Roomie with components in cabinet

archive_user · December 19, 2012, 3:07am

Ok I have made the switch from Harmony link (#$%@) to Roomie. I just purchased my Ethernet adapter and I am doing my homework while I wait for it to arrive.

I have a brand new home theatre system in which the components are hidden in two places. Most are in a closed built-in cabinet to the left of the TV but my media server is in a separate room down the hall with my home Ethernet switch and the like. The location of my media server is not really a problem as I have a remote IR cable in place but it does need to supplied with a dedicated emitter.

After having so many problems with my Harmony Link system I have reverted to a traditional IR repeater and the use of standard component remotes for now and my Wife is very comfortable with this setup (go figure!) as she only uses the Sat remote to turn on the TV and amp and change channels. She has an I-phone and I-pad so I am hoping the new system will be more to her liking.

Here is my predicament:

I want to retain the IR repeater to keep the standard remotes available for “basic users” who simply want to watch cable tv without a ISO device but I want the roomie system to also control all my IR equipment. All the equipment is behind closed doors so traditional IR inputs will not work. What is the recommended setup?

I am considering leaving the existing IR repeater in place and simply using a single emitter from the roomie Ethernet adapter to feed signals to the exiting receiver but I am concerned about daisy chaining the two systems and the effect on reliability of the signal.

Is there a way to set up a simple ir receiver to the Ethernet adapter so my standard remotes will continue to operate? Some other forum topics seem to indicate this but have no specific information.

Can I use a custom cable to convert the emitter signal of the Ethernet adapter to a receiver signal of my existing IR Adapter?

Any help you can offer would be great. I would like to get this all back up and working. Having six remotes laid out in my new family room is bothering me!

archive_user · December 21, 2012, 11:34pm

FunFactor,

I use a Niles IR distribution system in my extensive setup. The Niles setup runs everything except for the TV, which is controlled with a blaster attached to the back of a center channel speaker. I’ve been using the Roomie with the Niles IR distribution with no problems in my tests. What I have in my setup is as follows:

Niles IR Receiver that receives signals from both the Roomie and a Logitech Harmony RF 900 remote.
I use the Harmony blaster and have affixed an IR eye onto the Niles IR receiver.
All signals from both units work perfectly and control equipment behind closed doors.

I have three other Niles IR receiver units distributed across the house as in-wall receptacles. They continue to work flawlessly in this setup. They go via Cat6 wiring directly to the Niles IR distribution block.

So, without a visual diagram, I would affix the IR emitter eye onto the IR receiver of your existing unit. That should work just fine. Give it a try.

archive_user · December 22, 2012, 4:53am

Thanks for the info thxtheater,

I had considered this method but I was not sure the Emitter from the Roomie ethernet adapter stuck to a receiver of the repeater would work without adding a delay. Sounds like it will work just fine. My last resort is to stick two sets of emitters on everything but I am hoping not to.

They actually sell a cable to do exactly what you have done and its basically the same thing only molded in plastic and it’s $25 plus shipping.

I will report back on how I make out next week. my hardware is sitting at the post office now.

Might also invest in serial port control for my NAD amp. Looks like I could get some feedback Info to the remote if I spend the extra $130 bucks on a serial adapter. This would be nice as with the amp behind the cabinet doors I can no longer confirm the current settings (input selected, mute, volume etc.) My original Plasma had most of this onscreen via HDMI but the new one does not (my Samsung 6500 got stolen only weeks after installed and I could not get another one and settled on for cheaper model)