PS3IR-500 Wireless Infra-red Adapter for PlayStation 3

by Schmartz

Product Details

• ASIN: B002AUG6OW
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,688 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

The ps3toothfairy gives your Harmony / universal remote full remote control of your Playstation 3. With the ps3toothfairy, your infrared (IR) remote provides all 51 buttons of the PS3 Bluetooth control and provides power on and off. Easy to setup; Configure your Logitech Harmony or other infrared remote for a Playstation 2 then pair your ps3toothfairy with the PS3.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Companion to the PS3, August 8, 2009

By 

Lost My Mind (California, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PS3IR-500 Wireless Infra-red Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Electronics)

For Home Theater enthusiasts or the truly lazy among us, the PS3IR-500 will finally allow you to integrate the PS3 with your universal remote. The PS3IR replicates the full set of buttons on the Sony PS3 Remote and can be used to turn the system on, off, and access the "PS3" button.

The primary difference between this device and cheaper USB adapters is that it can be used to turn the system on and off. The main difference between this and the Logitech version is that the PS3IR can function with other brands of remotes.

A couple of things to note:
1. You need a USB port on something other than your PS3, such as a DVR, Tivo, cable box, etc. This is how it gets power.
2. If you don't have a USB port, you'll need a USB hub or adapter. An extra iPhone adapter works well too.
3. If you want to use the direct connection, you'll need to purchase a 1/8" MONO male-to-male cable. You will also have to go to their website and download the configuration utility to change "modes".

Compared to the PS3IR-1000, this unit is missing a few features. Among them is a way to check if the PS3 is already on. That way, if you hit "off" when the PS3 is already off, it won't try to turn it on. Some potentially useful features, but not critical. I don't think it's worth the extra money.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PS3IR-500 is the only way to go, February 10, 2010

By 

Tom the SME "mntnbkr" (Cary, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PS3IR-500 Wireless Infra-red Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Electronics)

If you are like me and have a wife who only wants to have to deal with one remote control (and you own a Playstation 3), then one of the offerings from Schmartz are the ONLY WAY TO GO. When I was researching options for handling Infrared to BlueTooth(IR2BT) signal conversion I investigated all the available options and here's what I found:

1. IR2BT Dongle:

Strengths = Cheap

Weaknesses = No power off control. No full support of all functions. Not updatable. No

Power = Must have USB port available. If you plug it directly into the PS/3 you take up a USB and the "power on" can't work from a remote because the dongle won't be active. Would need a male to female USB "extension cord" if you wanted to plug it into a DVR or Cable Box USB port because the dongle must be in 'line of sight' in order to pick up infrared signals.

2. Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3:

Strengths = Full function support

Weaknesses = Cost, no firmware update ability (this is huge)

Power = Plugs into wall, so you need an outlet, but no powered USB

3. Schmartz PS3IR-500/1000:

Strengths = Full function support, Firmware CAN be updated, just plug it into a computer. Can be programmed so a single button push can submit a series of commands (PS3IR-1000). Cheaper than Harmony Adapter and much easier to hide.

Weaknesses = None that I could find.

Power = Must have access to a powered USB port, but most DVRs and/or Cable Boxes have a powered USB port you can use and these are typically always left on. Schmartz supplies you with a USB to mini USB cord so you can locate the PS3IR-500/1000 in a location that is line of sight.

My PS3IR-500 arrived promply (and well packaged). I had it "installed" in less than a minute.

I have a Harmony/Logitech remote control, so I just had to log into the Harmony/Logitech website and add the Schmartz PS3IR-500. It's in the Harmony database under the Game Console section. After adding the Schmartz PS3IR-500, I modified my "Watch a Movie" activity to use this component instead of my old DVD player (I also added a new "Play Game" activity). Now I just pop a movie into my PS/3, select "Watch a Movie" on my Harmony remote, then use the remote to navigate through the PS/3 menu to start the movie.

My wife is very happy 8-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works perfectly!, July 29, 2009

By 

John Kinsella (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PS3IR-500 Wireless Infra-red Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Electronics)

My Playstation 3 was the only device I could not control from my Harmony 890, so I went looking for a IR->bluetooth converter for it. Only some of them have the ability to turn the PS3 on/off, the Schmartz is one of them, at a damn good price, so I went for it. I couldn't be happier! It literally Just Worked - on the PS3 I specified I wanted to add a new remote, then turned on the PS3IR-500, and the two bluetooth paired in about 10 seconds. Then I told my Harmony software that I had a PS3IR-500, updated the remote, and I was good to go. I can navigate through menus, play music/movies/browse the web...it all Just Works.

The Schmartz is powered via USB cable, so I plugged it into the useless USB port on my comcast box which we always leave on (it turns itself on to record shows but doesn't turn itself off, so I just set up the Harmony to never turn it off). So just keep in mind if you want to use this you need something that can power a USB device all the time...can't use the PS3 to power it, as when it's off, it provides no power to the USB ports. If you don't have something that can do this, I'm sure you can find a simple/cheap usb power adaptor.