Originally Posted by bjohn34If I bought a NG RF extender would I even need to use the battery transmitter for a Directv RF remote?I use the NG remote extender (with the transmitter installed) in one of my RF capable DirecTV remotes to control an HR21-100 from a remote location. My reason for using the DirecTV remote in IR mode with the NG rather than utilizing it's RF capability is because I control my entire entertainment center where the HR21 is located with a URC MX-500 remote and the HR21 can only be set for IR or RF, not both at the same time. Hi,I have 2 genius transmitter kits, one green and one purple. I use them to control two of the same brand products (Foxtel cable boxes).My green transmitter has recently started playing up. It also began getting really hot in the remote and smelt like it was burning. It eventually stopped working all together.I am having trouble finding a replacement and also getting help and advice with the the product. I should note that I am located in Australia.I originally purchased them on Amazon but I can not find anyone that will ship one here now.Is replacing the faulty transmitter (green one) the only option I have?Thanks.
Nowadays, the wireless SDR market is looking for the same advantages that come along with an integrated SoC (system on chip) architecture. Additionally, with emerging markets such as TVWS (TV White Space) where agility in the RF spectrum is a must, the popularity of tunable SDR SoC RF solutions has increased dramatically in the last 5 years.
Originally Posted by danpsaHi,I have 2 genius transmitter kits, one green and one purple. I use them to control two of the same brand products (Foxtel cable boxes).My green transmitter has recently started playing up. It also began getting really hot in the remote and smelt like it was burning.
It eventually stopped working all together.I am having trouble finding a replacement and also getting help and advice with the the product. I should note that I am located in Australia.I originally purchased them on Amazon but I can not find anyone that will ship one here now.Is replacing the faulty transmitter (green one) the only option I have?Thanks.Have you tried the manufacturer? I bought a genius version of these after reading this thread and others touting this thing as the best thing since sliced bread.I had some trouble getting it to work out of the box. Originally Posted by PerryHI bought a genius version of these after reading this thread and others touting this thing as the best thing since sliced bread.Up until a few days ago,;)That's before I received and installed a 'Harmony Smart Control'.
It bests the NextGen system by leaps and bounds (and as an early adopter of the NextGen system, I never thought I'd say that)Here's a pic of everything that's been replaced by the Harmony (in the top red circle), including the NextGen kit.I actually was able to reuse one of my NextGen emitters due to the fact that its standard 3.5mm where as the Harmony hub takes a 2.5mm connection (one of my few gripes of this system). Originally Posted by mdavejThat's great, but you could have just put your next gen in a universal remote and accomplished about the same thing. My $8 RCA RCRP05BR JP1 remote plus next gen works as well or better than harmony, minus the iPhone integration of course.I tried this. A few (actually several) issues.1) Nextgen battery/transmitter not compatible with my Harmony 650 remote (the battery/transmitter can't create enough power to operate in remotes that have larger LCD screens). It works with my 520 and 550, but those remotes have unresponsive, mushy/rubber buttons.2) Nextgen IR blaster is not nearly as powerful, forgiving, or multi-directional as the harmony hub/blaster appears to be.3) Nextgen blaster has antenna which limits where it can be placed. Harmony hub has a low profile and no antenna.
Can be placed in a variety of locations (as in my pic)4) Nextgen has no iOS/Android interface to set up, let alone control, the remote, hub or devices5) Nextgen depends on battery/transmitter being charged constantly. Harmony hub has no battery to constantly charge/replace.
Harmony remote uses a single inexpensive CR-2032 coin cell batteryI could go on, you get the idea. Just curious, have you had an opportunity to test the harmony smart control? Originally Posted by vestaviascottI tried this. A few (actually several) issues.1) Nextgen battery/transmitter not compatible with my Harmony 650 remote (the battery/transmitter can't create enough power to operate in remotes that have larger LCD screens). It works with my 520 and 550, but those remotes have unresponsive, mushy/rubber buttons.2) Nextgen IR blaster is not nearly as powerful, forgiving, or multi-directional as the harmony hub/blaster appears to be.3) Nextgen blaster has antenna which limits where it can be placed. Harmony hub has a low profile and no antenna.
Can be placed in a variety of locations (as in my pic)4) Nextgen has no iOS/Android interface to set up, let alone control, the remote, hub or devices5) Nextgen depends on battery/transmitter being charged constantly. Harmony hub has no battery to constantly charge/replace. Harmony remote uses a single inexpensive CR-2032 coin cell batteryI could go on, you get the idea. Just curious, have you had an opportunity to test the harmony smart control?I agree with all of your points.
- NextGen RF Design – We provide outsource design support when you need it! Short on resources for a project? Bring us on board to quickly & efficiently expand the bandwidth of your team. Have an opportunity but missing a core skill set? Leverage our skills for your program.
- The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions.
My main point is for those who may have a lot of remotes to replace but don't want to spend $130 on an RF solution. Cheapness is why most of us are attracted to Next gen in the first place.While JP1 has no iOS integration, it has many advantages as well. It has tons more functionality than the smart control remote itself, like unlimited activities, unlimited devices, 5 functions per button (short press, long press, double press, shifted and double shifted), nested macros, custom protocols, unlimited macro steps, variables and conditional branching, etc., all at a fraction of the cost of a harmony. If you're going to give up your LCD display anyway, may as well get some functionality in return. I've tried many iOS remotes, and while they are cool and fun to play with, nothing beats actual buttons, which the smart control partially takes care of. What is missing is access to all the extra functions, which now must be accessed on your smart phone. I'd rather have everything on my remote and forget about the smart phone.I agree that an integrated solution without all the drawbacks of Next gen is a great option, but it does come at a significant cost.
As a JP1 person, there is no way I could ever spend anywhere near $130 on any remote solution. It's just not in my DNA. You make some good points mdavej.I've been an enthusiastic supporter of NextGen since the day I discovered it several years ago. I've promoted it to anyone who would listen. I was drawn to it mostly due to its inexpensive cost and functionality to control devices without line of sight.Never the less, the experience has not been all wine and roses. The constant battery switching/recycling has always been an issue.
Next Generation Rf System Mini
I purchased a battery tester and a couple extra nextgen battery/transmitters to help with this, but its still an extra chore (and expense) I didn't relish keeping up with. Originally Posted by vestaviascottYou make some good points mdavej.I've been an enthusiastic supporter of NextGen since the day I discovered it several years ago. I've promoted it to anyone who would listen. I was drawn to it mostly due to its inexpensive cost and functionality to control devices without line of sight.Never the less, the experience has not been all wine and roses. The constant battery switching/recycling has always been an issue.
I purchased a battery tester and a couple extra nextgen battery/transmitters to help with this, but its still an extra chore (and expense) I didn't relish keeping up with. I have an older Universal Remote Control RF30 with the MRF100 blaster as well as Home Master (URC as well) MX-800 with a MRF200 blaster. I would like to somehow use other IR remotes (non-LCD) with the system. I was first looking for a unit that converts the IR signal to RF and sends it to the two MRF units but couldn't seem to find one, even from URC. I was wondering if the IR batteries for the NextGen would work with my setup?
I have a newer OPPO BluRay and Marantz AV receiver and it would be nice to be able to use them for the more complex functions. If this doesn't work, has anyone come across a solution to the IR to RF conversion without going Logitech?
Originally Posted by EdmundUsing one of the following old remote extenders:Will allow you to point any IR remote at transmitter part of the extender, which will communicate directly with URC base stations.If you had the 418 MHz version of the next generation extender, the urc remotes will communicate with spaceship base station without the need of the battery gizmo.Edmund, I'm not sure I understand your reply. The second part about the URC remotes working with the 418 Mhz spacestation suggests to me that the URC base stations are also 418 Mhz and if that is the case, the 2 URC RF remotes would indeed work with the NG spacestation.
I don't need that functionality because I only need 2 RF base stations and I already have those.After the 418 Mhz explanation, I guess what I need is a pyramid (?) that I can point a IR remote at and it would send a 418 Mhz RF signal to my URC RF base stations. Is this what you have shown in your reply? Do you have names for them?
The other option is to just use the NG batteries and I'm also assuming from your reply that you think this would work, being 418 MHz. But I also believe that the 'spacestation' is also the recharger for the RF batteries so maybe it won't work without the whole kit? I have the next gen remote control extender. I had one transmitter (genius model frequency 433) that works with my receiver, DVD player, and cable box. I became annoyed with switching the transmitter between remotes so I purchased two more transmitters for the DVD and cable box remotes. Both are model LRRX-2, one is red and one is blue.
One has a frequency of 433 and the other 418.After tons of troubleshooting, I cannot get either to work. I have tried everything.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I have the next gen remote control extender. I had one transmitter (genius model frequency 433) that works with my receiver, DVD player, and cable box. I became annoyed with switching the transmitter between remotes so I purchased two more transmitters for the DVD and cable box remotes. Both are model LRRX-2, one is red and one is blue. One has a frequency of 433 and the other 418.After tons of troubleshooting, I cannot get either to work.
I have tried everything.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!I'm assuming your original transmitter is blue (433MHz), correct? If so, the red transmitter (418MHz) you recently purchased will never work with your 433 MHz base receiver but the newly purchased blue transmitter should. I have a 433MHz receiver and two remotes with blue (433MHz) transmitters that communicate with it from two different locations.
The only thing I can think of is that your new blue transmitter is defective.One other suggestion is that you might want to consider a universal remote which would only require one transmitter to control all your devices. That's great, but you could have just put your next gen in a universal remote and accomplished about the same thing. My $8 RCA RCRP05BR JP1 remote plus next gen works as well or better than harmony, minus the iPhone integration of course.Hi mdavej. I read your post and thought maybe you could provide a little insight into my situation. I, like yourself, am all about saving some coin when it comes to this stuff. I have a Denon 2112CI and a Sony S5100 that are in an entertainment cabinet in the back of my room.
In order for these to operate, I need to point the remotes behind me which gets awfully annoying since the projection screen is in the front of the room. I'm trying to find a solution to this where I could point it forward and have it still communicate with the devices.So, I saw your JVC remote and that seems like a nice buy. How would I go about using the Next Generation Remote Control extender with these devices?
Next Gen Systems
Would this work for my setup? Also, will the JVC pair with my projector as well? It's a Benq 1080ST. Thanks for your feedback in advance. Much appreciated! I read your post and thought maybe you could provide a little insight into my situation.
I, like yourself, am all about saving some coin when it comes to this stuff. I have a Denon 2112CI and a Sony S5100 that are in an entertainment cabinet in the back of my room. In order for these to operate, I need to point the remotes behind me which gets awfully annoying since the projection screen is in the front of the room. I'm trying to find a solution to this where I could point it forward and have it still communicate with the devices.So, I saw your JVC remote and that seems like a nice buy. How would I go about using the Next Generation Remote Control extender with these devices?
Would this work for my setup? Also, will the JVC pair with my projector as well? It's a Benq 1080ST. Thanks for your feedback in advance. Much appreciated!I think you meant RCA. But, in any case, a JP1 remote like the RCA will control any IR device, even ones Harmony and others can't control.
You may have to spring for a programming cable ($8 on ebay).All you need to worry about is that some IR source (Next Gen, blaster or remote) is LOS with each device. I assume the projector is on the ceiling, then other devices are in the back and front. Front is covered by the remote. Back and ceiling by Next Gen base and blasters. I don't know if you can make that work with your layout or not. You'll just have to experiment. Any RF or IR extender solution will have the same issues, not just Next Gen.
In some cases, it may be easier to use RS-232 to to projector, but that requires a far more expensive system and some new wiring. I think you meant RCA. But, in any case, a JP1 remote like the RCA will control any IR device, even ones Harmony and others can't control.
You may have to spring for a programming cable ($8 on ebay).All you need to worry about is that some IR source (Next Gen, blaster or remote) is LOS with each device. I assume the projector is on the ceiling, then other devices are in the back and front. Front is covered by the remote. Back and ceiling by Next Gen base and blasters. I don't know if you can make that work with your layout or not. You'll just have to experiment.
Any RF or IR extender solution will have the same issues, not just Next Gen. In some cases, it may be easier to use RS-232 to to projector, but that requires a far more expensive system and some new wiring.Hi. I've been using the NextGen extenders, one 418 MHZ and one 433 MHZ which have worked perfectly ever since I installed them. I also didn't get my phone call answered so I just sent an email to NextGen but I am not optimistic based on several posts here.My question.I own three Cox Cisco boxes, each used by an individual member of the house.
I want to include NextGen control for the third Cox box. Looking at all the videos and reading as much as I can I still don't understand how the Genius works.
The genius hub has two IR outputs. The three Cox boxes are in different physical locations. Just how can the Genius distinguish between the three controllers and send the same signal (for example, the GUIDE command) to a specific Cox box? I can understand how the Genius can recognize that a signal comes from controller A, for example, but how does it route the command to Cox box A?Thanks.
I've been using the NextGen extenders, one 418 MHZ and one 433 MHZ which have worked perfectly ever since I installed them. I also didn't get my phone call answered so I just sent an email to NextGen but I am not optimistic based on several posts here.My question.I own three Cox Cisco boxes, each used by an individual member of the house. I want to include NextGen control for the third Cox box. Looking at all the videos and reading as much as I can I still don't understand how the Genius works. The genius hub has two IR outputs. The three Cox boxes are in different physical locations. Just how can the Genius distinguish between the three controllers and send the same signal (for example, the GUIDE command) to a specific Cox box?
I can understand how the Genius can recognize that a signal comes from controller A, for example, but how does it route the command to Cox box A?Thanks. Rich Each Genius kit comes with one base unit and one color coded transmitter. Each color is a different RF frequency.the problem is, there doesn't seem to be any documentation anywhere that states what those frequencies are and I suspect (although I'm not certain) that two of those color coded transmitters are probably 418 & 433 MHz so choosing a third unique frequency from the available colors (unknown frequencies) would appear to be a crap shoot (unless none of those colors are the same as the original frequencies). You can choose a specific color to buy but could possibly wind up with one of the frequencies you're already using.The two emitter outputs have to do with IR bands in the event you have a component that works on one band but not the other. In other words, it has nothing to do with having independent control of multiple same brand components.
Each Genius kit comes with one base unit and one color coded transmitter. Each color is a different RF frequency.the problem is, there doesn't seem to be any documentation anywhere that states what those frequencies are and I suspect (although I'm not certain) that two of those color coded transmitters are probably 418 & 433 MHz so choosing a third unique frequency from the available colors (unknown frequencies) would appear to be a crap shoot (unless none of those colors are the same as the original frequencies).The two emitter outputs have to do with IR bands in the event you have a component that works on one band but not the other. In other words, it has nothing to do with having independent control of multiple same brand components.Thanks very much; as I suspected. So the 'Genius' part means little other than there are two full-size AAA battery charging slots underneath it and by holding the cap down the unit can sync with the appropriate sending controller, but it will blast the signal sent out to everything through the single output port.So it looks like I could buy another genius and hope its frequency is not either 418 or 433 MHZ. According to the ad at Amazon the transmitter with red print is 418 and blue print is 433. Now I see the problem, the colored transmitters sold at NextGen's store are gray, orange, green, yellow and purple.Yikes! How clueless is that?
Strange, Amazon lists the purple colored one as 'discontinued by manufacturer.' The other four are still sold but for almost $120.00 (same as NextGen).
I sure wish someone offered something equivalent. Without the frequencies identified I won't gamble. Nextgen sells the individual transmitters for $31.95 each.Rich. Thanks very much; as I suspected.
So the 'Genius' part means little other than there are two full-size AAA battery charging slots underneath it and by holding the cap down the unit can sync with the appropriate sending controller, but it will blast the signal sent out to everything through the single output port.So it looks like I could buy another genius and hope its frequency is not either 418 or 433 MHZ. According to the ad at Amazon the transmitter with red print is 418 and blue print is 433.
Now I see the problem, the colored transmitters sold at NextGen's store are gray, orange, green, yellow and purple.Yikes! How clueless is that? Strange, Amazon lists the purple colored one as 'discontinued by manufacturer.'
The other four are still sold but for almost $120.00 (same as NextGen). I sure wish someone offered something equivalent. Without the frequencies identified I won't gamble. Nextgen sells the individual transmitters for $31.95 each.RichYou got it Rich.
Again, it's purely speculation on my part that 2 of the frequencies among the Genius colors are the same as the original two. I guess if you were a gambling man you could order one from Amazon and if it turns out it's one of your current frequencies, send it back for a refund and try again. Thanks very much; as I suspected. So the 'Genius' part means little other than there are two full-size AAA battery charging slots underneath it and by holding the cap down the unit can sync with the appropriate sending controller, but it will blast the signal sent out to everything through the single output port.So it looks like I could buy another genius and hope its frequency is not either 418 or 433 MHZ. According to the ad at Amazon the transmitter with red print is 418 and blue print is 433.
Now I see the problem, the colored transmitters sold at NextGen's store are gray, orange, green, yellow and purple.Yikes! How clueless is that? Strange, Amazon lists the purple colored one as 'discontinued by manufacturer.' The other four are still sold but for almost $120.00 (same as NextGen). I sure wish someone offered something equivalent.
Next Generation Systems Epoxy
Without the frequencies identified I won't gamble. Nextgen sells the individual transmitters for $31.95 each.RichRich, I got a response to an email I sent to NextGen.this is what they said: Our Genius unit works off the 433 MHz and is our addressable unit. That is how you are able to have more then one in the same house. Since you already have a 418 and a 433, you would have to change the 433 out for a genius. You can keep the 418 because the genius will not interfere with it.
You make some good points mdavej.I've been an enthusiastic supporter of NextGen since the day I discovered it several years ago. I've promoted it to anyone who would listen. I was drawn to it mostly due to its inexpensive cost and functionality to control devices without line of sight.Never the less, the experience has not been all wine and roses. The constant battery switching/recycling has always been an issue.
I purchased a battery tester and a couple extra nextgen battery/transmitters to help with this, but its still an extra chore (and expense) I didn't relish keeping up with.
Very seldom do I catch myself uttering the word 'genius' silently to myself as I'm reviewing a piece of equipment. I have to say, I had my doubts about the Remote Control Extender when it was first brought to my attention last month. How can an IR remote control be automatically converted into a wireless RF remote simply by installing a battery/transmitter device in the unit itself? It just didn't make sense until Bob Dolatowski, President of Next Generation Home Products, Inc explained his product to us in detail.Confused about what AV Gear to buy or how to set it up? Join our Exclusive!