's for my mum's new house. It's set up so she can watch what's on the Sky box in the front room in her bedroom, but she can't change channels. there's no problem with the video signal, just the remote control. We've been told the GHz IR transmitters are a waste of time, and my own experiences would bear this out.

Have you looked at the Powermid?

I have one to control the TV in the conservatory, the stb is in the front room which is separated by 3 internal walls and spans 20+m, works a treat, I believe it uses 5.4ghz frequencies so doesn't affect WiFi etc.

http://www.keene.co.uk/electronics/w...FWJItAodVly98w

[Richard_Wright]

I thought about it for awhile before deciding to comment here but what you guys are talking about is complex and might not be available on current TVs. But there are convenient remote controllers, for example, the ones with voice recognition systems. I heard Samsung and LG TVs have these features. Samsung voice recognition is built inside the TV itself and LG voice recognition is set inside its remote controller, magic controller. It may feel uncomfortable to speak to TV, especially when you are watching it at the same time J, but you can give voice searches on LG TVs just by saying it on remote.

[oilman]

This is a great solution to remote changing of channels. You have an ir receiver near sky box . The transmitter fits in as a special battery in sky remote. Signal fromeå remote to receiver is rf and works through walls.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SV1100-One...item27c935aa5b