Make almost any remote control shoot through walls

No, it’s not a new product but people still love our NextGen Remote Extender even after all these years. And I do mean, “all these years.” We’ve been selling this product for well over a decade in its current form. That form hasn’t changed, because it does what it needs to do and does it well.

Meet the remote extender

It will take any remote control that uses an AA or AAA battery and converts it so it can shoot through walls and doors. You don’t need a special RF remote, and that means you can use any universal remote control, or use IR and RF remotes at the same time.

How does it work?

The RF receiver and transmitter that does all the work is so small that it fits in the battery compartment and still includes a battery of its own. It “sees” the infrared signals as they leave your remote and rebroadcasts them in RF to your device. There, a small receiver (the flying-saucery-looking thing in the picture) converts them back to infrared so that no changes are actually made on your device. Your device just thinks it’s getting infrared the same as it always has.

This is a perfect solution for anything with a remote, really, unless it uses one of those coin-style ones. If it does, an inexpensive universal remote will generally work on that device and you’re in business.

We tested this device twice in videos. Take a look at that antique TiVo in the first video. That should tell you how old the thing is… That DIRECTV receiver hasn’t been sold since 2006. But why mess with success?

This video is a little newer but not much. It was one of the first ones I did for Solid Signal back in 2012. Not bad for back then, but it reminds me it’s probably time to do a new one.

My own results

I can personally say that the remote extender I used was able to change the channels on my DIRECTV receiver from over 50 feet away through a stucco wall. Battery life wasn’t really affected either, and the I didn’t have to go through the device menus to make it work.

Now, it’s true, this solution isn’t as slick as using an app or some $300 system, but it is really quite impressive especially for the price. The company has been around for a good long time and I know the people involved — they stand behind their work. You can use the “flying saucer” to blast IR by facing it at the device, or use the included blaster cable to hide the receiver and use a discreet cable to send the signals. That second option also lets you control the device with other remotes in IR mode because it doesn’t block the IR receiver on the device.

The remote extender just keeps on going.

Year in, year out, this ends up being one of our best sellers and there’s a simple reason why: it just works. Thousands and thousands of people have discovered the many uses for our remote extender… isn’t it time you did too?

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.