# Can I hardwire an IR receiver to the Roamio?



## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

I have a URC universal remote control system and it supports sticking IR blasters onto each device that I want to control, or I can use a 3.5mm plug to send/receive IR signals.

I noticed the Roamio has a USB-to-IR receiver that I was thinking about cutting and attaching directly to my URC remote control transmitter.

Is this possible?


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## Joe01880 (Feb 8, 2009)

I'm pretty sure mine is RF. Don't need an IR blaster.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


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## flar (Mar 18, 2003)

I would love to do this as well, but have no expertise in those areas...


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## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

Joe01880 said:


> I'm pretty sure mine is RF. Don't need an IR blaster.


My universal remote is also RF and it communicates to a base station. The base station then sends IR (or RS232, etc) commands to my devices.

For example, if I press [Play] on my remote control, it sends the signal over RF to the base station which sends an IR command to the Tivo. Usually IR blasters like this one are used to send the IR command and the IR blaster sticks on the device.

I'm looking to use the USB-to-IR adapter to hardware the Tivo into my remote control hub, if that makes sense.


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## Joe01880 (Feb 8, 2009)

It doesn't make sense to me but I'm old school. I have a TiVo in each room I have a tv. My home theater is operated by a Harmony One and assisted by a Roamio Pro remote for its keyboard capabilities, in other rooms I use my Galaxy S4 if I need a keyboard which is rare to not at all. Good luck with your project. Keep us up to speed on how it works out. It sounds interesting even tho I do not have the electronic expertise to try it myself.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


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## tatergator1 (Mar 27, 2008)

Assuming you're talking about using this:
https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/ir-adapter

I'm not sure cutting the cord of that adapter and trying to wire it to a 3.5 mm plug would work, but that's beyond my expertise.

You could plug this adapter into the USB port of the DVR, and then run the IR receiver end out of sight and put an IR blaster in front of it.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I suppose what you're talking about might work, but it hardly seems worth the trouble. I'm currently controlling my Roamio via an IR emitter coming from a URC MRF-350 base station, and it works fine.


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

So, you're looking for something like this? http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Jack-Plug-Data-Cable/dp/B006T95XUS

Might be easier to just buy it and try it out.


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## flar (Mar 18, 2003)

I have the same emitter for my Roamio/URC setup, but I hate using adhesives on the front of my devices and I don't like the cords snaking around to the front of devices.


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## tatergator1 (Mar 27, 2008)

flar said:


> I have the same emitter for my Roamio/URC setup, but I hate using adhesives on the front of my devices and I don't like the cords snaking around to the front of devices.


This is what I was getting at with my earlier post. Buy the IR extender from TiVo, stick it behind the TiVo and stick the IR blaster from the URC to the Extender and hide it that way.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Diana Collins said:


> So, you're looking for something like this? http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Jack-Plug-Data-Cable/dp/B006T95XUS
> 
> Might be easier to just buy it and try it out.


That's not going to work unless it's with a device specifically designed for it, which TiVo is not.

TiVo has IP commands set up for Control4 and Crestron, but no RS-232C or hardwired IR options. You have to have blasters out with a racked and hidden setup anyways, so TiVo will need one too.


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## flar (Mar 18, 2003)

tatergator1 said:


> This is what I was getting at with my earlier post. Buy the IR extender from TiVo, stick it behind the TiVo and stick the IR blaster from the URC to the Extender and hide it that way.


I guess I forgot to add that I would prefer to reduce the use of IR in any case.

If you are blasting IR then you have to introduce more delays into your macro programming so that the devices don't interfere with each other. With a hard-wired connection then signals are only sent specifically to the device in question and not overheard by other devices. Back to back IR signals to different devices require a delay pad between the commands so that the IR receivers can detect that you might have changed targets.

Even with the stick-on emitters you can have this interference. You especially get the interference if you simply blast IR throughout your cabinet which happens even if you are placing the blaster/extender in the back. Even one device using a blaster can mean that all devices now need delays.


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

Bigg said:


> That's not going to work unless it's with a device specifically designed for it, which TiVo is not.
> 
> TiVo has IP commands set up for Control4 and Crestron, but no RS-232C or hardwired IR options. You have to have blasters out with a racked and hidden setup anyways, so TiVo will need one too.


The earlier supposition in the thread was that since TiVos CAN accept decoded IR commands through USB (that's how the IR extender linked to in the 4th post works) that it MIGHT be possible to bypass the electrical signal to IR light back to signal conversion and just wire the distribution hub directly to the USB port. The original poster was planning to cut a solder a cable together. I just suggested that for $6 it might make sense to just buy one. I have no idea if this will work or not.


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## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

If you want to hack up the official Tivo IR-USB receiver, that in theory would work.

This was discussed once in this thread.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=520619

I have to agree with the sentiment, I don't see why it's worth the effort. If you tape the IR blaster and the USB receiver together (in an inescapable box) it should be the same result.

Those premade 1/8" to USB cables that keep popping up, are not useful for anything and could cause damage. IR and USB are two totally different signals, there needs to be a small circuit to translate between them, which would be present in the official Tivo receiver.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Diana Collins said:


> The earlier supposition in the thread was that since TiVos CAN accept decoded IR commands through USB (that's how the IR extender linked to in the 4th post works) that it MIGHT be possible to bypass the electrical signal to IR light back to signal conversion and just wire the distribution hub directly to the USB port. The original poster was planning to cut a solder a cable together. I just suggested that for $6 it might make sense to just buy one. I have no idea if this will work or not.


Not going to work.



telemark said:


> Those premade 1/8" to USB cables that keep popping up, are not useful for anything and could cause damage. IR and USB are two totally different signals, there needs to be a small circuit to translate between them, which would be present in the official Tivo receiver.


Correct.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

tatergator1 said:


> Assuming you're talking about using this:
> https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/ir-adapter
> 
> I'm not sure cutting the cord of that adapter and trying to wire it to a 3.5 mm plug would work, but that's beyond my expertise.
> ...


Taping the TiVo extender to the IR blaster as suggested will work fine.

Cutting the receiver head off of it and soldering the wires directly to the base station will destroy the extender cable at best and could easily fry the USB port on the TiVo, the base station, or both.


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## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

Thanks for the information everybody. I understand that it's probably not worth the effort and perhaps not possible, but it was worth investigating. I'll use the IR emitter and stick it onto the Tivo (or stick the IR emitter on the Tivo IR USB adapter).

Anyways... can Tivo be controlled using IP commands? The CSR told me no, but maybe it's possible? (according to Bigg's post above?)

Also, for those curious, I'll be placing my Tivo in a rack-mounted setup using Universal Remote Control (URC) remotes (MX980, MX880s) and an MSC-400 base station. The Tivo is then shared between a couple of TVs using a Gefen 4X4 4K HDMI matrix.


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

For a "roll your own" IP control, see this thread: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=392385

The TiVo iOS and Android apps have remote control features, and that works over IP, so the CSR was wrong.


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## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

Thanks so much! That's very interesting and will give me a bunch of stuff to play with


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

I use Roomie remote with the iOS app and it works to control it over IP with the TiVo.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

ggieseke said:


> Taping the TiVo extender to the IR blaster as suggested will work fine.
> 
> Cutting the receiver head off of it and soldering the wires directly to the base station will destroy the extender cable at best and could easily fry the USB port on the TiVo, the base station, or both.


Depends on where it was soldered. If you were to remove the IR receiver from the little circuit board and then solder the wires from the transmitter in it's place then it "might" work. As long as the transmitter thing produces a signal that's similar to the IR receiver then the rest of the circuitry should work. But that is a pretty big if. I can't imagine any of these devices produce enough current to fry the TiVo's USB ports, so most likely the worse case scenario is it simply wont work and you'll have destroyed the IR receiver cable.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

sofakng said:


> Anyways... can Tivo be controlled using IP commands? The CSR told me no, but maybe it's possible? (according to Bigg's post above?)


Crestron and Control4, among others, use the IP control commands to control TiVos via the network, as does TiVo's own app.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

Dan203 said:


> Depends on where it was soldered. If you were to remove the IR receiver from the little circuit board and then solder the wires from the transmitter in it's place then it "might" work. As long as the transmitter thing produces a signal that's similar to the IR receiver then the rest of the circuitry should work. But that is a pretty big if. I can't imagine any of these devices produce enough current to fry the TiVo's USB ports, so most likely the worse case scenario is it simply wont work and you'll have destroyed the IR receiver cable.


Most IR blasters use LEDs rated for around 100mW and drive them pretty hard. It probably wouldn't be enough to take out the USB port on the TiVo but I'm not about to try it with mine.


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## cambridgebandb (Jan 13, 2015)

Flar & Sofakng - question for you folks. I have an existing URC MRF-350 which has, for a number of years, been picking up signals from my MX-950 remote and turning them into IR to control my FiOS box. Now I'm dumping the FiOS box in favor of a Roamio with Cable Card. Will the MRF-350 do the same duty of receiving RF from the TiVo remote and blasting IR at the Roamio? (Sounds like that's your setup... so I'm guessing yes). If so, any special config required? (An SI installed my system as is 8 years ago... so I never became a remote / URC expert...)


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## flar (Mar 18, 2003)

Both the TiVo remote and the MRF-350 support RF for remote control, but they don't speak to each other as far as I know. They don't interfere with each other, but the TiVo remote talks directly to, and only to, the Roamio. The MRF-350 can continue to receive signals from its paired URC remote, though, and it will be able to send IR signals to the Roamio, but you'll have to have the database on your URC system reprogrammed for the TiVo's IR codes.

The TiVo remote will work alongside the URC system, though. It just won't be sending signals to the MRF-350 - it will send its signals directly to the Roamio.

So, the URC remote can send RF to the URC base station and the Roamio won't notice or respond to those RF signals directly.
The URC base station can then turn around and translate those URC RF signals into IR and blast it at the Roamio and the Roamio will respond to those IR signals.
The TiVo remote can also send RF directly to the Roamio but the URC system won't notice or interfere with those RF signals.


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## cambridgebandb (Jan 13, 2015)

flar said:


> Both the TiVo remote and the MRF-350 support RF for remote control, but they don't speak to each other as far as I know. They don't interfere with each other, but the TiVo remote talks directly to, and only to, the Roamio. The MRF-350 can continue to receive signals from its paired URC remote, though, and it will be able to send IR signals to the Roamio, but you'll have to have the database on your URC system reprogrammed for the TiVo's IR codes.
> 
> The TiVo remote will work alongside the URC system, though. It just won't be sending signals to the MRF-350 - it will send its signals directly to the Roamio.
> 
> ...


Flar - Thanks! My challenge is that the TiVo remote isn't reaching the Roamio in the basement (unless I stand in just the right spot). So I want HOPING the MRF_350 would help. Any other hints on extending the TiVo signal? TiVo isn't much help.


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## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

cambridgebandb said:


> Flar - Thanks! My challenge is that the TiVo remote isn't reaching the Roamio in the basement (unless I stand in just the right spot). So I want HOPING the MRF_350 would help. Any other hints on extending the TiVo signal? TiVo isn't much help.


Use strong batteries, moving the Roamio higher, rearranging any blocking furniture, reducing 2.4Ghz interference (wifi, bluetooth, cordless phones, microwaves), all could improve things slightly.

Really though, I'd recommend a network remote for any long distance applications.


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## cambridgebandb (Jan 13, 2015)

telemark said:


> Use strong batteries, moving the Roamio higher, rearranging any blocking furniture, reducing 2.4Ghz interference (wifi, bluetooth, cordless phones, microwaves), all could improve things slightly.
> 
> Really though, I'd recommend a network remote for any long distance applications.


Telemark - Thx. Agree that I ultimately want to get to a network remote. (I mean, geez, it make a TON more sense than depending on IR etc). Recommendations on something that works well w/TiVo and has a wide set of profiles for older (8-10 years) gear?


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

cambridgebandb said:


> Flar - Thanks! My challenge is that the TiVo remote isn't reaching the Roamio in the base ment (unless I stand in just the right spot). So I want HOPING the MRF_350 would help. Any other hints on extending the TiVo signal? TiVo isn't much help.


Others have reported that plugging the RF adapter/dongle (the one that comes with the slide remote when you order it for a Mini or a Premiere) into the USB port makes the remote pair with the adapter instead of the DVR. You could then use a long USB cable to position the dongle someplace where it gets a decent signal from the remote. You can get the dongle alone from a couple places, such as Weaknees.


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## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

I agree with Diana's solution too.

But it all depends what equipment you have, where it is, and where you use it from.

If you want to just play with a network remote, grab a smart phone and install the official Tivo app. Some people like the touch screen and some people hate it.

That only gives you Tivo control. Using 3rd party apps, you can start controlling other networked equipment. If not all the equipment is networked, then you need some kind of translator box, like the Harmony Hub.

You could also just reprogram the URC remote you have. If this is what you want to pursue, you might want to ask on http://www.avsforum.com/ as there's a good amount of traffic there about it.


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## flar (Mar 18, 2003)

cambridgebandb said:


> Flar - Thanks! My challenge is that the TiVo remote isn't reaching the Roamio in the basement (unless I stand in just the right spot). So I want HOPING the MRF_350 would help. Any other hints on extending the TiVo signal? TiVo isn't much help.


The MRF-350 can talk to the TiVo, it just can't listen to the TiVo remote. Why not reprogram the MX-950 and put the TiVo remote in a drawer? The only thing it looks like it is missing is the colored keys which are only rarely useful (though I will sheepishly admit that I replaced my MX-1200 with an MX-890 so I could get the colored buttons for TiVo).

If you want to stay in the URC family and switch to a network remote, they have some network models. I bought through an outfit called surfremote which not only has excellent prices for the URC products, but they will supply you with the programming software for free along with purchase (at least they did for the MX-890 which used the CCP software, I'm not sure if they do that with the network models). Perfect for the DIYer... (no affiliation here other than as a customer)


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