# wi-fi interfering with digital TV remote?



## gizmo_118 (May 18, 2005)

hi, recently my remote for my digital TV doesnt work well. you have to go very close for it to work. my network is wireless i have tried various things like changing the channel it runs on and disabling it completly nothing has helpled. when one of my computers in the house was searching for the connection it picked up a neighbours wireless connection running the same wireless 802.11g but on a different channel. i was wondering if the channel is interfering with the remote. Thanks for any help


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

probably they all run at 2.4gighz


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## Terrister (Apr 18, 2005)

Post make and model of the TV and we can check on this.


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## gizmo_118 (May 18, 2005)

its not a Tv its a ntl digital TV box that plugs into the TV giving it digital TV. 

this is the box i have http://www.pacemicro.com/corporate/...llid=products_DCABLE&productID=DCABLE-DC221KN

edit: jusst found the remote control instruction book and model number:

NTL04gtwgb


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

That thing is described as a "Full-Feature Entry Level Set-top Box". The "entry level" part of it makes it highly likely that your remote is a run-of-the-mill infrared remote. Almost all remotes are infrared because they're cheap to make. RF remotes (ones using radio frequencies instead of infrared) are fairly expensive (US$100 for a cheap one). Unless they tell you that you have an RF remote you should assume that it's just a regular infrared remote. Infrared remotes get weak when the batteries are dying.


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## gizmo_118 (May 18, 2005)

ive tried many new batteries and even had a brand new remote sent. so wifi cant interfere with it? could it be the actual reciver on the box that is faulty?


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

Oops. I forgot to mention that infrared remotes are not affected by radio networks in anyway. Radio interference has no affect on infrared remotes.

edit:

The only thing which can affect infrared inteference-wise is other infrared light. Strong direct sunlight might affect it (I've never actually tried it) but you don't normally get that inside a house.

You need the line-of-sight between the remote and the settop box to be clear for an infrared remote to work properly. If there's something in the way which isn't transparent to infrared light then it won't work. Your remote has an infrared LED (light emitting diode) which transmits the signal and your settop box has an infrared receiver which receives the signal. Sometimes you can see the little plastic tops of the transmitters and receivers sticking out the end of the remote (the end you point at the TV) and on the front of the settop box. Other times they'll just have a clear plastic plate over the infrared transmitters and receivers. Sometimes the plastic plates look a little reddish. Those plastic plates need to be clean for the infrared to get through. Since you've already tried a couple of remotes, it might be a good idea to look carefully at the settop box infrared receiver and make sure some gunk or dust isn't on it.

An infrared transmitter (the part in the remote) eventually gets weaker but only after 10000 hours on continuous use. That should never happen for a remote because it's off almost all the time. An infrared receiver doesn't ever wear out as far as I know. It's more likely to be dust or gunk that something with the infrared transmitter/receiver.


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## gizmo_118 (May 18, 2005)

just been playing around with the remote... if i have it on bbc1 which is channel number 101 i can go any distance in the room and turn the channel to anything once only. now i think it is deffinatly something messed up with the reciver. from any other channel i have to get very close for the remote to work.


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

Well, that's nothing to do with any infrared transmitter/receiver issue. I don't see how the channel would affect that. Even if you had an RF remote it shouldn't be affected by what channel you're on. It sounds like you may be stuck swapping settop boxes.


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## gizmo_118 (May 18, 2005)

well thanks for all your help and fast replys, il contact the people at ntl tomorw


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

try turning the power off at the wall to the box and then on again to reset it and then try it
i have had to do this with the pace satellite box on a couple of occasions before but with mine the remote would not work at all


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