Spooky remote behavior

[bldxyz]

Was it just because it was Halloween?

Last night, after dark, I was watching a program on my DTivo and all of a sudden, it was as if I were pressing all sorts of buttons on the remote: Display, left, right, up, down.

Eventually, it seemed to stop and I got the show I was watching to start playing again. But periodically, I would hear the sounds as if I were pressing the down key a few times (bom, bom, bom). I made sure the remote wasn't pointing towards the receiver, but still... bom, bom bom....

Was this a Halloween easter-egg?

[morgantown]

...or a neighbor playing a trick.

[Edmund]

Or interference by another remote stuck in cushion or stuck key?

[dtremain]

Sell your home and move at least 1,000 miles away. These fellows can find you any closer. Get-t-t-t-t-t-t out-t-t-t-t-t-t!

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by morgantown

...or a neighbor playing a trick.

You know, I thought about this. My neighbor had DirecTV installed a few weeks back, and perhaps he has DTivo now... His TV is exactly on the opposite side of the wall from the room I was in last night, but...

• This is the only time I've seen this happen
• Remotes can't send through walls

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by Edmund

Or interference by another remote stuck in cushion or stuck key?

I did go to the other room and look at the other remote (I have a two-room, one receiver system with a remote-relay system, which could be a real culprit here). Still, with the only remote in the same room as the receiver pointing away from it, it was still going bom, bom, bom....

Maybe I do need to move 1,000 miles away.

Or maybe it was just Halloween....

[Edmund]

Do you have IR extender setup to control your tivo from another room? Like the pyramds? Most HTM line RF universal remotes like the mx-600, urc-100-300, can communicate directly with almost ALL IR extenders on the market.

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by Edmund

Do you have IR extender setup to control your tivo from another room? Like the pyramds? Most HTM line RF universal remotes like the mx-600, urc-100-300, can communicate directly with almost ALL IR extenders on the market.

Yes, I have an IR extender setup (pyramids, indeed!).

Are you suggesting that my neighbor has an RF universal remote that is going through the walls and subvesively controlling my Tivo?

It seems like such a long-shot, though. He doesn't seem the type to have a universal remote...

[Edmund]

I'm saying its possible, I use the pyramids instead of the HTM mrf basestation with my mx650 and urc300. It could have also been RF interference, put out as IR junk signal with a IR signal from your own remote carried along in a continuous loop.

[Billy Bob Boy]

Originally Posted by bldxyz

You know, I thought about this. My neighbor had DirecTV installed a few weeks back, and perhaps he has DTivo now... His TV is exactly on the opposite side of the wall from the room I was in last night, but...

• This is the only time I've seen this happen
• Remotes can't send through walls

They can if the walls are HAUNTED WHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by Edmund

I'm saying its possible, I use the pyramids instead of the HTM mrf basestation with my mx650 and urc300. It could have also been RF interference, put out as IR junk signal with a IR signal from your own remote carried along in a continuous loop.

Could you possibly elaborate on the RF interference idea? Tonight, it happened again. To complicate matters, one original theory was foiled (his television in same line as our pyramid receiver -- he points remote at his Tivo and it goes through the wall and activates ours -- foiled, I suppose, because it kept happening when I unplugged the pyramid).

So two theories:

1. His remote is going through the wall and controlling our Tivo
2. RF interference as IR junk signal with IR signal from my own remote carried along in a loop

On Theory #1

• Would it have to be a special remote, or could this happen with the given remote?
• Would it be possible with any remote that a signal from a room on the other side of the house would travel all the way to our living room, some 40' away?
• This has only happened twice: does this theory seem plausible? Wouldn't we see it happen a lot more than that? (The dude watches television every night -- we can hearit through the walls).

On Theory 2

• How would I test for this theory?
• What can be done about it? If this gets really annoying, do I have to replace the pyramids, and is there a better solution?

It drove the wife and me batty tonight!

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by bldxyz

C
So two theories:

1. His remote is going through the wall and controlling our Tivo
2. RF interference as IR junk signal with IR signal from my own remote carried along in a loop

Well, theory #1 is now a longer shot to be true. I called my neighbor the other day, just after the spooky behavior was happening, and asked him about it. He doesn't have Tivo, and wasn't using a remote at the time.

Could someone please explain what soures of IR interference I could have? It can be really frustrating to be watching a show and all of a sudden you're back to Now Playing!

[SpacemanSpiff]

Silly thought. How old are the batteries in your remote? I've had my remotes do strange things when the batteries were going out.

[bldxyz]

Originally Posted by SpacemanSpiff

Silly thought. How old are the batteries in your remote? I've had my remotes do strange things when the batteries were going out.

Even if the remote is not in the room? First time this happened, I immediately suspected the remote, so I put my hand over the IR port, pointed it away from the receiver, put it behind a pillow... and the spooky behavior continued.

If the phenomenon happened consistenly, I could test it. But as it is, it happens now and again, so I have moments to try things out (like calling my neighbor, fiddling with remotes and extenders...)

[willardcpa]

Try changing your remotes address.

[john-duncan-yoyo]

Originally Posted by bldxyz

Could you possibly elaborate on the RF interference idea? Tonight, it happened again. To complicate matters, one original theory was foiled (his television in same line as our pyramid receiver -- he points remote at his Tivo and it goes through the wall and activates ours -- foiled, I suppose, because it kept happening when I unplugged the pyramid).

Did you unplug the receiving pyramid not just the transmitting pyramid? This could be RF from another source. Radio cabs have been known to interfere with some signals. How densely populated is your neighbor hood? There could be another pyramid a few doors down that gets carried to your house when the weather is just right.

Originally Posted by bldxyz

So two theories:

1. His remote is going through the wall and controlling our Tivo
2. RF interference as IR junk signal with IR signal from my own remote carried along in a loop

On Theory #1

• Would it have to be a special remote, or could this happen with the given remote?
• Would it be possible with any remote that a signal from a room on the other side of the house would travel all the way to our living room, some 40' away?
• This has only happened twice: does this theory seem plausible? Wouldn't we see it happen a lot more than that? (The dude watches television every night -- we can hearit through the walls).

On Theory 2

• How would I test for this theory?
• What can be done about it? If this gets really annoying, do I have to replace the pyramids, and is there a better solution?

It drove the wife and me batty tonight!

Best solution I read here was to try changing the remote ID. See this post <http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/printthread.php?t=91483&p=893829> for how. This will either confirm or eliminate the remote as the problem.