Infrared over ethernet hardware?

[thoffland]

Hey everyone,

I just bought a house that's still being built. The wiring company called and arranged my preferences and upgrades and part of the option included my plasma to be mounted on the wall over a "slave box". In the "slave box" is an ethernet jack that the guy said I could use to run an infrared connection to my componentst that will be located in a closet at the other end of the slave box.

I've been looking around but cant really seem to find what it is that I'll need for the infrared hardware. Almost everything I'm finding is IR Extenders... and those wont do. I need something to control about 5 components and it will have to go through ethernet.

Has anyone set up a system like this? What hardware would you recommend?

TIA for any help!!

[Clive]

I think "Control 4" has something like that. Fiddle around smarthome see what they got :T

[Kevin D]

I'm pretty sure he's simplifying everything for the typical home owner. You're getting a structured wire system which consists of CAT5 and coax. It's easier to call the CAT5 'ethernet and phone wiring' then explaining CAT5.

There's absolutly no reason to try and find an IR repeater to go over ethernet, just use the normal ones and use the Cat5 to get it to the closet.

Check out Xantech and their IR repeater systems. You will have a sensor that sticks on your plasma, 3 wires connect to 3 wires in the Cat5, at the other end you take those three wires into a connecting block which can have 1-12 IR outputs. From those outputs you run an IR emmiter that sticks on the front of your equipment. Pretty straight forward.

Kevin D.

[thoffland]

Thanks guys,

I finally got a hold of the wiring guy and asked him what he recommended, and he told me that they use SpeakerCrafts product. Here's the link:

http://www.smarthome.com/9725201.HTML

They will actually purchase it and install it all for me. I Know it's not hard, but hey, it's one less thing.

I'd like to hook up a smaller tv in the bedroom and have it connected the same way so I'm going to look into the Xantech products and do the next one myself.

Thanks for all the help!