How do rf remotes work

Once you find the easiest sweet spots around the room from which to bounce your signal, you can use these instead of struggling with trying to get around your obstructed line of sight.

Garage door openers, alarm systems , key fobs and radio-controlled toys use RF remote controls. RF remote controls work essentially the same as IR remote controls, except they use radio waves. As stated, radio waves can also penetrate walls and go around objects and corners, making RF arguably more convenient than IR. Some high-end entertainment systems come with RF remote controls for expanded remote range. There are also IR-to-RF remote control converters that allow IR remote controls to extend their range through utilizing a RF translator that basically acts as a middleman.

The converter on the component side reverts the RF signal back to IR so the component can understand it. If you have been overrun by remote controls, you might consider a master universal controller.

Low-end universal remotes, available for about 10 US dollars USD , will allow one to control several devices. However, original remotes might still be required for accessing and controlling advanced component features. Some high-end universal remote controls feature LCD screens and are more like electronic pads than common remote controls. These universal master controllers will eliminate the need to use original remotes, but may require some ramp-up to learn.

These remotes can typically be used to manage about four electronic devices, and they usually control only their main functions, such as channel turning and volume control. Learning remotes go beyond multibrand universal remotes. While they also often come preprogrammed to operate a number of popular electronic models, they have the ability to "learn" the functions of the original manufacturer's remote.

Simply hold your learning remote head-to-head with your original remote and infrared signals will be transmitted to the learning remote that allow it to duplicate the other remote's commands. If a new high-tech electronic gadget comes out after you've already bought your learning remote, it can still learn all of the devices' new commands. Some multibrand remotes can also be programmed to operate new devices, but it depends on the model.

Learning remotes can operate a much wider variety of electronic devices than multibrand ones, making them the true universal remotes. They also have the capacity to be programmed with "macro" protocols, which we'll discuss in a later section. Because of their relative simplicity, multibrand remotes are much less expensive than learning remotes. It uses both radio frequency and infrared signals to communicate with electronics from as far as feet Beyond the basic categories of multibrand and learning remotes, there are additional types of universal remotes such as RF remotes, PC-programmable remotes and LCD touch-screen remotes.

We'll learn about these remotes in the next section. If you own a smartphone, such as an iPhone or BlackBerry, you may soon be able to use it as a universal remote. A company called Melloware has already developed a two-application suite that allows you to use your iPhone to control your PC's Window Media Center from across the room [source: Biggs ].

PC-programmable remotes allow you to type in the model numbers of your electronic devices and program how you want to use the remote. All of the required programming commands are then downloaded to your remote through a USB cable.

If you have a universal remote that's PC-programmable, it likely has an RS interface that allows your computer to "talk with" and control your remote by way of a serial port or USB port.

WiFi-enabled remotes are some of the newest universal remotes available. These allow you to bypass your cable provider to find out what's playing on TV by using your WiFi network. It transmits the latest sports stats and news updates onto a small LCD screen on your remote. These screens are usually located at the top of the remote and are roughly 2 inches by 4 inches 5 by 10 cm.

Some LCD touch screens even allow you to decide which "virtual buttons" you want on your remote and how you want them displayed. But if virtual buttons aren't your thing, there are other LCD remotes that come with physical buttons.

Radio frequency remotes use radio frequency waves to operate electronics that are blocked by obstacles like cabinets or walls. For example, if you're in the kitchen and want to turn on your home-entertainment system in the living room through the adjoining wall, an RF-capable remote could be used to control infrared electronics in the next room.

The universal remote broadcasts an RF signal command to an RF extender in the same room as your programmed electronics. The extender then beams out the same command at an infrared wavelength that your electronics can detect. As individual home-entertainment systems and electronic device setups differ from one person to the next, so, too, will the commands that you program into your universal remote.

Your original manufacturer's remote will have a booklet that contains all the programming commands you need, and these will work with your universal remote as well. And many remote control commands have also been posted online at sites like Remotecodelist. In these situations you become a contortion artist with very good timing as you swoosh and swoop the remote in a frenzied IR dance which closely resembles a Jedi lightsaber training session.

Here we get to my primary point and the main thrust of my article. When you move to RF you begin to enter into a place where your home theater finally becomes a "system".

For too long, remote controls have played second fiddle to every other component in the system. Some people actually spend more money on cables then they do on their control system.

An RF remote is just as important to a system, in terms of impressiveness and grandeur, as a display or source component upgrade. If you can grasp this concept your entertaining life will be forever changed. Imagine how much easier it will be to engage your spouse in purchasing decisions if she actually has the ability to utilize the system?

If you didn't get the overt but cleverly hidden message in the previous sentence please re-read it. For far too long, we have heard complaints about how only one person in a household supports the "AV hobby" while the other simply cannot comprehend the significance of a new projector or bigger subwoofer. This is your chance to engage. Once your theater system becomes "one-button friendly" it will be far easier to engage your spouse in the decision-making process.

Now everyone in the household can show off the system to friends and the theater room or entertainment system becomes something both homeowners can be proud of. I've lived through this and the difference is amazing. It is high time the remote control begins to be treated as a true component and not an afterthought. RF remotes generally work this way: The originating signal is sent from the remote as RF radio frequency. In the case of the MX in my theater that's MHz, a very stable and reliable frequency band.

An RF remote control system can be very complex to set up, but the results are worth it. Instead of a standard IR remote or series of remotes which have to be pointed "line-of-sight" in order to work correctly, an RF remote, correctly configured, can be placed or pointed just about anywhere. You can walk towards your kitchen while initiating "DVD playback mode" on your main theater system. The distance is only limited by the RF range - and since you can add additional RF repeaters, that's almost limitless.

Because the IR emitters are positioned directly overtop of the IR sensors on the devices you are controlling, dropped commands are almost nonexistent - provided you've done your homework and set up the RF system correctly to reduce interference.

With a well-designed RF system you can make an almost infinitely complex theater system usable by anyone in the family - and make sure that your settings and configurations are also kept safe. While we can't possibly go over every single RF remote control's programming interface, it's easy to point out some simple guidelines that will help structure the process and make it much easier to program macros and device functions:.

Obviously every system will differ, however here are some general tips and techniques that can be implemented which will save you countless headaches and potentially hours of troubleshooting:. Something was brought to my attention recently that could possibly change the face of system control in a very significant way.

First of all, it stores system macros, meaning that the remote now only has to send a single RF command to the unit which then calls up the associated macro and fires off commands to the system components. RS control? Want a truly bullet-proof system - this is it. There was no middle ground until now. With this new system you get the ease and flexibility of RF control not to mention a much easier programming interface plus the added benefit of a rock-solid RS system which bypasses any potential IR blaster issues or problems.

This is going to cause a lot of people to reconsider upgrading a basic RF system to a more robust interface that still costs less than half of an entry-level RSbased installation. I cannot stress this enough - do not buy a comprehensive RF remote system from an unauthorized online dealer. If you want the support that goes along with the product, get it from an authorized dealer and make use of the technical support and resources that are part of the retail sale price.

Getting the remote system is the solid first step to AV system independence, but if you cannot get it properly configured you have missed the mark.