Customer Reviews

Cables To Go Impact Acoustics 40430 Infrared (IR) Remote Control Repeater Kit - Black

5 star:		(214)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

This product works GREAT and is very inexpensive compared to others. I recommend using this product over wireless repeaters for reliability and cleanliness of installation.
PROS: Very neat installation and very accurate repeater for a complete system using a Sony 52 inch LCD. Ample wires and expansion capability. Feels like a well built product with clear labeling on the box for easy installation. I added a standard 12 foot long 3.5mm M/F stereo extension cable to lengthen the 10 foot IR Receiver cable that was included in the kit. This allowed me to put the IR receiver on the TV (wall mounted Sony) and put the box in the equipment closet 12 feet away. It worked flawlessly. They should advertise this capability on the Cables to Go website.

CONS: The double back tape on the IR Transmitters seemed kinda week. I don't think they'll fall off over time, but actually might. The IR transmitter plugs pop out of the box very easily. I think they are using the wrong plug/socket combination in the design; they work, but come out VERY easily when they should 'click' in like the IR receiver and power plug do. The power cord is the same plug as all the other ports. It is easily confused with the port next to it labeled "Status". The unit will not work if the power is in the "Status" port, but when miswired, does not fry the unit either. (Uh, don't ask how I learned this...)

Great Product. Highly Recommended. 9 out of 10 for the IR Transmitters not locking in correctly.

This is a great, well priced repeater although it may not be compatible with all equipment.

The unit worked well for my Pioneer Elite receiver and DVD player, but unfortunately it could not transmit the signal at all for my AT&T U-verse "cable" box. The U-verse system is a new technology and apparently the remote is using a frequency that is not within the range of the Cables To Go unit. I called tech support and they were very accomodative and helpful although they had not run into this issue before with the new AT&T units. They had fixed an issue with certain Scientific Atlanta units and therefore figured we could try that remedy. They mailed (at no cost) a new receiver "eye" in an attempt to fix the issue. The new part arrived quickly and I was very hopeful that we would be all set - unfortunately it did not work and I was forced to retunr the unit to Amazon.

All in all - I would recommend the unit if my equipment were compatible. It appears there is really no in between - it will either work with your equipment and in that case it works well - otherwise it simply cannot transmit the signal and thus it will not work at all. I recommend you search online to see if it is known to work with your equipment or you could likely call Cables to Go and ask them if they know whether or not it will work.

I searched for weeks to find a solution for my new house. I had just got a 55" LED LCD TV and new leather furniture and the last thing I wanted in the room was a stack of electronics emitting different color LEDs from every knob and switch. I mounted a shelf in the garage, directly behind the TV, and now I have one of the cleanest setups I have seen. I tried 3 or 4 different IR repeaters from $40-$150 and none met my expectations. Some had delays, others I had to hold the buttons for 2-5 seconds, and some just simply did not work. The 40430 setup easily in about 5 minutes, and worked immediately with my Tivo, DVD, DVR and HD cable box. I had a concern with the HD functions so tech support gladly sent me a newer revision of the IR receiver, no questions asked. I never had to speak to a machine and the 2 guys I spoke to (Doug & Brad) were very nice. Now everyone that comes to the house, friends, family and service guys all comment and are just amazed at the simple look and the ease of use! Note: Xbox 360 uses RF signals so you shouldnt need a repeater. Mine works just fine through the wall. Also, if you mount the ir emitters directly on a device you should remove the sticky stuff (which sort of obstructs the ir signal) and just tape it on.

This is a GREAT product. I moved all my audio/video equipment to the walk-in closet behind the wall that my TV is mounted on, and now I have a very clean setup. I work for one of the better known CE companies and have tested and used many similar products, including expensive products used for professional installations. There really is no reason to pay more, as long as you understand what this product can and cannot do.

PROS:
1. very inexpensive yet performance and the build quality are as good as units costing 2-3 times as much
2. IR receiver is actually more sensitive and has a wider angle than the IR receivers embedded in my various A/V equipment. As a result, I get better IR performance than when my Harmony One remote was firing directly at the equipment in the same room.
3. It's nice to have SIX output ports (to IR emitters) - most units costing 2-3 times as much only have 4.

CONS:
1. Would have been nice to be able to plug two IR receiver into the unit so that I can use a remote in my patio (AVR Zone 2); however, you won't find this feature in a product that sells for anywhere near the 40430 price....

** RECOMMENDATION ** check to see if your equipment has a 3.5mm IR input connector (usually on the back); if so, buy a mono 3.5mm plug-to-plug cable and run it directly from one of the 40430 output ports to your equipment - you get a cleaner setup without gluing an IR flasher to the front. My Harman Kardon AVR has both IR-in and IR-out so I was able to daisy-chain the IR through it to my BD player.

5 enthusiastic stars!!!

Added 3/18/2010. edited 10/11/2011:
If you have a 2-zone setup, you might need to connect two IR receiver to the CTG 40430 single IR receiver input. This requires a 2-in/1-out IR Connecting Block; Amazon is one for ~$13:

Vista Acoustics C21
Amazon.com [...]

You'll also need to add an IR sensor for your 2nd zone. This $15 receiver should work nicely; it * might* also solve the problem some people are having with set-top boxes that use higher frequency IR:
[...]
All together you'll double the cost of the 40430 alone, but it's still a lower price than anything I have been able to find that has 'native' dual-zone capability.

My entertainment center is directly in front of me in the living room. However, the AV receiver is on the bottom shelf and obscured by a coffee table. Because of this my Logitech Harmony One remote has difficulty 'seeing' it and I have to raise my arm and wave the remote around to adjust the volume. Not fun.

Early on I looked at IR repeaters and all I found were $20 el cheapo's I didn't trust and others running close to $100. After spending umpteen thousand on the entertainment system I just couldn't bring myself to spend another $100. That's just me. When I found this unit for $50 on Amazon it was at the perfect price point and from the product description sound exactly like what I needed.

When the IR repeater arrived I immediately connected it up laid out on a table to test. Unfortunately, the IR receiver would respond to the Dish Network remote (which I do not use) but it would not respond to input from the Harmony One remote. I called Cables To Go and was pleased to have a human answer who transferred me to tech support. Tech Support told me I needed a different IR Receiver and transferred me to Customer Support. The gal there took my information and 2 days later I had a 'SA Compatible' IR receiver at my doorstep. That is great customer service.

Installed the IR repeater with the new receiver and it works perfectly. I can point the remote anywhere in the room and the Cables To Go repeater picks up the signal. Actually the remote doesn't have to be pointed at all; just push a button and the entertainment system reacts.

What a dope; should have done this a year ago....

This IR Kit is great! One reason I purchased it was because of the low cost as compared to the Xantech Dinky Link kit. I also purchased this one from Cables to Go mostly because of the wiring terminals with the ability to connect a Cat5 cable straight to the IR Block.

The IR receiver works great through Cat5! During the setup, I replaced the 3.5mm jack with an RJ-45 jack. To do that, I cut off the 3.5mm jack and stripped the wires. I then crimped that into a RJ-45 jack, which allowed a seemless look as I plugged that into a standard RJ-45 wall jack. At the other end of the cat5 cable, I plugged that corresponding wires straight into the IR Block for a great connection. This allowed for a great look with no visible wires.

This setup works great and highly recommend it. If you are looking for a budget friendly IR Kit to use with Cat5, this is recommended.

As for LCD interference, I have not experienced any!! To note, my receiver is about one inch below my Samsung LCD TV. If you do experience interference, just buy an LCD proof receiver, as SpeakerCraft has one for ~$60. It will still be cheaper than the Dinky Link at ~$160, which does the same thing.

Currently, I have my Tivo hooked up to broadcast to 2 televisions in my house. One of them is ~15 feet away, and the other is ~55 feet away. I ordered this, expecting that I would likely need to buy 2 of them to account for multiple IR receivers. Just for a test, I hooked up both receivers to a standard 3.5mm splitter, and it works for both of them.

So now I have one receiver hooked up to a 50 foot extension (plus the extra 10 feet on the receiver itself), and another receiver hooked up to a 15 foot extension (again, plus the 10 feet). I have not had an issue with either of them.

I ordered this not even knowing if it would work with a 50 foot extension cable, and can now say with confidence that not only does it work, it will work with long cable extensions and 2 receivers spliced into the IR receiver port.

Unit is functional and appears to work well with my older devices. However it does not communicate well with Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD. Some functions do not transmit at all, others require repeated attempts.

Update - use this IR Receiver for newer devices and this unit works well:

Cmple - Dual Frequency IR Receiver SA HDTV DVR and DirectTV H21

About 5% of all commands need to be re-issued, but it may just be the placement of the IR Receiver.

So you are wondering, what to do? You may be considering a Harmony 900 RF remote, to replace your recently purchased Harmony One IR remote. Reading the Harmony 900 RF reviews, it sounds like the RF range is very crappy and questionable - not good for a $300 remote. So my dilema was what to do? Not to worry - this Cables-To-Go 40430 unit works flawlessly

I was concerned after reading reviews that the IR receiver may not work with the Harmony One.

I called customer service at Cables to Go quickly, and they said (real American person on first ring) that the units they are shipping now have an IR received that should be compatible with the Harmony One - but if by chance it doesn't work, just call back (direct line provided) and they would ship out the correct IR receiver.

My setup puts Sci Atlanta Comcast cable box, Yamaha receiver, Sony Blu-Ray player and other accessories about 20 feet from the Panasonic plasma mounted in our living room.

All I had to do was stick the little IR receiver to the bottom of the Panny, run the wire, plug the unit in and stick the emitters to my equipment in the AV closet, and voila, full control via not only my Harmony One, but for each of the factory remotes for each of the my audio devices.

Very cool indeed. Thanks guys for a great solution.

The product works as promised out of the box. It's easy to setup. We're using it with a Samsung TV and DVR from Charter Communications.

The double sided sticky pads they include didn't really work, but I just taped the emitter head (I forgot the actual term) to the IR eye on our DVR. The DVR is in a closed cabinet, so you can't see it. It works fine.

My only complaint is that the response time is a little slow and deliberate. When I push the remote button, the response happens about a second later. It's a little annoying, but not a real problem.