my basement theater will use a Home Theater Master MX-950 with the MRF 300 RF extender

i have two other locations in my home where i need the same functionality with fewer things to control

my LR setup has tv, denon receiver, dvd and dish network (RF).....i have been using a IR only system with this setup but would like to move to a simple RF/IR system

my bedroom setup has tv, dvd and dish network (IR).....i have tried to use the HOTLINK system on this setup with no success (the tv is very noisy)

won't i have issues if i am running three RF/IR systems?

No, they're addressable, so each system can be set to use different "channels".

great, thanks

i was thinking about the URC RF20 with the RF unit

i think it's called the RFS 200 system?

thoughts?

No the RF20/rfs200 is not addressable. You need at least the mx-350 and mrf250 basestation.

well, I had just ordered the RF20...hahaha...but I was able to cancel that order

I now plan to order the mx-350 with the mrf-250 base station

if it works well with the living room system i will get one for the bedroom

thanks!

any reason to upgrade to the mrf-300 instead of the mrf-250?

[Link: surfremotecontrol.com]

Disregard the information on the MRF-350, as it's only for the higher end remotes.

Mike
www.SurfRemoteControl.com

Yes, the MRF-250 hardly ever works right.

One of the many reasons to switch to the 300. Do taint your experience by purchasing the cheaper unit. The couple extra bucks will be well worth the reduced ass ache

While the RF units are addressable, they do not support multiple frequencies or any sort of collision arbitration.

Tossing aside the jargon...

What this means is that if someone is operating a RF remote in another room, at the same time you are trying to operate a RF remote they will interfere. The interference may take the form of dropped keys, or even misinterpreted keys. How often this occurs depends on how much channel or guide surfing you do. How often you play back macros. etc.

thanks guys, thats all great information to know

ok, i will upgrade to the mrf-300 over the mrf-250 for sure

however, it does sound like it may be problematic to potentially have three of these systems in the same house

they just seem to be a better solution than the wired option with an unsightly "eye" resting on top of the tv

i was considering the Harmony 890 with its RF functionality but it seems to get a lot of bad press in the remote world...???

About using multiples remotes with multiple MRF, it is possible.

I've installed for a client 3 MX-3000 in 3 different room. In each room as 3 MRF-350.

I do not have any problems with interference between the rooms.

I'll let you know if ever i do but, this install as been up and running for over 2 month now.

chow chow

i have a job with 7 and have yet to be called for a problem . jon is correct however, if you are firing a mcaro in 1 system and a macro in another at the exact same time, there will be problems that will require re issuing the macro. The times this is a problem would be limited THAT CAN BE SAID FOR ANY BRAND of rf remote.

You have to consider how many people will likely be operating RF remotes at the same time, and also keep in mind that people will often take flaky performance for granted and not realize what's going on.

In the end, it's just totally random. If two remotes are operating at the same instance they will interfere.

I first noticed the problem when operating my Pinnacle Showcenter which uses toggle codes. The interface uses a lot of scrolling and if it drops even a single signal, it gets out of sync in a way that's very noticeable and annoying.

So if one person in the house was scrolling through a list on the media center, while another was arrowing through the guide on the DVR you'd likely notice both remotes acting flaky.

The obvious solution would be for URC to use multiple frequencies. The more subtle approach would be to implement some sort of collision avoidance algorithm.

For installers, you really should make your customers aware of the issue. There may be options afterall, and to say that every RF remote would have this problem is probably not quite accurate. Every *simple* RF remote may have this problem, but a WiFi remote may not.

Really?


wifi aint rf AND if multiple users were engaging the same device (RF base not component)you would in fact have 'flakyness'