Anyone know about HotLink Pro?

[BigAde]

I'm thinking of getting one of these:
http://www.letsautomate.com/10230.cfm?

It's a remote-control 'extender' that basically will allow me to lock my beloved hi-fi in a cupboard out of the reach of my toddler's destructive little hands. The device collects remote-control IR signals and channels them through the wooden cupboard doors to the individual devices behind - DVD player, VCR, amp etc etc.

Not really heard anything about them and can't find much on the web. Has anyone had any experience of these devices... are they any good, best place to get them from, are there any similar products etc etc etc?

Any information would be very helpful

 

[gIzzE]

i was just about to order some sort of device to do the same job and saw this product.

£100 seems a bit steep though, i am sure last time i looked there was a similar device that controlled up to 5 peices of kit for about £35.

anyone know of anything under the £50 mark ??

need to control

amp
dvd
sky
scaler
and maybe terrestrial tv box.

Also what is the cheapest option to controll lights via pronto and must be able to dim them ???


thank in advance

G

 

[BigAde]

Glad I'm not alone in this quest!

Done some hunting around on the web - you can get this device from the US for about $80 (~£50), but need to add on to that the cost of shipping and for a UK power-supply.

Seems CPC do a similar sort of device (not as small and discrete though) for controlling up to 4 devices. That works out around the £50 mark as well. I've only got 3 devices to control at the moment, but quite sure that's going to grow in the near future.
http://www.cpc.co.uk

At least the HotLinkPro one from Lets Automate controls 6 devices and has a UK power supply provided.

What was the one you saw for £35, and where!!!?

Will hunt around some more in the next few days and let you know what I find.

 

[gIzzE]

found it !!

it is at www.keene.co.uk under infa red extenders

As your Hi-Fi and Home Cinema set-up grows there usually comes a point where you want to put everything into a cabinet or on to shelves. This can cause problems as more often than not your IR remote(s) no longer have line-of-sight with your equipment and consequently no longer work. Enter the Keene IRDA. This handy gadget receives the IR signal from your remote and redistributes it to up to five discrete IR transmitters. It can even be direct cable-connected to any IR repeater you may have (eg Powermid etc). You can mix and match from the following products to solve more or less any IR problems.

Basic Kit — IR Distribution Amp, mains adaptor, 1 high power wand, one low power wand) [IRBKIT] £34.99 (£29.78 ex VAT)

 

[BigAde]

That's the same one that CPC are selling...

The benefit of the Keene one is that you simply add on as many extra transmitters as you need - two are provided out of the box and it's about £7-8 for each extra one. You also need to buy an extra 'receiver' unit if you're planning to hide the main box out of sight (which I am).

Can't find any other devices out there which are similar, so I guess it's a choice between the HotLink and the Keene units.
I think I'll probably end up getting the Keene one, if only based on price. Surely there must be someone who's actually used these devices???!

 

[Messiah]

Try www.letsautomate.co.uk

I know they do the Powermids for less than £50.

 

[BigAde]

Thanks for that Messiah...

Seems to be a cheap and felxible solution
Only problem with the PowerMid for me is that you need to have the transmitting 'pyramid' somewhere in the room for the signals and then shove the other one in the cupboard with the hi-fi. I probably would prefer a more discrete receiver unit, which I guess is why the HotLink one with its tiny receiving 'eye' appeals so much.

Do you use the Powermids yourself? How big are the actual units?

 

[BigAde]

Phoned Keene up Saturday just to get some more technical information. The guy who answerered the phone was very helpful and informative - he really knew his stuff and answered all my questions quickly and easily... No pressure from him at all but I ordered there and then. Nice to see a company that prides itself in customer service - a rarity these days...

Anyway, he said that the two 'wands' that were included may well control all the kit I've got without the need for one wand for each bit of kit (which is what I thought I needed). Ordered the wideband receiver just to be on the safe side and the whole lot including postage was under £50. Can't say fairer than that - I can then buy extra wands IF I actually need them.

Anyway, was very pleasantly surprised by the service I got on the phone. Will post my opnions of the actual equipment when it arrives.

 

[gIzzE]

yeah let me know how you get on.

cheers.

 

[Yummy Fur]

Big Ade said

Do you use the Powermids yourself? How big are the actual units?

The powermids are about four & half inches high and the tranmitting aerial about eight inches high. I have three transmitters in different rooms over two floors and find they work very well.

Yummy Fur

 

[TimD]

Originally posted by BigAde
Anyway, he said that the two 'wands' that were included may well control all the kit I've got without the need for one wand for each bit of kit (which is what I thought I needed). Ordered the wideband receiver just to be on the safe side and the whole lot including postage was under £50. Can't say fairer than that - I can then buy extra wands IF I actually need them.

Just out of interest, how big and obtrusive are the external receivers? Can it be mounted in the same (unobtrusive) way as the HotLink's receiver?

Cheers,
Tim

 

[BigAde]

Got the kit through very quickly, but still not had the chance to try it!

Well the wideband receiver that I got is relatively small, but not as small as the HotLink one as far as I can see. It is a strange round pear-type shape that is difficult to describe, but when mounted, I would guess it is approx 2 inches wide, by 3/4 inch high and about 3 inches deep. It was bigger than I expected, but really can't see it being very obtrusive. I'm quite sure I can find somewhere to mount it without much problem. No idea if the normal receiver is any smaller though.

 

[BigAde]

Hey! At long last my new cabinet arrived last night and after only a few hours (!) had it up and running with my kit safely tucked away inside. It looks great. Anyway to cut to the chase - the Keene remote extender unit works like a dream....

I was expecting it to be more difficult to setup, but it was simply a case of plugging all the wires in and it worked no problem - 5 minutes and it was done. The wideband receiver was easy to hide - I just tucked it next to the telly and it blends in nicely (you wouldn't really know it was there unless you looked carefullly).

I only needed the two 'wands' supplied to control my DVD, video and AV amp - just point them in the rough direction of the units and it works just fine - so even in the cabinets you can't see the wands. Couldn't be happier with the way it works - even my missus (who is not easily impressed by technology ) kept saying how much better it was.

Highly recommended!