Here’s a problem that is pretty common for DIRECTV technicians. Perhaps it’s less common for regular folks, but it still happens. Suppose you are trying to isolate problems with a DIRECTV system. You might be tempted to move receivers and swap them out until you find the problem. The only thing about that is, the process can get pretty annoying.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell
If you’ve ever had to do some quick swapouts, you might have found yourself frustrated as you accidentally controlled two similar items with the same remote. Because it was a temporary situation, you didn’t really want to reprogram the remote, so you lived with it. You might have learned you can turn off one receiver or just not worry about the fact that they both react at the same time when you push a button on the remote.
This is less of an issue with RF installations because RF remotes pair to the receiver. But, a lot of commercial installations still use IR instead of RF. The best way around this is really to network all the receivers and use the DIRECTV App for Business. But, that’s a topic for another article.
The simple way around this
There’s a simple way to address the problem and it involves two things you probably already have: aluminum foil and masking tape.
Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it over itself until you have a square about 4″ x 4″. Put it over the infrared “eye” of the equipment and tape it on with masking tape. It doesn’t matter if the foil is shiny side in or out, if you’ve folded it enough times nothing is getting through. Cover up the item you don’t want to control and it will be almost blind to any IR or RF signal you want to throw at it.
If you have to control both devices, just tape the foil on at the top and it makes a handy little flap that can be flipped up out of the way when not needed. Then, you can cover one or the other as needed.
A permanent solution?
Realistically, this could be a permanent solution. A smaller bar or restaurant setup with just a few receivers could operate like this indefinitely. There are better ways. You could use the app, as I said. You could set up each receiver with its own code and use one remote to control four receivers. (There’s a tutorial here. It’s old but it still checks out.) You could even put each receiver on RF. But, hey, if tinfoil works, why reinvent the wheel?
If you’re looking for help or upgrade ideas for your commercial DIRECTV system, call the experts! Signal Connect, the full-service arm of Signal Group, helps customers like you every day. Call us at 888-233-7563 and you’ll reach a real technician, not a call center. We’re here for you during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
