Do computers affect a TiVO remote?

[fazct]

I have a TiVo Premiere XL4 (with a Slide remote) in a room with three computers and the remote is very sluggish to respond. Sometimes it takes three or four clicks to register on the screen. Sometimes the clicks seem to queue up and get transmitted all at the same time. Sometimes the click gets stuck and keeps trying to go to the left/right, etc. (whatever button I pushed). I switched to a regular remote and have the same problem. This problem also was evident on the previous TiVo in this room (an HD). A have another TiVo in another room with no computers in it and am not having this problem. I think that maybe there is EM interference causing this. Any suggestions?

[ADG]

If I were you I might look elsewhere for the cause of the problem

[philw1776]

No problem with multiple computers and 2.4GHz wireless. The remote isn't a 2.4Ghz wireless device.

I had a network TiVo wireless adapter connection problem that had the side effect of making my remote slow so I suggest that you reboot router, any TiVo wireless adapter and if that doesn't fix, reboot the TiVo

[ajwees41]

have you tried new batteries?

[jrtroo]

Does this slide do this in bluetooth mode and without the bluetooth dongle? If so, try moving the dongle to the front of the unit with the extender provided in the box. This helped me.

If you move the remotes to the other tivo, what happens? What happens when the three computers are turned OFF?

[wmcbrine]

Originally Posted by philw1776

The remote isn't a 2.4Ghz wireless device.

The Slide is, in Bluetooth mode.

[steve614]

Do you have remotes for other devices? Check the area to make sure all other remotes are accounted for and not transmitting (e.g. stuck button).

I've heard TVs with backlighting can cause remote interferance. Does your TV have this feature?

[pmiranda]

Did you try turning off the computers to see if it makes a difference?

[philw1776]

Originally Posted by wmcbrine

The Slide is, in Bluetooth mode.

Yes. I stand corrected. Need to read the OP more carefully.

[fazct]

Thank you all for your responses.

FYI, the TV is a basic LG 26" LCD 60 Hz (not LED or plasma).

FYI, there is a dual-band wireless-N router in the room with the TiVo and the computers.

The slide remote has 86% battery power left so I do not think it is a battery issue.

I was already using the extender for the dongle and it was positioned at the front.

I turned off all of the computers in the room and the problem got about 75% better but did not completely go away.

I connected the slide remote to my other TiVo and the problem did not follow the remote to the other TiVo.

I put away the slide remote and used the glow remote that came with the XL4 and that remote works fine.

So, bottom line, something (maybe the computers, maybe the router, or something else) is interfering with just the bluetooth remote.

[pmiranda]

It's the router. When the computers are off they're generating less network traffic and therefore less wireless activity. Try moving the router farther from the TiVo and your sitting position. Also maybe put them on different electrical outlets if you can.

[wkearney99]

Or if the routers and the cards in the computers support it then configure them to use 5gHz N wifi instead. Or make sure they're all in at least G mode, disabling B entirely. Many also have a bluetooth compatibility mode, make sure it's enabled. But moving to 5gHz N would help the most.

[fazct]

OK, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

[cuhulin]

Are the other remotes also bluetooth devices? My S3 HD has developed this problem with its remote as well.

[Jonathan_S]

Originally Posted by cuhulin

Are the other remotes also bluetooth devices? My S3 HD has developed this problem with its remote as well.

Only the slide remote is a bluetooth device. All the other Tivo remotes are IR devices.


But they can suffer from interference problems as well; just from lights or other remotes, rather that RF interference. A remote with something jamming a button down isn't that uncommon a reason for a TiVo to stop responding properly to its own remote

[morac]

I'll mention that when I first got my Slide remote, I hooked the dongle up without the extender cable. When I tried to use the Slide remote near my laptop, I ended up with all kinds of issues such as stuck or missing remote key presses and the like. I fixed this by using the extender cable to place the dongle off to the side on my Premiere.

So yes, any a computer can interfere with the Slide remote, if the signal is weak. Actually any electronics equipment can do that.

I highly recommend using the extender cable and move it as far away from any electronically equipment (including the TiVo) as possible.