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I see there are plenty of questions regarding how to mount a tv in the wall, and what to do with the cables as far as running them behind the wall - but my question is a little different I think.

Given that I have a wall mounted TV above a fireplace, and I also have several HDMI cables, coax, and RGBs cables behind the wall going to a panel at the outlet in the corner of the room. I'm wondering what options there are for getting "remote access" to my external items like my TiVO, PS4 camera, etc. I'm assuming that I'm SOL, but wanted to check in to see if anyone else has had and solved this issue.

Not sure how to tag this...

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  • Are you having problems with line of sight with your remotes or something? Not quite sure what you're asking. – Doresoom May 20 '15 at 17:34
  • @Doresoom yeah sorry, LOS for my remotes to the boxes which are in the corner of the room let's say at a 45º degree angle in relation to the sitting area and the TV. – Kritner May 20 '15 at 18:06
  • Point the remote at the ceiling (assuming it's white), annoying but it should work. – Mazura May 20 '15 at 22:57
  • Depending on what you want to do, a Raspberry Pi, with wifi connectivity might be the device for you: google.com/… – Wayfaring Stranger May 20 '15 at 23:29
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What you want is a infrared (IR) repeater. They sell them at most electronic stores and online. For your setup you might need to go with a wireless version.

This is how they work. Near the TV you will put a small sensor to pickup the remote signals. The sensor will then transmit those signals via wire (or wireless) to an infrared light to repeat the remote signals in front of your devices.

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  • OP could splice onto the coax or one or the RCA's, both of which are falling out of fashion for sending signals to a TV, in order to use a wired IR sensor. – Mazura May 20 '15 at 22:53
  • Thanks, sounds like a good idea I'll have to give it a go. – Kritner May 21 '15 at 11:54
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There are systems that mount various devices on the back of the TV either directly attached or by using the VESA plate. Some are device specific (eg. to support Apple Mac Mini) and some generic. Depending on what you need to support, you can also DIY the plate, they're not that hard to make.

Alternatively you could run a long HDMI cable to wherever (in/through the wall and use a combination of remote control, HDMI switches etc) but that will be a lot more expensive and cumbersome to use. If you already have the wires, IR/RF remotes will usually work anywhere in the same room as long as the receivers are 'visible'. You can also use IR extenders.

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