Here’s another solution that will let you hide your equipment

You love your high-tech goodies but your significant other doesn’t like the clutter. We hear it all the time. Most of the time we recommend something like the NextGen Remote Extender that will turn almost any remote into an RF-capable one. It’s a great solution, except there is one thing you need to know: it requires that the remote take either AA or AAA batteries. That’s the limiting factor there.

There’s another option that will let you put your equipment behind a door or mount it behind the TV: This Tech Choice Infrared Extender takes the infrared signal from nearly any remote, even the ones with those kooky coin batteries, and runs it via wire to a unit that can be hidden. It then runs another wire to sit in front of your components where it blasts out a strong signal.

I’ll tell you, this little device really saved me on a recent project where the customer was very enamored of a little coin-battery-powered remote and still wanted to hide all the equipment. It’s one of those things that “just works” and when you find something like that you have to jump at it, especially considering how often you end up finding things that are unnecessarily complex.

Personally I am looking forward to another opportunity to install one of these and I recommend that everyone out there think about how to best use it in their homes, or in a friend’s!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.