Automated Home

Logitech have announced two new universla remotes.  The Logitech Harmony Ultimate is a £229 touchscreen and hard buttoned offering and the Logitech Harmony Smart Control at £109 provides a smartphone interface to your home cinema and other equipment   Both units employ the new Harmony Hub.  Check out the videos below… Today, Logitech announced the expansion of its Harmony [...]

Keene have just launched a new IR Distribution amplifier to their range… Designed and manufactured in the UK the Keene Pro4 has some powerful features for demanding installations. It has four IR Receiver inputs, and uniquely all four receivers can be located in the same room if needed. Normally multiple IR receivers will cause timing issues [...]

Keene Electronics have just launched a new kit of HDMI Wall Plates with built-in IR capability. The pair of faceplates are passive so require no power supply.  They will send your HD signals room-to-room via 2 x CAT5 cables complete with IR feedback up to a distance of 30m.  Available now for around £90… This extender sends [...]

If you need to extend your hard wired IR distribution system over CAT5 here’s a really useful set of adaptors.  The Keene Electronics 3.5mm jack plug to CAT5 adaptors for IR extenders are under £6 and allow you to easily connect your IR transmitters and receivers to any CAT5 outlet with a patch lead… A set of [...]

Here’s a new device that will be a boon to custom installers and DIY home automators alike.  The Keene Eye Routing Commander (or KERC for short) is a device that allows multiple Sky tuners in the same location – perhaps a cabinet or 19″ rack – to be controlled individually. “KERC – Achieve independent control [...]

Marmitek has revealed the new Invisible Control 6! infrared repeater/extender. You can use it to control up to 6 A/V devices in a closed cabinet and it is suitable for new IR code formats (like RC-MM) that are used in BT Vision, Freesat, Freeview, Sky TV and Virgin boxes.  The system also includes built in [...]

  With Philips announcing the death of their entire range of Pronto remotes a few weeks ago, and UEI following suit at CES cancelling their NeVo range too, the universal remote market seems to have taken a huge hit from the iPod Touch and the iPad.  Never the less, Sony have decided to enter the [...]

  Here’s a neat combination of hardware and software to allow you to control your AV system from your iOS device.  The Demopad app provides the customisable front end to your control set-up, while the Keene KIRA128 IP to infra-red module allows you to learn, store and send the commands. “A new app from Demopad [...]

Marmitek have launched 2 new IR products.  One aimed at controlling components in another part of the house – the GigaControl450, the other – the Invisible Control4 – redistributes IR in the same room (into a closed AV cabinet for example).  Both devices are under £40 and available now.  Read on for the details. “Now [...]

Keene Electronics have added some new panel mount IR receivers to their range.  These are particularly useful if your AV Kit lives in a cabinet as you can neatly mount the rx on the surface. You can also use them in stud walls, ceiling or even on a blank faceplate like we show here.  It [...]