Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Remote "repeaters"...

Does anyone have any experience with remote "repeaters"... basically an IR sensor that you can mount on a wall, etc, that wires the signal to your equipment somewhere else?

I've wondered about this for awhile for my reception room. I have a 27" HDTV that I use to show demos. Right now, the sound from the disc player and VCR is routed through the TV to give me remote volume control because the integrated amp is in a closet next to the monitor and can't receive a remotes' signals. The big issue is that this TV has a very noisy audio section, so I'd like to bypass it completely... but I need remote volume control.

For the reception room, it might work to find a DVD player that offers remote-driven variable audio out... though I don't see this feature as often as I used to with standalone CD players.

Further, with my niece and nephew here this weekend, I found myself wishing I could install the door back on the closet in my HT to keep the equipment away from little hands. Really, the kids were good but there's no denying that there's expensive stuff there, and it's all mounted on glass shelves:

Again, repeater for that system would increase my flexibility in being able to re-install the door and close it as needed.

So.... anyone have any experience/recommendations? Are there annoying concerns such as "slowed response time" or anything?

I use the "hotlink" IR repeater system. It comes with 7 repeaters and an IR "eye" which picks up the signal. I find that the Eye on the Hotlink is much more sensitive to my remote than regular IR sensors. In fact, I positioned the Eye behind my center channel (you can't actually see it when sitting in the room) - but the sensor picks it up no problem. I have my cd players and cable box out of the way, and have no problems relaying the signal.

I got my hotlink on eBay for about US$80, and you can save a couple of bucks this way. I'm sure that you can get it at brick and mortar stores too if warranties are of a huge concern.

While I don't need it, they sell extenders for the repeaters.

Find them here.

Anyway, I highly recommend them for the fact that you can hide your stuff, but also because it makes your system more receptive to your remotes, especially if you're going to go with one of Ray's MX-700s or my Harmony's - the extra sensitivity helps to ensure that the system sees all of the commands in your macro.

Is that the cubit from Target? Looks like a good match w/ the speakers.