How To: Reliable RF to IR blasting

[Guiria]

I own the URC-200 automater and MRF100a RF base station. I haven't been able to integrate the MRF well enough so that my components are not missing macro commands etc. My components are visible (check out the picture, and I know I know, the speakers have been moved down to ear level, let's keep this post focused!), and I don't know if they are receiving double commands that cancel each other out. I have no "need" to make the RF base station work, I'd just like to operate via RF because I can

Are there tricks out there for making the RF performance more reliable?

I have no desire to upgrade at this point and would rather just use IR if I can't get the RF to work properly.

 

[jcPanny]

Urc Rf

I have a similar URC remote and the RF functions are working great. The RF can make the macros work more consistantly and you can control your gear from another room.

You will have to experiment with the IR emitters until you get them in the correct location for each piece of equipment.

I also found that sometimes other RF equipment (cordless phone, router, etc.) can interfere with the receiver box, make sure that lights on the RF receiver are not lighting up when you are not pressing buttons on the remote. If you are getting interference, move the RF box or its antenna orientation.

 

[bandphan]

also some components are very sensitive to ir overload (tivos) so dial the output down and work your way up.

 

[jcPanny]

RF to IR

also some components are very sensitive to ir overload (tivos) so dial the output down and work your way up.

Unfortunately, the basic RF box cannot adjust the IR output aside from the positioning of the IR emitter over the IR sensor on your gear. This RF unit also sends the commands to all of the emitters, they are not assignable.

I have been impressed with my touchscreen URC RF remote and the wife loves it. My receiver also controls the whole house distributed audio system so some times it is convenient to change the source or turn off the system from another room.

 

[BMXTRIX]

1. All RF is suceptible to EMF, so you want to ensure that the receiving unit is placed, or has an antenna that is placed, away from EMF generating gear, most notably DVD players and DVRs with spinning discs and magnetic fields. The top of the rack, or on top of a shelf or just a foot or so away from the rack can do it.

2. IR is more reliable when using an IR emitter with RF... most of the time. This is very much a question mark and helps a fair bit when you choose the right gear. Panasonic and Sony are WAY up on the list of manufacturers who really have it figured out. Philips (the make of the Pronto!) is one that I put near the bottom of the list.

3. Look for discrete codes at Remote Central - Discretes are what is is all about, and buying the right product can really come into play here. Most major brand receivers cover this, but Yamaha and Denon are simply killer when it comes to this.

I've used many Crestron systems which all utlize RF, and have had mixed results when the antenna is to close to the rack, but near 100% reliability when I've moved the antenna outside of the rack. In my home, I get 100% hits from 50+ feet away from my master bedroom to the basement. I would bet I could walk half a block away and still control the system.

 

[Guiria]

Discrete codes are a lot of fun with the URC's. I have to program the discrete code into an older Radioshack remote then use the learning function of the URC to copy that command over I will work more on positioning of the base station to ensure no interference.

It's strange...I setup an RF20 with matching base station at my parents house and everything worked 100% first time around. My place however has been a different issue and with one way macros anything less than 100% is unacceptable.

My In-laws just purchased 9 RF20's with two RF-IR base stations and I'm the lucky one that gets to program them all so I want to make sure I have some troubleshooting experience when one of the RF-IR commands isn't 100% !!!

 

[jcPanny]

Macro programming

When programming the macros, some devices don't have descrete On/Off codes or ther are not available on the OEM remote. In some cases you can work around this by using a different ON command. I use the PLAY command to turn on my DVD player in the macro.

 

[AUtiger]

I have the RF30 & base station I've had no problems, love it. Base station sits inside closed cabinet on top of my DVD player. 1 thing that I followed in the manual is to add delays in the macros. I did this between commands to different pieces and have had no problems.

 

[Hi Ho]

I have a URC MX-900 and MRF-350 base station. I basically have 100% reliability. The base station is mounted on the wall behind the TV in THIS picture. All of my components, including the TV, have IR blasters on them. Placement of the base station is key when one is after reliable RF operation.

 

[Guiria]

I've done the play thing with the DVD player, added pauses in macros, and played around with positioning. I have yet to find a place where the red status light isn't flashing if even faintly.

More tweaking is definitely required.

 

[jcPanny]

RF noise

I've done the play thing with the DVD player, added pauses in macros, and played around with positioning. I have yet to find a place where the red status light isn't flashing if even faintly.

More tweaking is definitely required.

This is key. The red transmit light needs to be off unless you are sending commands from the remote. Try rotating the base station 90 degrees, adjusting the antenna, moving the base station to a different shelf, etc. until the light stays off.