Best WMC remote for XBox 360

Troubleshoot and discuss the XBOX 360, XBOX One, Linksys, and other extenders.
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resarfekim

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Best WMC remote for XBox 360

#1

Post by resarfekim » Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:29 pm

I'm using a 360 as an extender in the bedroom. I purchased one of those XBox 360 universal remotes. It works well enough, except it seems to require line-of-sight with the console. As my console sits just below the bed height, we have to hold the remote way up in the air to hit the Xbox.

Is there a better solution? I'd love to get an old-school MS RC6 remote working on it. Anything that wouldn't require line-of-sight, and preferably be similar to the MS remote and be programmable (for tv volume)

Thanks!
mike

mdavej

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#2

Post by mdavej » Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:25 pm

Xbox requires very tight line of sight due to terrible design. Only way to improve would be to get a repeater or blaster attached directly to the Xbox. Look for a universal RF or IR repeater solution. Nearly every universal has MCE codes or could learn them. Next Generation is one of the cheaper options.

3rob3

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#3

Post by 3rob3 » Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:27 am

I used to use one of these, they really improve reception from a much wider angle and they can be powered by the Xbox USB port:
http://www.amazon.com/Arrela-Infrared-E ... 00KMO5Y82/

resarfekim

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#4

Post by resarfekim » Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:21 am

3rob3 wrote:I used to use one of these, they really improve reception from a much wider angle and they can be powered by the Xbox USB port:
http://www.amazon.com/Arrela-Infrared-E ... 00KMO5Y82/
Thanks for the quick replies. Will be ordering one of these!

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DavidinCT

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#5

Post by DavidinCT » Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:08 pm

The old white Xbox 360's had a better IR port than the slim black ones....

I preferred the white one, till it went RROD for the 5th time and just gave up on it....sigh
-Dave
Twitter @TheCoolDave

Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012

resarfekim

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#6

Post by resarfekim » Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:53 am

Just found that my MS remote control (RC6) actually works with my XBox. I just needed to enable that in Settings\Remote Control.
It works MUCH better than the Xbox remote. I can point it in the general direction of the console and it is very accurate. :D

Which leads me to wonder - is it just a more powerful remote? I don't even know what RC6 means... is it using radio waves, rather than IR?

This is the one of which I speak:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-Micros ... Sw3ydVrxDz

mdavej

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#7

Post by mdavej » Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:27 pm

resarfekim wrote:Just found that my MS remote control (RC6) actually works with my XBox. I just needed to enable that in Settings\Remote Control.
It works MUCH better than the Xbox remote. I can point it in the general direction of the console and it is very accurate. :D

Which leads me to wonder - is it just a more powerful remote? I don't even know what RC6 means... is it using radio waves, rather than IR?
It could most definitely be more powerful. An IR remote is akin to a flashlight with one or two LEDs. The brighter the light, the better it works. Biggest difference is IR light is invisible to humans. But you can see it through a digital camera. So to satisfy your curiosity, look at your Xbox remote and MS remote through a camera and compare brightness for yourself. Battery level also has a big impact on brightness.

RC6 is a protocol (defines how the signal is constructed). It's still IR, not RF. Here's the IRP for MCE which is a form of RC6, if you're interested:
{36k,444,msb}<-1,1|1,-1>((6,-2,1:1,6:3,-2,2,OEM1:8,OEM2:8,T:1,D:7,F:8,^107m)+,T=1-T) {OEM1=128,OEM2=S}[D:0..127,S:0..255,F:0..255,T@:0..1=0]

And here's how to read IRP notation:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/wiki/index.p ... P_Notation

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, get yourself a copy of IR Scrutinizer and Generate some signals and look at the waveforms. Then you'll have a much better understanding of how consumer IR signals work.

The primary problem with the Xbox is the IR sensor is about an inch behind a small window (I'd call it a key hole) rather than near the surface of the case like most devices. So the light must go through this key hole and hit the sensor. The angle at which this is physically possible is very narrow. So a very strong signal can overcome this to some extent.

You can also use the SmartGlass app instead of a remote to control your Xbox over wi-fi, no line of sight required.

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#8

Post by 3rob3 » Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:03 pm

resarfekim wrote:Just found that my MS remote control (RC6) actually works with my XBox. I just needed to enable that in Settings\Remote Control.
It works MUCH better than the Xbox remote. I can point it in the general direction of the console and it is very accurate. :D

Which leads me to wonder - is it just a more powerful remote? I don't even know what RC6 means... is it using radio waves, rather than IR?

This is the one of which I speak:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-Micros ... Sw3ydVrxDz
I have that same MS RC6 remote, and the newer black 360 remote. I didn't notice any difference at all between the two. Adding that repeater I linked above made a HUGE difference.

resarfekim

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#9

Post by resarfekim » Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:01 pm

mdavej wrote:...look at your Xbox remote and MS remote through a camera and compare brightness for yourself. Battery level also has a big impact on brightness.
How have I lived this long and am only now learning that trick!?
Thanks for all the info. Gonna check out that IR Scrutinizer too.

aseries

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#10

Post by aseries » Mon Nov 21, 2016 2:52 am

WMC remote controls work great. Get an IR Blaster with a long cable.

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