MY father recently remodelled his home, and had all the electronics hard wired behind the walls. It's a real clean installaltion, however all the equipment (reciever, cable, DVD, CD etc) are all out of infrared range.
After figuring out he needed a universal remote, as well as needing r/f capability, the search was on for his christmas present. I had a lot of trouble finding a universaal remote that would set up easily for him, has well as have the R/F capability.
In the end, i opted for the infrared remote i really wanted, and the x-10 system. the leapfrog system appeared to have a few bad reviews, and i figured spending the extra money might make the difference (only like $10)
Turned out to be a great decision. I was concerned about the system b/c the front of all the components in the media closet are very close to the door. I purchased 2 extra extender eyes (plug into the back of the R/F recieving unit, and can be stuck right on the I/R eye of your component) but i didn't even need them. One pyramid in the closet ssomehow still controls all the componants w/o even being in direct line of sight of the i/r eye on each piece of equipment.
I would reccomend buying an extra transmitter (the pyramid w/o the antenna) as you might want to be able to control from other places once you see how convenient this is. My dad has 2, one in the living room, and one in the kitchen, if he wants to control music while cooking. he'll probably end up with another for the patio outside during the summer months.
overall, highly reccomended product. X10 POWERMID Remote Control Extender Kit PM5900
I tried other units that people said worked great, but where they got away with a lesser unit, for me, the Powermid was only one that worked reliably.
First, I tried the RadioShack #15-2550 which has the same problem that others have identified with the Terk Technologies LF-IRX and that relates to range and accuracy. If you can position your remote-receiver close (5-6 ft away) in a location that you point at straight on, then these lesser units may meet your requirements. In my case I am trying to hit both the IR extender and my projector (which are perhaps 20 degrees a part) from 10-15 feet. The Powermid unit worked flawlessly, first time, in every location of my room.
On the other hand, I tried the RadioShack unit in some 6 locations and never got it to work consistently unless I stood 4 feet away from it and shot my remote straight at it. Much like a Amazon review of the Terk unit on 9/28/04 by Matt.
Another benefit of the Powermid is that each unit has an AC power cord rather than a bulky 12v adapter.
One noteworthy thing about the Powermid solution: it is so sensitive the receiver and transmitter must not "see" each other even at a distance, otherwise they will go into a continuous signal repeat. I avoided this by carefully placing a opaque cover over one side of my receiver.
For the extra $10, save yourself time, get the Powermid.
I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Most of the reviews I have read about the Powermid are where someone put their A/V gear in a closet in the next room or in the basement directly below the living room. These weren't very helpful to me in solving my problem. I want to control my TiVo in the living room from my bedroom. The bedroom is about 45' away from the living room, and there is a right angle in the hallway connecting the two rooms. The radio signal has to penetrate no less than 3 walls to reach the receiver.
I read such glowing reviews of the Powermid, I thought I might as well give it a try. It probably couldn't be any worse than the IR/Radio repeater set I paid about 25% more for at Radio Shack. The Radio Shack unit was horribly unreliable, had to be positioned and repositioned and I would have to hold the remote at a funny angle right in front of the transmitter to get it to work. And then it was intermittent at best.
The Powermid works flawlessly. I plugged it in, and it just works. Every click works every time. I have the receiver/IR emitter up high on a shelf, not even directly aimed at the TiVo. The transmitter sits across the bedroom from where I have the remote. I think the Powermid's stellar performance is due in part to the reasonably sized antenna on the receiver unit. No visible antenna on the transmitter unit improves the aesthetics. The power supply is via a standard 110-volt cable, no floor slugs or wall warts, and the cords are plenty long.
Works very well. My transmitter sits on the mantle beneath my LCD and the receiver is on the top shelf in a cabinet with my A/V equipment. Only two negatives. The receiver is elevated compared with my seating position and I found that tilting the Powermid toward me improved performance from a longer distance. I suspect the shape of the Powermid may cause this. Why not just make it square. I guess they would have to change the name. The other neg is that it is not a real long distance performer. At least from remote control to transmitter. I start having problems at about 25ft. I could set the transmitter closer to me and it worked fine but I never could get used to pointing the remote away from the TV to make my cable box and A/V work. I like it near the TV and can live with its limitations.
Still, its a solid product. - Ir Repeater - Rf Remote - Ir - Extender'
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