X10 Powermid PM5900 Remote Control Extender Kit - Includes a Transmitter and Receiver - (Infrared Only No Video)

I am totally impressed with this remote control extender. I have used the other types that use an IR receiver and you tape the repeater device on the front of your equipment. They work, but only if you put your electronics in a closed cabinet in the same room. I wanted to get the clutter of my electronics out of the room so that I would only have a wall mounted HDTV in the room with no cables showing. I read the reviews on this Powermid Remote and thought I'd give it a try. My surround sound system, DVR/Cable box, Blu Ray, DVD recorder, and 3rd DVD players are all hidden away in a credenza in a bedroom with an HDMI switch and single HDMI cable that I ran through the wll to the TV set. I was concerned about this working with the equipment closed up in a small cabinet with the face of the equipment very close to the door which practically blocks the IR sensors. I'm happy to say it works flawlessly even in that situation. It even allows me to hook up the DVR and Blu Ray player to my bedroom TV too without paying the extra monthly cost to the cable company. Set up is easy, in fact really nothing to it. Place the transmitter unit in the room you want to sit in, and the receive unit (the one with the antenna), near the equipment to control. They plug in so there's no batteries to worry about. It's that simple. One unit works with all of my remote controls. I've had no trouble with any of the devices I'm controlling. I had to laugh at the reviewer who said the top is sharp and he worried about his kids til I opened the box and touched the top. He was right.. they are sharp. I would not hesitate to buy another one if I needed more. It is extremely good!

This IR remote extender is very easy to install and worked well the first time I tried it. The transmitter is sensitive enough to receive IR signals from remotes at 15 feet. I tried a Harmony One and a Harmony 300i. The reviewers that needed to be within 5 feet to get a signal through might have remotes that don't emit very strong IR signals. The "angle of attack" needs to be pretty close to face-on (remote needs to be fairly well-aimed at the transmitter), and once and a while it will take a second key press to get the signal through. But if you're closer than about 12 feet, it is more forgiving. My receiver is about 45 feet from my transmitter, on a different floor, through several wood-frame walls. Didn't try it at greater distances, but no problem from this far away. The biggest problem I had was aiming the receiver (the unit with the antenna) at the devices. There isn't room in the cabinet to place the receiver in front of the devices, so I had to place it on a shelf about 7 feet away, at about a 45 degree angle from straight-on. Works well from that position. I could use the external LED emitters (I already have a couple from a Sony MRD-D1 video modulator system that I could adapt), but it doesn't seem necessary. The devices are small and unobtrusive, although I agree that the pyramid shape is a little strange. I would prefer something more rectangular which would fit in tight spaces a lot better. The angled front surfaces make it somewhat hard to aim at the best angle to the remotes and devices. But I have to rate this product 5 stars, because it is so easy to install and works so reliably.

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Most of the reviews I have read about the Powermid are where someone put their A/V gear in a closet in the next room or in the basement directly below the living room. These weren't very helpful to me in solving my problem. I want to control my TiVo in the living room from my bedroom. The bedroom is about 45' away from the living room, and there is a right angle in the hallway connecting the two rooms. The radio signal has to penetrate no less than 3 walls to reach the receiver. I read such glowing reviews of the Powermid, I thought I might as well give it a try. It probably couldn't be any worse than the IR/Radio repeater set I paid about 25% more for at Radio Shack. The Radio Shack unit was horribly unreliable, had to be positioned and repositioned and I would have to hold the remote at a funny angle right in front of the transmitter to get it to work. And then it was intermittent at best. The Powermid works flawlessly. I plugged it in, and it just works. Every click works every time. I have the receiver/IR emitter up high on a shelf, not even directly aimed at the TiVo. The transmitter sits across the bedroom from where I have the remote. I think the Powermid's stellar performance is due in part to the reasonably sized antenna on the receiver unit. No visible antenna on the transmitter unit improves the aesthetics. The power supply is via a standard 110-volt cable, no floor slugs or wall warts, and the cords are plenty long.