Envious Technology Home Automation

If you want to put your audio visual equipment (such as Foxtel, DVD/BLU-Ray/Media Center etc) in a cupboard or TV Entertainment Unit and still be able to use your remote control(s) without needing to open the cupboard door then you'll need a remote control extender (also known as an infrared extender or IR extender).

Basic solutions:

The most basic solution for controlling audio visual equipment in a cupboard is to use either our Stereo Control or InvisibleControl4. These devices consist of a small box called an infrared (IR) receiver attached to a thin cable with one or more IR emitters. The IR receiver 'box' sits view of your remote control (usually on top of or, at least, close to) the cupboard. The IR extender cable runs into the cupboard where one of the IR emitters is adhered (using the self-adhesive tape on the back) to the front of each of the devices you want to control. Controlling your equipment is then just a matter of pointing your remote control at the IR recever, which relays the signal to the equipment you want to control via the LEDs attached to it.

The Stereo Control or InvisibleControl4 vary in a number of ways:

• The InvisibleControl4 can service up to 4 AV devices, whereas the Stereo Control can only handle 2.
• The Stereo Control is battery operated whereas the InvisibleControl4 can be operated using batteries or the (supplied) power adapter.
• The InvisibleControl4 is a sleek sexy looking unit, whereas the styling of the StereoControl is not quite as nice.
• The Stereo Control has a permanently attached IR extender cable with two emitters to control two devices. The Invisible Control has two detachable IR extender cables, each with two emitters. It therefore has the capability of adding additional devices.

Click here to view the Stereo Control IR Extender
Click here to view the InvisibleControl4

A 'professional' option:

If you want to control more than 4 devices in a cupboard, or it's not convenient to point your remote control in the general direction of the cupboard (or if you simply don't like the look of the Stereo Control or Invisible Control) then it is worth taking a look at the Marmitek IR Control Pro 8 which offers a number of advantages over the previous two systems:

• The IR Control Pro 8 can control four devices straight out of the box, and up to two further IR extender cables can be connected giving it a total capacity of eight devices.
• With the IR Control Pro 8 the IR receiver is separate from the electronics and associated power supply and is very small making your installation rather more discrete. Indeed a panel mount IR receiver is available which can be drilled into a cabinet front, making the whole installation virtually invisible.
• The cable which connects the IR Control Pro 8's IR receiver and electronics can be extended up to 300 metres using commonly available cable such as cat-5 so the IR receiver can be placed virtually anywhere.
• More than one IR receiver can be connected to the IR Control Pro 8, offering the potential for equipment to be controlled from different rooms.

Wireless solutions:

Depending on your situation, one other solution worth considering is a wireless infrared extender setup such as the Powermid XL. This unit is primarily intended for controlling equipment in a different room, however it can also provide an option for controlling equipment in a cupboard. The Powermid XL consists of a separate IR receiver and IR transmitter which can 'talk' to each other using radio frequency (RF) which can travel through walls. The IR receiver needs to be positioned (somewhere convenient) in line of sight of where you want to use your remote control. The IR transmitter sits either in line of sight of the equipment you want to control or is connected to that equipment using an IR emitter cable (in just the same way as with the Stereo Control, Invisible Control or IR Control Pro 8 above). Controlling your equipment is now simply a matter of pointing your remote control at the IR recever, which relays the signal wirelessly to the IR transmitter, which in turn relays it to the equipment you want to control.

If you are thinking of using a Powermid XL to control equipment in a closed cupboard you need to be aware that an IR transmitter can only drive one IR extender cable so with a basic setup you are limited to controlling up to three devices in a closed cupboard (if you use a triple IR lead). However, the IR transmitter will also control anything in its line of sight so if you have a very deep cupboard it is sometimes possible to put the IR transmitter inside and possibly even do away with the need for an IR extender cable altogether as a result. Alternatively, as an IR receiver can transmit to any number of IR transmitters, it is possible to locate multiple IR transmitters and IR extender cables at the cupboard location, all of which are controlled by the single IR receiver.