BAFX Products (Infrared) IR Remote Control Extender or IR Repeater Kit - Control 1 to 8 Devices (Expandable to 12!)

Every so often a product comes along that does what it says and does it well. This is a prime example of that. It's a good product. About the product itself, first, the IR receiver and emitters are tiny. It's hard to imagine even from the pictures but when placed on equipment that's in view they are hardly noticeable. The cords attaching them are delicate too - in similarity to the size of the thinnest you'd find on Apple ear buds. They're also very flexible and very easy to fit into and around the device you are sticking it to. The adhesive that's used seems to be sensitive to the surface it's being stuck to. On a Sony BlueRay player with a smooth surface, it touched and was stuck - there was no moving it. On an Xfinity 4k cable box, which has a slightly textured surface, it just dropped right off. Couple wraps of masking tape completely around the cable box held the emitter in place - masking tape didn't stick to the cable box either so I suspect it's the plastic's fault, not the adhesive. Beauty of hiding things in a cabinet is that you no longer need to care how they look and the couple wraps of blue painter's tape doesn't matter. The IR receiver is very sensitive and responsive. No need to aim the remote at the receiver any more. The LED on it changes color when receiving signal which is handy feedback. Nice thing about that though is the LEDs are very dim - you notice it when it changes color but otherwise it's innocuous. The unit itself has the ability to run off either a wall wart power block or USB. Most AV devices these days have at least one USB port, the Xfinity cable box for instance has one but it's unused, and that USB port worked fine to supply power which saves one outlet. It's a nice option to have. A couple other reviewers have commented on seeing latency. There is no noticeable latency with this extender. What I did find in setting this up is that one has to be very careful that a given device receives the IR signal from only one emitter. Some IR controlled devices will pause for a short period of time and ignore input if they get a garbled IR signal. Also, just because something is opaque to visible light, doesn't mean it's not transparent to IR. If you are getting inconsistent behavior or hesitation in responding to signals try first isolating the component in question from any chance of stray IR - put it in a cardboard box and see if the behavior changes. There are only two things about the product I'd say are not as I would have desired - the power cord on the wall adapter is short - not an actual issue if using the USB connection but I think that in most installs it's probably going to negatively impact the install. And second, the cord on the IR receiver is also short. That's easy to fix with an audio extension cable. And maybe best about the product is that it's trivially simple to setup - took longer to get the twist ties off the wires than it did to plug it all together and have it working. Everything is well marked and obvious - you could install this, go a couple years, buy a new device, and have it connected up and working without needing to find the original paperwork.

Background: I was happily using a "DBIRX" IR Repeater system (purchased from an on-line "Electronics" seller) when my kitten decided to "dine" on the wires of a couple of IR emitters. I searched for replacement emitter cables, but couldn't find any that would work on this system (it operates on 5VDC - the ones I found are for "12VDC systems"). I then did research on "similar configuration" IR Repeater systems (they operate on ** 12 VDC **). Because the "BAFX" wired system rated highest, I bought one along with an extra "BAFX" IR receiver. To The Point: I installed this system and...it WORKS GREAT! The "stickum" on the IR receiver and emitters is VERY "ADHESIVE" and the package comes with a couple EXTRA "stickum" pads for the receiver and emitters if needed. For the Emitter heads, make sure you mount them in the "right places" as they are QUITE DIFFICULT to remove (if you're "careful", you can re-attach a removed emitter ONCE). The IR RECEIVER is VERY SENSITIVE - heed the instructions regarding WHERE to put the receiver "in relation to" what you're controlling. The "viewing angle" of the receiver appears to be QUITE LARGE - between 30 and 45 degrees, so you do have some "latitude" on placement in your Viewing Area. Using "multiple" receivers: The Instructions ARE NOT KIDDING by stating keeping a TWENTY FOOT SEPARATION between multiple receivers in "the same" area! As stated above, they are VERY SENSITIVE and if they're closer than 20 feet THEY WILL "interact", rendering proper operation virtually impossible! Emitter mounting: some devices will need "tape blocking" (using OPAQUE "black" tape) around the emitter placement area to, again, prevent "interaction" between the System IR Receiver and the "device's" IR receiver. Again, this "interaction" can prevent proper IR control of the device, especially if the repeater receiver and the "device" receiver are closer than 3-4 feet from each other. Experiment with receiver/emitter placement/tape "blocking" for best "Total System" operation. "Extending" IR receivers and emitters: if the provided cord lengths on the receivers and emitters are "too short" for your setup, use readily-available 1/8" (3.5mm) M-F MONO (for the emitters) and STEREO (for the receiver) extension cables for the purpose. They WILL NOT "degrade" the signals! One "nit": the 12VDC power adapter's 3' "power cord" is WAY TOO SHORT to reach the Main Unit from an AC outlet! chances are you WILL need a "2-prong" AC extension cord to connect the adapter into AC power! Conclusion: Some have reported "reliability issues" with this system. I can't comment on this because I "just started" using it as of this posting, listing the "quirks, etc." I've discovered. I'll update this review after I've had the system for awhile. As of now, I ** DO INDEED RECOMMEND ** this system (the "nit" notwithstanding :) ).

SEE EDIT BELOW.... Trouble.... I love this product when it works but it likes to freeze up a few times a week. I would give 5 Stars if it wasn't freezing up on me regularly. Set up was simple enough, double sided tape ain't that strong but it did the job. Running the wires to multiple units worked well, luckily they case has a strong tint so the wires everywhere can't be seen. ON reflection I guess with patience the wires could be run with more care. from the back under the units to hide the bulk of the wiring. The IR receiver module installed next to the TV is small enough to not attract attention and I love the fact you get feed back from the light on the module to know your remote command was received. Problems.... my issue has been that randomly during my nightly TV time the unit seems to get frozen. For about 3 minutes no signals are transmitted to my satellite receiver, amp or media player. Strange thing is that the IR Receiver shows it has received a signal. Quick fix is to power down via "unplug and plug back in" the unit and it works right away. This typically happens only once a night and it would happen for light 3 TV nights in a row and then not show up again for another week. Since the unit is powered up all the time, my guess is that it might be happening daily but since I only watch TV between 8-11pm I may not catch it all the time. EDIT : May 2, 2015 So I got a replacement unit from BAFX installed it 2 months ago and it works wonderfully! I'm so happy now that it's working. I normally would take off 1 star for my troubles but the service at BAFX was great and they resolved my problems quickly. The IR Repeater responds instantly with no delay.

I hid my Roku and other TV boxes inside a wooden cabinet and used the repeater to transfer singles, so my TV station will look clean and without having to exposing tv boxes and cables. There are no delays with transferring signals and it is very sensitive, and my Roku is working better then before. The repeater is flashing the signals directly to the Roku's receiver so I can controls it from further and wider angle (My Roku can only receive signals when I stand right in front of it with my remote which is very annoying. Now it solves the problem). Its not the cheapest but it is worth it. I will recommend this to all of my friends.

Easy to setup & use. Works like a charm. I tried controlling Tata Sky & Sony TV which worked very smoothly. IR Receiver is very sharp & catches the IR command easily. I actually tried with an extended stereo cable of 15 meters. Havn't tried it with Lan cable. Overall a great product.

Working really well with my Harman Kardon AVR 235

Worked great for remote multiroom function on my Harmon Karden receiver, my original IR receiver, multiroom unit failed

Amazing product.Rasy to install and operate flawlessly.