RF commands best practices?

vegastech

I have a need to add several rf remotes in a home with only one RF receiver (433mHz). I was wondering, from a programming standpoint, what makes the most sense for sending RF commands: set one AMX rf command to each command for each source (30+ commands for dvd, 30+ for sat, etc.), or set an amx rf code for each button on the remote (45 in total), and set a variable to track which source was selected, to then determine which IR command should be sent(#1 for sat instead of #1 for dvd)?

Auser

I feel that the first method is easier for inexperienced programmers to implement, but the second method has a number of advantages:

- Supporting code is more manageable
- Supporting code is more scalable and reusable
- Easier to add and remove sources in code

I would definitely advise you to use the second method, though you may be locked into one method or the other depending on the remotes that you will be using.

the8thst

The problem with the second method in your scenario is that you will not be able to which remote is issuing the command.

You would have to divide the 255 available codes amongst all of the remotes (remote 1 = 1-50, remote 2 = 51-100, remote 3 = 101-150, etc) and then use a variable to track the currently selected source.

Another option is to use RTI or URC with their own processor and shoot IR or IP commands from it to AMX. This way you can let the remote processor distinguish which remote is issuing the command and you can even separate the buttons into multiple ports.

DHawthorne

I generally share channel on the remote, and let the program track which device to send the IR codes too. If the different remotes control different rooms, and they support multiple devices, I'll give each room it's own device. If they don't, I'll divide the available channels so each area has a unique channel range. Either way, you can run out of channels fast, so you need to be able to share them to some degree.