Smarthome SELECT 59501 Hidden IR Repeater Kit with Surface Mount Sensor

I read through the reviews and saw that it had worked for numerous people, even though some had talked a little trash about it, I thought I'd give it a shot. Got it out of the packaging and it was very simple to assemble and set up... if only it worked. There is supposed to be a flashing red LED light on the IR receiver to acknowledge that it's receiving a signal, well I went between my remote right up against it to 20ft away and I never saw this red LED light. Not to mention the second I took the pieces out of the package one of the IR transmitters was broken just as I read in a previous review, and the entire assembly felt really really chincy... I guess I'm not surprised it didn't work. Maybe I got a bad one, but it isn't worth the trouble for me to do an exchange and see, I'll return and look for a better product.EDIT: I bought the 'BAFX Products(R)-IR Repeater-Remote control extender Kit' off Amazon as my second purchase, it works flawlessly. I highly recommend the BAFX IR Repeater!!!

I initially bought one of these to control a TiVo on the main floor of the house from the basement. Our basement is used mainly as a workout area and I thought it would be nice to be able to watch shows I'd recorded without having to buy another TiVo (we already have two). To accomplish this I also had to buy  this 50' male/female extension cable , which I ran through the wall with the cabling for the HDMI signal (in case you're curious, I used an  HDMI over Cat6 extender  for that). Even with the 50 foot extension cable in place there is never any lag or missed commands. This has performed flawlessly, with both the stock remotes and with a Logitech Harmony remote.This IR repeater has worked so well that when we remodeled our bedroom I bought a second repeater with another 50' extension cable. We moved some A/V equipment (like our other TiVo) into a closet so it would be out of sight. All that's visible is the small IR receiver that I attached to the top of the TV. All wires are hidden behind the wall-mounted television.My only concern is the sturdiness of the IR receiver connector. It doesn't look like it would take much to pull the wires out but once the system is in place nothing should happen to it.Overall I'm very happy with this system. It's unobtrusive and works great.

This is my second one of these (the other one didn't die, I just needed a second one for a different room) and both have worked great. Perfect for hiding your a/v components out of the way for a nice clean look to your home theater.Only reason for a four instead of a 5 is because the length of the cable from the repeater (which accepts the signal from the remote) and the box (in the closet that transmits the signal to your components) is pretty short and can't be extended (best as I can tell). This is a design change from the older models and not a good one. So you need to keep your components about 6 feet or so from the home theater. Depending on your set up and location of your stuff this is either no biggie or a deal breaker, your call.Construction of the unit seems a little cheap, but given that you pretty much just set the thing up and then it sits there this is not a big deal. No moving parts or anything, so whatever.Overall a great solution, works exactly as advertised.

DO NOT BUY THIS REPEATER.This replaces another brand that worked until it failed. The smart home repeater will work IF:1) You don't mind holding the remote (with brand new batteries) 1/2 inch from the repeater's receivering IR "eye". The ambient light here is low --25 feet from a window on an overcast day. It will not work if the remote is several inches from the IR detector.2) You never have to enter more than a single channel digit. The response is so slow (shown by an LED within the receiver "eye") that one cannot enter more than one digit. By the time you enter a second digiet the target device has assumed you meant to enter only one. My satellite receiver uses 3 to 4 digit codes, which is impossible with this repeater.

These work great in terms of transmitting an infrared signal, but the "thing-a-ma-bobs" on the end that transmit the signal are so cheap. They fall apart immediately. I would have some electrical tape or gaffer tape at the ready and apply it to the outside of the "T-A-M-B" before you apply it to your components. Otherwise it will fall apart and you will have to put it back together and use tape to hold it together anyway. Once you get in attached, it works great.

Ordered this unit for installation with Samsung UN40EH6000. The Comcast remote works with it but you must be within 3 feet of IR receiver to change the channels. So forget about sitting back across the room to make your selection. Kind of defeats the purpose. Buttons on the cable box keep falling off and as the cable box is in a closet in the next room you don't know they have fallen off. Wasn't until I researched the cable box did I realize that there is a IR jack in the back that will accept an IR cable. I now have to pull the wire back out of the wall and pull a new line as the smartphone cable has has male/female ends on the wrong end. I would test this unit on your cable box before you install.

I bought this IR repeater when I had to replace the projector in my church. Most, if not all, of the new projectors no longer support wired remotes, and this projector is 50' from the A/V booth. You're supposed to be able to control the new projectors "over the network" with a browser-based UI; but in real life, that just doesn't work for us. You have to stop your PowerPoint presentation to go to the browser-based screen to blank the projector screen or switch inputs. Very awkward and unprofessional.With this repeater and the 50' extension cord, I was able to bring the IR "eye" to within a few feet of the A/V booth. It works GREAT. It was a snap to set up - plug it all together and you're ready to go.

I bought it to install a Bell HD PVR in a closet . I tested it out of the box and it worked great, however I damaged the wire snaking it through the wall. The wires should be better quality to handle this task, since that is what it is designed for.

Could not get it to work with Bell Expressvu