0

IR Blaster

Dave Wells

December 29, 2012 22:51

None

Follow

I am using the WF2IR to control several media devices. The blaster is located on a wall near a window approximately 12ft from the devices it controls. It is configured as a blaster in port 3 of the iTach. I guess, due to its position, there may be a high level of background IR, however, my other standard remotes work fine from this location. The blaster works 90% of the time- the iTach is definitely sending a signal every time. Is there an alternative blaster available (I notice that the supplied blaster has a smaller size LED than most other remotes), as the supplied blaster seems to have quite a narrow beam and isn't as powerful as I would like?

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

8 comments

• 0
  
  Gianluca Meardi December 29, 2012 23:32

  I've just received my new WF2IR and i'm trying to setup a first configuration using Roomie (later on I'll try even Demopad and iRule, but now Roomie seems to be quickier to setup). The WF2IR unit seems solid and nice, but... not a single instruction even to precisely know what is inside the box... I think to have 3 emitters (little red emitters) and 1 blaster (bigger blue emitter), but unsure... I've setup correctly the WF2IR in my network: the device responds with leds when I simulate a button press with Roomie. The WF2IR is configured with IR OUT on channel 1-2 and IB BLASTER on 3 (as by default). The problem is that with the emitters I must be about 20cm max distant from my equipement to control it, while if I attach the bigger blaster (is it that bigger blue one?) it doesn't work, never. Whatever distance (10cm to 3m) it cannot control anything. Am I doing anything wrong? In my setup I need configuring a single blaster from one side of the room to control all my AV equipment on the other side of the room, with a distance of about 3m (a distance that's not a problem for any of my other 9 physical remotes... Might anyone help me?
• 0
  
  Dave Wells December 30, 2012 01:07

  Yes the slightly bigger one is the blaster. It's worth going back into the itach setup page and double checking that port 3 is definitely set as an 'IR blaster' and hasn't reset as something else. Obviously the blaster should then be connected to port 3, and make sure that your device is set to be controlled from port 3 when you add it on roomie. Once you've confirmed all that, try again from about a foot away from the device you want to control just to test it. The blaster should work from much further away, but as I said in my post above I have found it a little weak and uni-directional. If it still doesn't work I would suspect the blaster may be faulty.
• 0
  
  GREGG SIMPSON December 30, 2012 01:37

  anyone out there know why the http://169.254.1.70 is not working?

• 0
  
  Daniel Evans December 30, 2012 19:49

  I don't know if anyone can help me I am interested in buying the Itach wifi to IR but do not really want to use the stick on emitters and want it to be all controlled through the IR blaster is this possible or does the IR blaster only control one thing?

• 0
  
  Dave Wells December 31, 2012 20:27

  Daniel, yes you can do that no problem.
• 0
  
  Gianluca Meardi January 13, 2013 13:22

  Dear Dave, thanks for yr reply (I was out for vacation and couldn't start testing again until today). I did several more checks, but it really seems the bigger blaster doesn't work for me... it's probably faulty. The iTach, on its cfg webpage, says to be in "standard unit mode", with IR Blaster on connection 3. Roomie correctly sends the command to port 3: I see the itach led blinking and if I connect one of the three standard emitters it work up to a distance of about 1.5 meters (pretty uni-directional). If I swap the emitter with the blaster, on same port, it doesn't emit anything. I even tried to look with a digital camera at the blaster led while it should be shooting (normally cameras sensors sees IR lights) and I get nothing. It seems clear that I've received a faulty blaster, and have to send it back with international shipping... :(
• 0
  
  Gianluca Meardi February 04, 2013 16:19

  Thanks Josh!  I received a new IR Blaster and now everything works perfectly!  It was a bad one.  Global Cachè ha been extremely quick to solve my problem: excellent!