nowbotfilter

Thread Tools

• Next Generation Security

Our Engineering Team can train, consult, design, monetize, and help offset the up-front cost, of any wireless system. Next Generation RF's patented software allows for unique monetization ideas. Our company services include a full staff of highly trained engineers offering RF design services, consultation, system monetization, and marketing. The next generation rf The Venclose RF System itself consists of an intuitively operated RF generator and an innovatively engineered thermal ablation catheter. The digiRF console is a compact unit that powers up almost instantly.

Sponsored Links

Quote:
Yes, you would.
Quote:
I use the NG remote extender (with the transmitter installed) in one of my RF capable DirecTV remotes to control an HR21-100 from a remote location. My reason for using the DirecTV remote in IR mode with the NG rather than utilizing it's RF capability is because I control my entire entertainment center where the HR21 is located with a URC MX-500 remote and the HR21 can only be set for IR or RF, not both at the same time.

Sponsored Links

My DIY Subs ... https://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1233892

J Dunlavy:.. if you stop to think about it, no loudspeaker can sound more accurate than it measures.

Quote:
Have you tried the manufacturer? http://www.nextgen.us/NextGen_Remote_Extender_Genius_Transmitters_Only_p/remoteextendergeniustrans.htm

Quote:

Up until a few days ago, I have been one of those doing the toutin' ;)

That's before I received and installed a 'Harmony Smart Control'. It bests the NextGen system by leaps and bounds (and as an early adopter of the NextGen system, I never thought I'd say that)

Here's a pic of everything that's been replaced by the Harmony (in the top red circle), including the NextGen kit...

I actually was able to reuse one of my NextGen emitters due to the fact that its standard 3.5mm where as the Harmony hub takes a 2.5mm connection (one of my few gripes of this system)

Quote:

I tried this. A few (actually several) issues...

1) Nextgen battery/transmitter not compatible with my Harmony 650 remote (the battery/transmitter can't create enough power to operate in remotes that have larger LCD screens). It works with my 520 and 550, but those remotes have unresponsive, mushy/rubber buttons.

2) Nextgen IR blaster is not nearly as powerful, forgiving, or multi-directional as the harmony hub/blaster appears to be.

3) Nextgen blaster has antenna which limits where it can be placed. Harmony hub has a low profile and no antenna. Can be placed in a variety of locations (as in my pic)

4) Nextgen has no iOS/Android interface to set up, let alone control, the remote, hub or devices

Next Generation Security

5) Nextgen depends on battery/transmitter being charged constantly. Harmony hub has no battery to constantly charge/replace. Harmony remote uses a single inexpensive CR-2032 coin cell battery

I could go on, you get the idea. Just curious, have you had an opportunity to test the harmony smart control?

Quote:
I agree with all of your points. My main point is for those who may have a lot of remotes to replace but don't want to spend $130 on an RF solution. Cheapness is why most of us are attracted to Next gen in the first place.
While JP1 has no iOS integration, it has many advantages as well. It has tons more functionality than the smart control remote itself, like unlimited activities, unlimited devices, 5 functions per button (short press, long press, double press, shifted and double shifted), nested macros, custom protocols, unlimited macro steps, variables and conditional branching, etc., all at a fraction of the cost of a harmony. If you're going to give up your LCD display anyway, may as well get some functionality in return. I've tried many iOS remotes, and while they are cool and fun to play with, nothing beats actual buttons, which the smart control partially takes care of. What is missing is access to all the extra functions, which now must be accessed on your smart phone. I'd rather have everything on my remote and forget about the smart phone.
I agree that an integrated solution without all the drawbacks of Next gen is a great option, but it does come at a significant cost. As a JP1 person, there is no way I could ever spend anywhere near $130 on any remote solution. It's just not in my DNA.

You make some good points mdavej.

I've been an enthusiastic supporter of NextGen since the day I discovered it several years ago. I've promoted it to anyone who would listen. I was drawn to it mostly due to its inexpensive cost and functionality to control devices without line of sight.

Never the less, the experience has not been all wine and roses. The constant battery switching/recycling has always been an issue. I purchased a battery tester and a couple extra nextgen battery/transmitters to help with this, but its still an extra chore (and expense) I didn't relish keeping up with. I just went back to my Amazon account to see that I've spent close to $100 on the nextgen system over the years (extra 3way emitter cable, an extra transmitter, longer 3.5mm audio cable, extra nextgen batteries, battery tester, etc)

When you consider my existing investment in nextgen (appx $100), add in the cost of a universal remote, I'm about even with the cost of the smart control system at $129(and it comes with everything I need including a sleek, responsive remote that does not need constant battery changes, hub, and app for iOS/Android as well as web based setup)

The other issue is that the mini blasters keep breaking and the stickyback wears away. I ultimately had them scotch-taped to my devices which, along with all the cords coming from the hub, became pretty unsightly. But, I had no alternative then, so I lived with it.

When I discovered the Harmony solution a few weeks ago (I believe its only been out since April) I began to research it as an alternative.

What I found was that it appeared to address many of the shortcomings of the nextgen system, but, as you point out, at a cost. I'm willing to accept the cost as an investment in my enjoyment of my entertainment hub. I sold several of my slightly used electronics on craigslist (in one day) in order to pay for the harmony system.

I can tell you now that the same excitement that I felt when I discovered Nextgen remote control extender back in 2007, I now feel to an even greater extent having discovered the harmony smart control system.

If you can afford it, Its a pretty unbeatable solution. Especially if they keep enhancing the desktop and iOS/Android software. And of course, if they don't sell of the harmony division as was rumoured a while back. But ironically, the success of the new smart control and hub system, especially in Apple stores, has apparently revived the business.

I'm not in need of all the extra configuration options you indicate are important to you (and to others I'm sure). The harmony system gives me everything I could want (and I've driven pretty deep into the interface to customize buttons, add special cases to activities, etc,) and comes with a remote that DOES feature dual programmable buttons (short and long press supported).

The only time I have to pick up my iPhone is when I want to program a button or activity to do something special. However, I could use myharmony.com to do that as well. I use the smart remote to control ALL my devices, although I could just as easily use my iPhone or iPad.

We could probably go on and on comparing these two systems, but as someone who has both, I have to say that I'm extremely satisfied that I found the nextgen when I did, and I'm even more satisfied that I graduated to the Harmony system.

Its exceeded my expectations and in my experience, it bests the nextgen system in terms of speed, responsiveness, user-friendliness, overall user satisfaction and, to your point, operating cost. Its everything I wanted nextgen to be and then some.

Quote:
Thanks for all your input, I've been lurking around reading a ton of different threads on different options to go with (needing RF) and started looking at other options rather then the Harmony line 910/915 and I keep saying to myself get the smart hub and give it a shot....wasn't to thrilled about the Blaster wire I'd have to run just for the TV but if that's the worst part then its not that bad at all....looks like after reading a bunch more today I'll end up going for the 910 to start with:)


Quote:
Edmund, I'm not sure I understand your reply. The second part about the URC remotes working with the 418 Mhz spacestation suggests to me that the URC base stations are also 418 Mhz and if that is the case, the 2 URC RF remotes would indeed work with the NG spacestation. I don't need that functionality because I only need 2 RF base stations and I already have those.
After the 418 Mhz explanation, I guess what I need is a pyramid (?) that I can point a IR remote at and it would send a 418 Mhz RF signal to my URC RF base stations. Is this what you have shown in your reply? Do you have names for them? The other option is to just use the NG batteries and I'm also assuming from your reply that you think this would work, being 418 MHz. but I also believe that the 'spacestation' is also the recharger for the RF batteries so maybe it won't work without the whole kit?


I'm assuming your original transmitter is blue (433MHz), correct? If so, the red transmitter (418MHz) you recently purchased will never work with your 433 MHz base receiver but the newly purchased blue transmitter should. I have a 433MHz receiver and two remotes with blue (433MHz) transmitters that communicate with it from two different locations. The only thing I can think of is that your new blue transmitter is defective.
One other suggestion is that you might want to consider a universal remote which would only require one transmitter to control all your devices.
Hi mdavej. I read your post and thought maybe you could provide a little insight into my situation. I, like yourself, am all about saving some coin when it comes to this stuff. I have a Denon 2112CI and a Sony S5100 that are in an entertainment cabinet in the back of my room. In order for these to operate, I need to point the remotes behind me which gets awfully annoying since the projection screen is in the front of the room. I'm trying to find a solution to this where I could point it forward and have it still communicate with the devices.
So, I saw your JVC remote and that seems like a nice buy. Cheap! How would I go about using the Next Generation Remote Control extender with these devices? Would this work for my setup? Also, will the JVC pair with my projector as well? It's a Benq 1080ST. Thanks for your feedback in advance. Much appreciated!
I think you meant RCA. But, in any case, a JP1 remote like the RCA will control any IR device, even ones Harmony and others can't control. You may have to spring for a programming cable ($8 on ebay).
All you need to worry about is that some IR source (Next Gen, blaster or remote) is LOS with each device. I assume the projector is on the ceiling, then other devices are in the back and front. Front is covered by the remote. Back and ceiling by Next Gen base and blasters. I don't know if you can make that work with your layout or not. You'll just have to experiment. Any RF or IR extender solution will have the same issues, not just Next Gen. In some cases, it may be easier to use RS-232 to to projector, but that requires a far more expensive system and some new wiring.
Hi. I've been using the NextGen extenders, one 418 MHZ and one 433 MHZ which have worked perfectly ever since I installed them. I also didn't get my phone call answered so I just sent an email to NextGen but I am not optimistic based on several posts here.
My question....I own three Cox Cisco boxes, each used by an individual member of the house. I want to include NextGen control for the third Cox box. Looking at all the videos and reading as much as I can I still don't understand how the Genius works. The genius hub has two IR outputs. The three Cox boxes are in different physical locations. Just how can the Genius distinguish between the three controllers and send the same signal (for example, the GUIDE command) to a specific Cox box? I can understand how the Genius can recognize that a signal comes from controller A, for example, but how does it route the command to Cox box A?
Thanks. Rich
Each Genius kit comes with one base unit and one color coded transmitter. Each color is a different RF frequency....the problem is, there doesn't seem to be any documentation anywhere that states what those frequencies are and I suspect (although I'm not certain) that two of those color coded transmitters are probably 418 & 433 MHz so choosing a third unique frequency from the available colors (unknown frequencies) would appear to be a crap shoot (unless none of those colors are the same as the original frequencies). You can choose a specific color to buy but could possibly wind up with one of the frequencies you're already using.
The two emitter outputs have to do with IR bands in the event you have a component that works on one band but not the other. In other words, it has nothing to do with having independent control of multiple same brand components.
Thanks very much; as I suspected. So the 'Genius' part means little other than there are two full-size AAA battery charging slots underneath it and by holding the cap down the unit can sync with the appropriate sending controller, but it will blast the signal sent out to everything through the single output port.
So it looks like I could buy another genius and hope its frequency is not either 418 or 433 MHZ. According to the ad at Amazon the transmitter with red print is 418 and blue print is 433. Aha! Now I see the problem, the colored transmitters sold at NextGen's store are gray, orange, green, yellow and purple.
Yikes! How clueless is that? Strange, Amazon lists the purple colored one as 'discontinued by manufacturer.' The other four are still sold but for almost $120.00 (same as NextGen). I sure wish someone offered something equivalent. Without the frequencies identified I won't gamble. Nextgen sells the individual transmitters for $31.95 each.
Rich
You got it Rich. Again, it's purely speculation on my part that 2 of the frequencies among the Genius colors are the same as the original two. I guess if you were a gambling man you could order one from Amazon and if it turns out it's one of your current frequencies, send it back for a refund and try again.
Rich, I got a response to an email I sent to NextGen...this is what they said: Our Genius unit works off the 433 MHz and is our addressable unit. That is how you are able to have more then one in the same house. Since you already have a 418 and a 433, you would have to change the 433 out for a genius. You can keep the 418 because the genius will not interfere with it. So you would have two genius and one 418.
So, I guess that means the five Genius colors are somehow 5 unique variants of the 433MHz frequency, eliminating the possibility of cross talk between any of them.....except for the original 433MHz which apparently will result in interference.
And as you already know, the Genius base receivers differ from the original base units in that they can be synced with any of the Genius transmitters, albeit, only one at a time so controlling 3 same brand components would require 3 Genius kits, each synced with it's unique color or 2 Genius kits and the original 418MHz kit.

Wow...this thread hits the crossroads I'm currently at right between the eyes! Yesterday I was convinced I should buy the Logitech Harmony Smart Control, and today I was convinced I should buy a Next Gen, get rid of my current IR repeater system, continue to use my current Sony RM-VLZ620 universal remote, and pick up a JP1 cable for my old OFA remote and get my hands dirty with JP1 for the first time to see where it all goes. In fact, I just picked up the Harmony 650, and frankly, I'm not lovin' it because now that I've got the nice and simple one-press 'Activities', I also get to hold the remote pointed at the media cabinet while it fires the commands (I have never bothered with power up sequence macros for this reason). While I wouldn't mind this if I was a bachelor, I've got a wife, kids, in-laws, babysitters and house sitters that I wouldn't mind helping out. So, I've pretty much decided that I'd rather have RF (or otherwise non-line-of-sight) and a basic remote than a 'fancier' remote (I'll likely return the 650). Here are my questions:
1) For those who have been using the Smart Control happily for a bit, are you still satisfied now that the new has worn off?
2) Since I don't want to use my smartphone to control my home theater components once everything is set up, is there a way on the smart remote to select a device to control and use all of the buttons for that device for controlling it? It seems like it may not be set up for this very well, but only an 'activity mode' remote?
3) My media cabinet is pretty tight with components (and black...I don't know if that affects the ability for the IR to bounce). How likely is it that the hub will hit it all without adding extra IR emitters in front of each component? It is my understanding that I'll use the one that comes with it to put in front of my TV's sensor.
4) I've been reading about discrete ON/OFF commands...is the Harmony Smart Control going to use those? I guess I'm concerned that without the 'help' button on the Smart Remote, this could become an issue...maybe it is just a setup thing? If so, could someone explain so I know any limitations?
Thanks!

Sponsored Links

Posting Rules
You may not post replies You may not edit your posts Smilies are On HTML code is Off Pingbacks are Off

view our sponsors showcase AVS Forum is proudly sponsored by