Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great device and great support, August 9, 2006
This device allows you to extend the range of your remote controls and stick all those ugly components in a closet or basement. There is a little receiver that sends the infrared signal from the remote to wires that are connected to your equipment in a cabinet or other remote location.
I bought this so I could put a satellite box, vhs and dvd player in a cabinet, out of sight in the bedroom. The IR receiver is quite sensitive and the whole system worked like a charm with very little setup time. A lot of A/V pros swear by this system.
NOTE, many plasmas/LCD's emit a lot of IR (infrared radiation) which can interfere with the functioning of the typical IR extender. However, this device seems to be designed with this in mind and apparently works well with virtually all plasmas/lcd's.
To be safe, you may want to actually call the manufacturer to check as to whether the device will work with your particular tv set. As others have noted in their reviews, when I called the manufacturer, I was shocked to find that you can easily get ahold of the inventor. He expressed a rare enthusiasm for his business and his customers and was willing to answer lots of questions about his products. (Quite a surprise for those of us used to computerized voicemail "help" systems or the typical overseas tech support.)
The comment in one of the reviews regarding the short cable between the eye and the box is a fair one. I believe there is another cable that you can buy to fix that although the accessories do run on the slightly more expensive side. Microsmith may also have a new model coming out (fall 06) that addresses this issue.
Note there are a lot of variables governing how well your IR extender system will work--including the kind of equipment you have and how reflective your room surfaces are. So while this is a great product, you may still have to do some fiddling to get it to work out.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Answers About Hot link from Microsmith Inc. Reply to Forum, September 6, 2008
To all:
Thank you for your interest in this feedback forum for Hot Link Pro.
Following are some answers to the problems, questions, and suggestions that have appeared on this forum.
We make every effort to make certain clients can contact us with support questions. The web site and phone number are molded into the bottom of every unit. In the case of this forum we have yet to make contact with those who have had less than a stellar experience with Hot Link Pro.
Hiding the Eye:
We intend no holes to be drilled for the Eye to see through. There is a Velcro Kit and a screw tab for mounting the eye. This screw is meant for non-visible, internal surfaces, not the outside of a cabinet.
Hot Link Pro does not work "hidden behind a cabinet door", it works great behind a cabinet door "slot". It also works on the back of flat panel displays, behind speaker grills and cabinets. It does not need direct line of site. The Blue LED is separate from the Eye so that the Eye may be hidden while the LED may be mounted in a visible location.
Compatibility:
Hot Link Pro is the most compatible IR repeater available. Works with all IR remote controlled DVRs, Sat Boxes, DVD players, CD players, Xbox, etc. It works with all the new 58Khz carrier based gear like Scientific Atlanta 8300, the new AT and T VIP1200, Hughes, Motorola, HR20, etc. It even extends IR Keyboards and mice.
Only a few devices that use 455Khz carriers will not work. Some Kenwood high-end receivers and a couple of Sony high-end "ES" receivers. And a few older pioneer Elite Receivers.
Many professional installers prefer Hot Link Pro to multi-piece systems because it is broad band, works better with flat panel displays and does not need to be visible like other IR repeaters.
Reliability/Quality:
Hot Link models have been in the field for 15 years with extremely few failures. When something does go wrong, we repaired or replaced units for free. Even when the customer cut or removed or damaged parts. While Hot Link Pro will not work if an emitter is cut off, the warranty is not void if a client splices and extends the emitter for the purposes of running it to a ceiling mounted projector. (Usually with great success.) Total overall failure rate is less than 1/4%.
Rugged Design:
When the emitter wires peel apart they do not damage the wire. It is our specification that the wires not tear the insulation while being separated. Consider the alternative, 7 connectors which reduce reliability, and 7 individually bundled wire sets. The whole product uses about a ¼ of a watt, lowering the risk of damaged components from heat, over time.
Remove-ability of Emitters:
Emitters on Hot Link Pro apply with high-grade 3M thick clear tape that is easily removable and replaceable and does not harm plastics. Place thumb and finger on opposing side corners at the lower part of the tape and peel up emitter and tape together. Or push sideways to break adhesion. Using foam tape as suggested on this forum has 2 other consequences: Heat inside cabinets often causes these tapes to fail especially "removable" tapes. Also heat and age cause some foam tapes to stiffen making removal difficult, possibly scratching the surface of AV equipment. Much research has gone into the tape selected for Hot Link Pro. We offer free replacement tape on our site.
The plasma/LCD compatibility question:
Sometimes the "noise" causing the blue LED to stay on is from another source in the environment like a laptop LCD screen or compact high efficiency florescent lamp.
Hot Link Pro has worked with almost all plasma TVs with the known exception of 60 and 61 inch Plasmas and the Sharp Aquos 37 inch LCD NTSC model. Even though Hot Link works with the Aquos 42 and 45 inch and the smaller Aquos LCDs. The 37-inch NTSC model emits to much IR radiation for most IR repeaters to function properly. Hot Link Pro will work with the IR and RF- noisy Sony XBR series.
The 60 and larger plasma displays will work if an Eye with Y Kit is used with the Hot Link. Recommended Eye mounting procedures will be on our site. Noise indication during warm-up of LCD TVs is easily mitigated. Turn on LCD TV after cool down. While standing to one side so as to not add local reflection, place the Eye on the back of the TV and roll it until the Confirmation LED turns completely off.
Since an IR repeater must be broad band and many of the frequencies that cause noise are very near the remote frequencies, multiple direct frequency filtering is actually less effective than power vector filtering accomplished by mounting the Eye in a hidden location. The energy in the vector of the remote going forward is greater than the vector of the noise of the TV reflecting back toward the TV.
Doors open and not functioning properly:
The Hot Link Pro does work with the doors open as well as closed, unless noise is not mitigated or if the LCD or Plasma TV are sending out IR noise directly to the AV gear and affecting remote performance.
Remote To Eye Distances enhanced:
Hot Link Pro enhances useful distances of remotes. Comments to the contrary are often because of not mitigating noise or misplacement of emitters. In the case of the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD which has poor IR range to start with, distance is often enhanced when 1 to 5 layers of masking tape are placed between the Hot Link Pro emitter and the 8300HD IR receiver eye.
We make every effort to make installation as easy as possible with the recognition that some installs are easier than others and we provide great customer service to help with the trickier installations. Please call us for help at 800-999-8846.
At your service,
Marcus, Microsmith Inc.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Product, April 19, 2006
I have no idea what other people are complaining about. This is idiot proof. The cords were plenty long. Customer service A+. The unit is so sensitive that you almost have to put it behind a speaker grill to cut out IR noise. What more do you want. Measure your runs before you order and if neccessary order some extensions.
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