# Can I convert Tivo Remote to RF or purchase new RF remote?



## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

I need help with a remote control solution for my Tivo Series3HD. 

The remote will be in my first floor master bedroom while the Tivo will be directly underneath in my basement.

Do I have options to convert my existing Tivo to RF? If not, what should I do?

My preferred option would be to convert my existing Tivo remote into an RF remote because it's probably least expensive option.

However, I purchased the Next Generation Remote Extender last year for $30 but it was not reliable.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

IR extenders have worked well for me. I don't think there's really another option yet, although of course there are various brands to try.

When TiVo releases their QWERTY remote, it's going to include a Bluetooth adapter, and apparently the S3 software will be updated to support it (S4 already does). That may or may not allow regular (non-keyboard) remote functions over RF. (My guess is that it will, but in the current USB keyboard support, not all remote functions seem to be mapped yet -- although it's possible that they are, and I just haven't found them.)


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## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

These IR extenders are over Cat5 right? If so, is there a particular brand/product you would recommend.

I am thinking Cat5 because I am going to do HDMI over Cat5 at the same time and I might as well do an extra Cat5 run to get this all done at the same time.


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## webstertduck (Jan 29, 2008)

http://www.weaknees.com/rf-remote-details.php


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## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

webstertduck said:


> http://www.weaknees.com/rf-remote-details.php


I have the product. It does not work well.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

atomarchio said:


> These IR extenders are over Cat5 right?


No... the ones I've used were just IR -> RF -> IR.


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## chip_r (Apr 27, 2006)

atomarchio said:


> I have the product. It does not work well.


Interesting. I've had mine ~2.5 years and it works just fine.

BTW, did you try plugging in the Next Generation-supplied IR blaster and placing it near the IR receive window on the Tivo? That seemed to help my setup. The UFO base does have it's own IR emitter but the blaster always seemed to work better.

Moving the UFO base around a bit can sometimes help. Things like ductwork and house wiring can affect the RF signal. I found a few feet can make a world of difference. If you use that blaster then you'd have a little more flexibility in positioning the UFO.

Another trick I've done is to swap the combo transmitter/rechargeable battery position in the remote with the regular battery position. It seemed to make a difference.

My only real complaint with the Next Generation setup is the 2/3 rechargeable battery life could be better.


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## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

I am looking for a product that's more consistent and reliable. My thought would be to use an IR extender over Cat5.


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## chip_r (Apr 27, 2006)

It looks like Smarthome.com has a number of IR extenders that work over Cat-5e/6 that also support HDMI. But it sounds like you already have the baluns for the HDMI so it's an overkill.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

atomarchio said:


> I am looking for a product that's more consistent and reliable. My thought would be to use an IR extender over Cat5.


If you don't mind running some extra cat5, it's definitely the most reliable solution. I've read really good things about this product.


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## chip_r (Apr 27, 2006)

gweempose said:


> If you don't mind running some extra cat5, it's definitely the most reliable solution. I've read really good things about this product.


Is this one Cat-5? It looks to be an extender for in-cabinet equipment.

I just re-read atomarchio's earlier post and it looks like he doesn't have an HDMI extender in place now (my mistake) so one of the combo units may make sense.

Regardless smarthome.com tends to be a good source for unusual a/v widgets.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

chip_r said:


> Is this one Cat-5? It looks to be an extender for in-cabinet equipment ...


It's actually a really flexible system that can be used for single room as well as complex multi-room configurations. It's simply a matter of expanding the system with additional connecting blocks:





http://www.smarthome.com/8191/Four-Emitter-Infrared-Connecting-Block-IR-100/p.aspx


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## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

I currently don't have HDMI right now but am going to install an HMDI over Cat5 solution to share my Tivo.

Then I remembered I need to include a solution for controlling my Tivo remote and was thinking the IR extender over Cat5.


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## ToeCutter (Apr 15, 2004)

atomarchio said:


> I have the product. It does not work well.


I have several of these transmitters (418 MHz) and they work absolutely flawlessly with every single remote I own, except for the TiVo Glo Premium Remote.

I have noticed that the orientation of the TiVo remote during key presses is crucial to the presses being recognized. I can hold the remote horizontally, and key presses are almost completely ignored. By simply turing the remote vertically (the IR pointed towards the ceiling), and it works perfectly. Once your familiar with the best working orientation, key presses are recognized instantly and predictably.

Only the TiVo Glo Premium Remote requires this orientation. Other remotes, even the standard TiVo remote, work fine regardless of how they are held. I wonder if the backlight might be interfering with the transmitter?

I've been pleasantly surprised with the blistering fast response of these tiny RF transmitters. It's a great little system, and very cheap if you shop around (hint: Amazon)

For what's it's worth, I also have the TiVo Slide Remote which works flawlessly as well. Key presses register immediately and are never missed. It's a great remote, but difficult to integrate with other components. The RF transmitters do not work at all with the TiVo Slide.

I sure with someone would establish an RF standard so we could simply pop in a code like we do for IR. I won't be holding my breath though.


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## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

Isn't there a RF remote adapter that goes into the battery compartment of a regular remote?


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## chip_r (Apr 27, 2006)

SNJpage1 said:


> Isn't there a RF remote adapter that goes into the battery compartment of a regular remote?


It's the Next Generation one mentioned in my post and linked in websterduck's post #4. Shop around for price.

Works fine for me. You replace one of your remote AAA batteries with it's transmitter + a 2/3rd size AAA rechargeable battery (supplied with kit) and it transmits to the UFO receiver placed elsewhere in the house. The UFO has an IR emitter to complete the connection to your equipment. I have my Tivo, cable box, etc, in a closet with this setup. The UFO has a 2/3rd battery charger built in to handle the odd size battery. It also comes with a AA adapter if your remote uses that size.

My only complaint has been battery life. 2 wks under heavy use. Maybe 8 wks under light use. I also use rechargeables for the other batteries in the remote so that compounds the battery life problem. In theory it saves a landfill somewhere.


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## atomarchio (Sep 24, 2006)

chip_r said:


> It's the Next Generation one mentioned in my post and linked in websterduck's post #4. Shop around for price.
> 
> Works fine for me. You replace one of your remote AAA batteries with it's transmitter + a 2/3rd size AAA rechargeable battery (supplied with kit) and it transmits to the UFO receiver placed elsewhere in the house. The UFO has an IR emitter to complete the connection to your equipment. I have my Tivo, cable box, etc, in a closet with this setup. The UFO has a 2/3rd battery charger built in to handle the odd size battery. It also comes with a AA adapter if your remote uses that size.
> 
> My only complaint has been battery life. 2 wks under heavy use. Maybe 8 wks under light use. I also use rechargeables for the other batteries in the remote so that compounds the battery life problem. In theory it saves a landfill somewhere.


I purchased the Next Generation product and found it to be unreliable. If anyone comes across a better RF solution that allows you to use your existing Tivo remote.

Please let us know. Thanks.


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## chip_r (Apr 27, 2006)

atomarchio said:


> I purchased the Next Generation product and found it to be unreliable. If anyone comes across a better RF solution that allows you to use your existing Tivo remote.
> 
> Please let us know. Thanks.


Just a reminder that with all low-power RF solutions to any connection problem (e.g. Wifi, BT, etc), your mileage may vary.


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## prdprd2003 (May 15, 2009)

If your an IPhone user and have WIFI then check out Timote, I.TV or other Tivo remote applications.

+'s: Communicates with your Tivo via your WIFI network. Excellent response, works up until the distance limit of your WIFI network, and extremely reliable.

-'s: Does not control volume (i.e. only communicates with the Tivo box). Has the majority of Tivo commands but some applications leave out some commands like "clear" etc.

I show outdoor movies and primarily use Next Generation to control my indoor gear, but when NG is "acting up" I pull out the IPhone.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

atomarchio said:


> I need help with a remote control solution for my Tivo Series3HD.
> 
> The remote will be in my first floor master bedroom while the Tivo will be directly underneath in my basement.
> 
> ...


I have a similar setup to what you describe, and while my solution may not work for you, I'll describe it.

My TiVoHD unit is in the master bedroom, and I share the outputs from the HD with both the bedroom TV and my 72" HDTV in the media room above. I used cat5 cable with no baluns or other devices to send the component output signal up to the TV and the remote signal back to the THD.

Since the cat5 cable has four twisted pairs, I simply put RCA jacks on three of them and mono mini-phone jacks on the fourth pair. The mini-phone jacks let me use the IR blaster cables you get with an old Series2 or many other devices with the TiVoHD. But you still need something to generate the TiVo IR remote signal at the TV. This was simple for me, as my HDTV has a built-in learning remote designed to allow you to use the TV remote with any external device. I just taught the TV the TiVo signals and plugged the phone jack from the cat5 cable into the TV IR blaster output.

There is one problem using the extra twisted pair from the single cat5 cable for the IR blaster - when I hit a remote button, I get a brief interference line in the TV picture. At first I was irritated by that and was going to run a separate wire for the blaster, but it has turned out to be a good thing. Since you cannot see the TiVo when watching the TV upstairs, you have no verification that the remote signal is working. In the few occasions when the IR blaster head was accidentally moved on the TiVo so the signal was not hitting the IR receiver, I at least had a positive indication by the glitch in the TV picture that the remote was still working. Then all I needed to do was go down to the TiVo and reposition the blaster head.

If your Next Generation remote extender has a standard mini-phone jack output, then it should work fine for this solution since the receiver would be in the same room as the transmitter instead of going through floors and walls.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

atomarchio said:


> However, I purchased the Next Generation Remote Extender last year for $30 but it was not reliable.


Too bad ... I've been using that extender for the past two years and have been pretty happy with it.

It sounds like the new Bluetooth Slide remote is pretty good too. I've been considering picking one up to replace the NextGen.


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## marspinball (Feb 20, 2006)

Can someone comment on the battery life of the Next Gen Remote. I have both a standard and glo Tivo Remove where one takes two AA's and the glo takes four AAA's. I don't want this thing if you have to swap the battery every two weeks.


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## prdprd2003 (May 15, 2009)

marspinball said:


> Can someone comment on the battery life of the Next Gen Remote. I have both a standard and glo Tivo Remove where one takes two AA's and the glo takes four AAA's. I don't want this thing if you have to swap the battery every two weeks.


It obviously depends on your viewing habits, but for me I replace the NextGen battery every 2-3 months or so in the standard Tivo remote. Since the rechargeable battery is stored in the "Martian base" and easily accessible I have not seen the need to change the battery as a big deal. You will know its time to change the battery because the remote will start to feel "sluggish".

I have not had great success with the Glo-remote and NextGen. To be fair I am about 50-60 feet (Outdoor Theater) from my "Martian base" and the Glo-remote gives me inconsistent performance. When I am within 20ft of the "Martian base" and point the Glo-remote to the ceiling (mentioned somewhere in this forum) the performance becomes more consistent. The battery life is significantly less then the standard remote due to the "Glo" (1 month or so for me). I also had issues with FIOS "Glo" remote so it may be some sort of interference issue that I am running into and have not been able to resolve.

As I mentioned earlier the Iphone applications are by far the best Tivo remote for long distances (Wi-Fi). Their drawback is functionality which I discussed a few threads up.


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