[mythtv-users] Found an Awesome Remote

[Michael T. Dean]

Tim Hamer wrote:

> Matthew Schumacher wrote:
>
>> What do you figure the range is with this.  I have an ATI remote wonder
>> and I need to wave it around looking for a signal to control my mythtv
>> server even in the same room.  I'm looking for a better remote, but it
>> has to be able to go 75 feet though walls and work all of the time.  Do
>> you think this unit will do that?
>
> it claims to do up to 100', but i assume thats open air. i got it to 
> work consistently from about 50' through a couple walls, but i didnt 
> test very hard at longer distances.

In my experience, the Remote Wonder is acceptable, but not an ideal 
remote (although, I have to admit that I haven't given up on it--I'm 
just trying to tweak it to make it ideal).

To get the best range, you should
    a) get a USB extension to get the receiver far away from your case 
(metal) and electronics (interference).  (A 6 -foot extension is 
probably perfect, but the store only had a 10 foot extension, so that's 
what I'm using--even though that may be more than the max cable length 
for reliable USB connections.  It seems to work fine when testing with 
the remote close to the receiver.)
    b) use LIRC > 0.7.0pre5+ and specify a channel bitmask.  This will 
likely force you to "learn" the remote commands yourself, but it's worth 
the effort.

And, although I can't confirm it, it seems that the signal is strongest 
on the sides of the remote, so if I point the remote at the receiver, 
it's less reliable than if I turn the remote 90 degrees.

My next test will be to try to figure out the frequency it's using (for 
the channel I've specified) and create a quarter-, half-, and/or 
full-wave antenna to see if that improves range/reliability.

I can sometimes use the remote from other rooms, but not too reliably.  
My house has steel studs, so that might affect it.  Also, I find that if 
the remote is too close to my couch--which is full of metal springs and 
things--it  seems to "absorb" the signal.  (The receiver is only about 6 
feet away from the couch, but the remote works better from another room 
25 feet away than it does when the remote is right next to the couch, so 
I basically have to pick up the remote to make it work when I'm watching 
TV.)

Mike