Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good product and easy to install
Comment: After reading many reviews I took the plunge. My expensive Plasma Friendly receiver had died. I bought this product to send IR signals to my components which are behind the closed cabinet. The install was easy. I had a play around to find the right location for the signal receiver. I placed the receiver behind my 50 inch plasma TV. I mounted the blue led underneath the TV. I have been using it for 3 weeks now but it work 98% of time. There are a few times when I signal was not going through and I had to tweak the location of the signal receiver. I will not hesitate to recommend this product. I will even buy the Cat5e version of this product for the equipment in another room.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reliable and versatile - a great solution!
Comment: A couple of years ago, I bought a Hot-Link Pro for my own system. It was easy to hook up and has worked like a charm from Day One to control the 7 different devices in my system (61" Samsung DLP, Onkyo TX919 Receiver, Sony dual cassette deck, Sony 5-CD Player, Verizon [made by Motorola] DVR, Oppo DVD Player, & Mitsubishi VHS VCR).
The only problem I ever had was of my own making -- moving equipment around, I occasionally messed up the tape that holds the IR emitters to the devices; every time that's occurred (at least twice, maybe 3 times), I've contacted Microsmith (the mfgr) either by phone or e-mail and, within a couple of days, I received new tape strips in the mail at no charge. It's very hard to beat that kind of great customer service!
Last month, me, my siblings, and my Stepfather's children all pitched in to upgrade my Mom's and Stepfather's old 21" CRT analog TV to a new Samsung 46" Plasma unit -- and they love it (they said "it's like being there with whoever's on TV!" Last week, we mounted it on the wall for them and now they like it even better!
Putting up the mount was not nearly as much trouble as I expected, but
Mom didn't like all the wires showing and didn't want the components visible in the room, so she asked whether the components could be placed in a nearby closet and if the wires could be hidden. We said "sure, so now there are no wires or components in the room and she is absolutely delighted.
As part of accomplishing that project, I bought another Hot-Link Pro (through Amazon) and installed it. The hardest part of the entire installation was getting all the connection wires pulled though the wall behind the TV, up into the attic & back down into the closet. The distance required about 16' of cable. Now, I had planned for the longer HDMI & component video cables for this chore, but I forgot to take the longer distance into account for the Hot-Link Pro and, not surprisingly, I found that the supplied cables just wouldn't reach.
The instructions warn against using "just any" extension cable and suggest using the extension cables that Microsmith sells, but that would have required placing an order and waiting for it to arrive. So I bought a 20' stereo hookup cable set (2 RCA plugs at each end) from Radio Shack (and we also bought a Female to Female RCA adapter). I split the stereo cable apart and pulled one of the resulting two cables (with 1 RCA plug at each end) through the wall/attic/wall sequence, then connected one end of it to the Hot-Link Pro box in the closet, then connected the other end of it to the F/F adapter, which was already plugged into the cable for the Hot-Link Pro "eye," located near the TV.
Once I did that, the Hot-Link Pro worked great . . . but only with the lights off in the room. When the light are on, it is not so reliable. This is not a big problem, because they usually have the lights off when they're watching TV.
However, based on notes in the instructions, I concluded that the problem is due to the 5 CFLs in the light kit for the ceiling fan (the instructions warm about fluoresecent light interference). I knew I could switch those CFLs out for incandescents and it all probably would be OK, but I decided it's probably better to get a better cable in there anyway.
So today I called and spoke with Marcus at Microsmith, who confirmed that the CFL's could be the problem. However, rather than selling me one of Microsmith's relatively expensive shielded RCA-F to RCA-M extension cables (which was what I had originally planned to buy), Marcus suggested an easy -- and far less costly -- alternative: Replace the Radio Shack extension cable instead with an RG6 cable (he says that the RG6 cables are very well shieded and, fortunately, I left the pull line in place "just in case") and then connect that RG6 cable to the Hot-Link box and to the "eye" cable using inexpensive "Type F" to RCA converters. So I'll be doing that this next weekend.
If that doesn't stop the interference, I may swap out the bulbs or I may try ordering Microsmith's own extension cable. But, regardless of whether I get this issue fully resolved, I don't consider this issue to be at all a problem with the Hot-Link Pro -- it does just what it says it will do and it does that quite reliably. This particular application for Mom is just testing the limits of what the Hot-Link Pro can do.
Frankly, if I really wanted to "do it right" over this longer distance and if I had thought of it early enough, I could have ordered the Extended Version (which uses CAT 5 to communicate between the "eye" and the box)), but I didn't think of that in time and, at worst, this will be only a minor inconvenience.
AFAIC, the Hot-Link Pro itself is a tremendous product that does everything it says it will and more. From my experience with these two installations of the Hot-Link Pro, I believe that those who have reported problems with it either (a) are trying to use it beyone its stated capabilities, (b) are not carefully reading the instructions, (c) are not contacting Microsmith for the free tech support that probably can resolve their issues, or (d) have unusual components (for most of which, I believe Microsmith probably can recommend workarounds, if the folks would just call).
Customer Rating:
Summary: No regrets, a great product
Comment: I've had the Hot Link Pro hooked up for a couple of weeks now and I'm very happy with the performance.
Like the other reviewers, i was a little concerned about the length of the cables, but in the end it met my needs. The ribbon cable is about 6 feet and the sensor eye cable is about 6 feet long, so i had plenty of room to run it where i needed it.
I use it with a 50 inch Panasonic plasma and have had no interference or dropped signals.
The one issue i had was that it wouldn't transmit the volume control to my receiver. Power worked, but not anything else. the solution was to not stick the emitter directly to the eye on the device. Instead i just let it hang an inch or so off the front. Problem solved!
The other small issue is that the sticky material on the emitter tends to stay on the device if you try to move or remove it. It's easy to get off, but i ended up mangling it in the process, so i used black electrical tape after that. Really a non-issue, since all the stuff is tucked away in a closet (that's why you buy this, right?) but if you're a perfectionist, it might bother you.
Overall i would highly recommend this product, especially when compared to other wired IR relays which look like you need a degree in engineering to set up and cost 2-3 times as much. This all comes in one box and is working great.
Also, a side note, the receiver eye in the picture has a gold end on it, but the actual one is all black so it blends in even better than the image would have you believe.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works as advertised
Comment: I did a lot of research before purchasing my unit, including talking to a company tech support person, who responded promptly and was very helpful. I was able to set it up with 6 components in a closed cabinet in 20 minutes. I put the sensor in the cabinet behind speaker grill cloth below my Pioneer Elite 60" plasma TV. I have had no problems whatsoever with IR interference. Works great with my Logitech Harmony One universal remote.
Customer Rating:
Summary: YMMV
Comment: I bought two of these to install as part of a renovation. The first set up included this unit with the manufacturer's extension cord, which I had buried into the ceiling and wall so the remote would be behind my Samsung LCD. It did not work. The blue light was always on, no matter what position I put it behind the TV. I had to disconnect and rewire away from the set (behind a security system keypad) and it is still hit or miss.
The second installation is similar to the first - buried in the wall and behind my Aquos set and the remotes only work if the sensor is in view - hanging slightly below the TV. It does not work when behind the TV in any position, and furthermore, you have to stand no less than 4 feet away from the sensor for it to work.
I've read the reviews where you need to have patience to make this device work. In my opinion, this product is flaky, inconsistent and hardly worth the high price tag. I've had cheaper Tandy brand remote extenders that have worked far better than this. If the product was stable, there wouldn't be so many manufacturer's tips on how to make it work.
Buyer beware.
Summary: Good product and easy to install
Comment: After reading many reviews I took the plunge. My expensive Plasma Friendly receiver had died. I bought this product to send IR signals to my components which are behind the closed cabinet. The install was easy. I had a play around to find the right location for the signal receiver. I placed the receiver behind my 50 inch plasma TV. I mounted the blue led underneath the TV. I have been using it for 3 weeks now but it work 98% of time. There are a few times when I signal was not going through and I had to tweak the location of the signal receiver. I will not hesitate to recommend this product. I will even buy the Cat5e version of this product for the equipment in another room.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reliable and versatile - a great solution!
Comment: A couple of years ago, I bought a Hot-Link Pro for my own system. It was easy to hook up and has worked like a charm from Day One to control the 7 different devices in my system (61" Samsung DLP, Onkyo TX919 Receiver, Sony dual cassette deck, Sony 5-CD Player, Verizon [made by Motorola] DVR, Oppo DVD Player, & Mitsubishi VHS VCR).
The only problem I ever had was of my own making -- moving equipment around, I occasionally messed up the tape that holds the IR emitters to the devices; every time that's occurred (at least twice, maybe 3 times), I've contacted Microsmith (the mfgr) either by phone or e-mail and, within a couple of days, I received new tape strips in the mail at no charge. It's very hard to beat that kind of great customer service!
Last month, me, my siblings, and my Stepfather's children all pitched in to upgrade my Mom's and Stepfather's old 21" CRT analog TV to a new Samsung 46" Plasma unit -- and they love it (they said "it's like being there with whoever's on TV!" Last week, we mounted it on the wall for them and now they like it even better!
Putting up the mount was not nearly as much trouble as I expected, but
Mom didn't like all the wires showing and didn't want the components visible in the room, so she asked whether the components could be placed in a nearby closet and if the wires could be hidden. We said "sure, so now there are no wires or components in the room and she is absolutely delighted.
As part of accomplishing that project, I bought another Hot-Link Pro (through Amazon) and installed it. The hardest part of the entire installation was getting all the connection wires pulled though the wall behind the TV, up into the attic & back down into the closet. The distance required about 16' of cable. Now, I had planned for the longer HDMI & component video cables for this chore, but I forgot to take the longer distance into account for the Hot-Link Pro and, not surprisingly, I found that the supplied cables just wouldn't reach.
The instructions warn against using "just any" extension cable and suggest using the extension cables that Microsmith sells, but that would have required placing an order and waiting for it to arrive. So I bought a 20' stereo hookup cable set (2 RCA plugs at each end) from Radio Shack (and we also bought a Female to Female RCA adapter). I split the stereo cable apart and pulled one of the resulting two cables (with 1 RCA plug at each end) through the wall/attic/wall sequence, then connected one end of it to the Hot-Link Pro box in the closet, then connected the other end of it to the F/F adapter, which was already plugged into the cable for the Hot-Link Pro "eye," located near the TV.
Once I did that, the Hot-Link Pro worked great . . . but only with the lights off in the room. When the light are on, it is not so reliable. This is not a big problem, because they usually have the lights off when they're watching TV.
However, based on notes in the instructions, I concluded that the problem is due to the 5 CFLs in the light kit for the ceiling fan (the instructions warm about fluoresecent light interference). I knew I could switch those CFLs out for incandescents and it all probably would be OK, but I decided it's probably better to get a better cable in there anyway.
So today I called and spoke with Marcus at Microsmith, who confirmed that the CFL's could be the problem. However, rather than selling me one of Microsmith's relatively expensive shielded RCA-F to RCA-M extension cables (which was what I had originally planned to buy), Marcus suggested an easy -- and far less costly -- alternative: Replace the Radio Shack extension cable instead with an RG6 cable (he says that the RG6 cables are very well shieded and, fortunately, I left the pull line in place "just in case") and then connect that RG6 cable to the Hot-Link box and to the "eye" cable using inexpensive "Type F" to RCA converters. So I'll be doing that this next weekend.
If that doesn't stop the interference, I may swap out the bulbs or I may try ordering Microsmith's own extension cable. But, regardless of whether I get this issue fully resolved, I don't consider this issue to be at all a problem with the Hot-Link Pro -- it does just what it says it will do and it does that quite reliably. This particular application for Mom is just testing the limits of what the Hot-Link Pro can do.
Frankly, if I really wanted to "do it right" over this longer distance and if I had thought of it early enough, I could have ordered the Extended Version (which uses CAT 5 to communicate between the "eye" and the box)), but I didn't think of that in time and, at worst, this will be only a minor inconvenience.
AFAIC, the Hot-Link Pro itself is a tremendous product that does everything it says it will and more. From my experience with these two installations of the Hot-Link Pro, I believe that those who have reported problems with it either (a) are trying to use it beyone its stated capabilities, (b) are not carefully reading the instructions, (c) are not contacting Microsmith for the free tech support that probably can resolve their issues, or (d) have unusual components (for most of which, I believe Microsmith probably can recommend workarounds, if the folks would just call).
Customer Rating:
Summary: No regrets, a great product
Comment: I've had the Hot Link Pro hooked up for a couple of weeks now and I'm very happy with the performance.
Like the other reviewers, i was a little concerned about the length of the cables, but in the end it met my needs. The ribbon cable is about 6 feet and the sensor eye cable is about 6 feet long, so i had plenty of room to run it where i needed it.
I use it with a 50 inch Panasonic plasma and have had no interference or dropped signals.
The one issue i had was that it wouldn't transmit the volume control to my receiver. Power worked, but not anything else. the solution was to not stick the emitter directly to the eye on the device. Instead i just let it hang an inch or so off the front. Problem solved!
The other small issue is that the sticky material on the emitter tends to stay on the device if you try to move or remove it. It's easy to get off, but i ended up mangling it in the process, so i used black electrical tape after that. Really a non-issue, since all the stuff is tucked away in a closet (that's why you buy this, right?) but if you're a perfectionist, it might bother you.
Overall i would highly recommend this product, especially when compared to other wired IR relays which look like you need a degree in engineering to set up and cost 2-3 times as much. This all comes in one box and is working great.
Also, a side note, the receiver eye in the picture has a gold end on it, but the actual one is all black so it blends in even better than the image would have you believe.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works as advertised
Comment: I did a lot of research before purchasing my unit, including talking to a company tech support person, who responded promptly and was very helpful. I was able to set it up with 6 components in a closed cabinet in 20 minutes. I put the sensor in the cabinet behind speaker grill cloth below my Pioneer Elite 60" plasma TV. I have had no problems whatsoever with IR interference. Works great with my Logitech Harmony One universal remote.
Customer Rating:
Summary: YMMV
Comment: I bought two of these to install as part of a renovation. The first set up included this unit with the manufacturer's extension cord, which I had buried into the ceiling and wall so the remote would be behind my Samsung LCD. It did not work. The blue light was always on, no matter what position I put it behind the TV. I had to disconnect and rewire away from the set (behind a security system keypad) and it is still hit or miss.
The second installation is similar to the first - buried in the wall and behind my Aquos set and the remotes only work if the sensor is in view - hanging slightly below the TV. It does not work when behind the TV in any position, and furthermore, you have to stand no less than 4 feet away from the sensor for it to work.
I've read the reviews where you need to have patience to make this device work. In my opinion, this product is flaky, inconsistent and hardly worth the high price tag. I've had cheaper Tandy brand remote extenders that have worked far better than this. If the product was stable, there wouldn't be so many manufacturer's tips on how to make it work.
Buyer beware.
Hot Link Pro Remote Control Booster System ( 8225P ) Reviews: Page 2 of 30
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