Tired of looking at that ugly cable box? The obvious solution is to hide it behind behind closed doors. Unfortunately, many of today’s cable boxes and other components use IR (infrared) remotes, which require line of sight to work. So if you put your cable box behind doors, you’ll have to open them whenever you want to change channels. Not an ideal solution.
However, there are a few easy ways around this IR problem that don’t require drilling, running more wires or hiring a home theater installer. Find out which of the following solutions is right for you.
Relay commands behind closed doors
Sewell has two easy ways to relay commands to a cable box that you’ve hidden behind closed door. If you already have everything hooked up, Sewell has a discreet battery powered IR repeater, called BlastIR Wireless Pro IR Repeater, that you can easily retrofit into a cabinet. Stick the emitter on the inside of the cabinet in line with your components. Then put the the receiver on the outside. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t like the look of the receiver, you can plug a very discreet IR receiver into the main receiver and stick it near your TV. The main receiver and emitter communicate over radio frequency, so they don’t require line of sight.
The receiver and emitter can work with multiple receivers and emitters. You can purchase additional emitters and receivers separately to meet your needs. And, you can purchase a combination receiver and emitter, or transceiver, in one to extend the reach of the signal. The RF signal travels up to 30 feet. If you don’t mind running cords, a more economical solution is the BAFX All-in-One Infrared IR Repeater Kit. The the BAFX repeater, you place the receiver near your TV and then run individual IR emitters to each component you want to control.
If you have easy access to the HDMI port on the back of your TV and cable box, you can use the Sewell InjectIR Pro Dual Band IR over HDMI. An IR receiver plugs into the end of the HDMI cable that you plug into the back of your TV. On the other end of your HDMI cable (the one that goes into your cable box) you plug in the transmitter.
Send video from across the room
If there’s nowhere to hide your cable box, you can choose to put it in a nearby cabinet or closet and send the video signal and IR commands with a wireless HDMI kit. A basic kit, like the IOGEAR Wireless 4K @ 30Hz Video Extender with Local Pass-through, is easy to install and works at a distance of up to 150 feet.
For more information on solutions for running your businesses’ technology more efficiently, visit our website or contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 448-7100 x210.
This was originally posted by Techlicious.