Joey remote distance?

[Scherrman]

Was curious how many people here have a Joey mirrored to another TV and if the remote works very well or not. We keep running into mirrored TVs off the Joey not having the remotes work well. I can't get a very good response from Dish. I've heard from other retailers that the Hopper remote has a longer distance than the Joey remotes. I honestly don't know how to fix the problem as of now.

 

[MattG@DISH]

UHF Pro is up to 200 feet, but that would be ideal conditions. Since the Joey has the antenna in the unit itself, there's no way to adjust it other than moving the whole unit.

 

[Scherrman]

UHF Pro is up to 200 feet, but that would be ideal conditions. Since the Joey has the antenna in the unit itself, there's no way to adjust it other than moving the whole unit.

That was one thing no one seemed to be clear on, if the Joey had internal antenna or not. So basically the only options to get the remote to work better is to mirror a Joey that is closer or mirror off the Hopper which you could possibly extend the antenna on.

What really sucks about mirroring this system is that there needs to be two cables to that location since it can no longer be diplexed.

 

[356B]

I have managed to get he Joey to work from a mirrored TV no further then 30 feet. The more doors, walls, etc. seems to diminish the signal.

 

[Scherrman]

We have had problems with every mirrored install we've done for a customer. I have a TV mirrored off of my Hopper in the basement and my bedroom TV is on the second story and it will work but the remote is very spotty. It will only work if I point the remote a certain way. I love the Hopper but the installation portion of it is a pain.

 

[Red_dog]

I have both the joey and hoper next to each other, mirror to bedroom, and sd to the other TV, the new remote works great, the old remote for the 922 would barely work in the next room. The Joey remote works everywhere , even outside at my grill, yes I have a tv there.

 

[rglore]

Because of the weaker Joey remote signal, I mirror one of my Hoppers and have six remotes that work fine throughout my 3 story townhouse.

 

[khemka]

You can check the range of the remote by doing the following

1. Confirm the remote control is linked to the Hopper or Joey receiver.
2. Press and hold the SAT button for several seconds on the linked remote until all the mode buttons are lit, then release SAT. The SAT light blinks.
3. Press and hold the Input/Pair button for several seconds until the SAT mode light blinks and then stays lit. Then release the Input/Recover button. The remote control is in LQI mode.
4. After about five seconds, the remote control will provide feedback on its range to the Hopper/Joey, as follows:
Three mode buttons are lit
If three or all four mode buttons are lit and the speaker is beeping rapidly, then the remote control is well within reliable operating range.
Two mode buttons are lit
If two mode buttons are lit, you may want to reposition and/or reorient the antenna and extension cable to try to improve range, but remote operation should be adequate from this range.
One mode button is lit
If one mode button or none is lit, the remote may not operate the receiver. Check the connectors and reposition/reorient the antenna and extension cable to improve remote reception.
6. Press any button on the remote control to exit the special LQI mode and return to normal remote operation.

Vivek

 

[356B]

Joey has internal antenna, I know of no way to extend it as mentioned.

 

[356B]

Because of the weaker Joey remote signal, I mirror one of my Hoppers and have six remotes that work fine throughout my 3 story townhouse.

That's great if cabling is not an issue, I see the Joey as limited. Personally I would prefer all Hoppers, no Joeys, but Dish only allows leasing of 2 Hoppers currently.

 

[Scherrman]

You can check the range of the remote by doing the following

1. Confirm the remote control is linked to the Hopper or Joey receiver.
2. Press and hold the SAT button for several seconds on the linked remote until all the mode buttons are lit, then release SAT. The SAT light blinks.
3. Press and hold the Input/Pair button for several seconds until the SAT mode light blinks and then stays lit. Then release the Input/Recover button. The remote control is in LQI mode.
4. After about five seconds, the remote control will provide feedback on its range to the Hopper/Joey, as follows:
Three mode buttons are lit
If three or all four mode buttons are lit and the speaker is beeping rapidly, then the remote control is well within reliable operating range.
Two mode buttons are lit
If two mode buttons are lit, you may want to reposition and/or reorient the antenna and extension cable to try to improve range, but remote operation should be adequate from this range.
One mode button is lit
If one mode button or none is lit, the remote may not operate the receiver. Check the connectors and reposition/reorient the antenna and extension cable to improve remote reception.
6. Press any button on the remote control to exit the special LQI mode and return to normal remote operation.

Vivek

Awesome! Very helpful information as always Vivek. Thanks.

 

[sparc]

Because of the weaker Joey remote signal, I mirror one of my Hoppers and have six remotes that work fine throughout my 3 story townhouse.

I did the same and mirrored the hopper instead to ensure remote range and minimize complaints in the household.

 

[bwexler]

Can someone explain exactly how to mirror. What cables from where to where?

 

[Scherrman]

Can someone explain exactly how to mirror. What cables from where to where?

You would need an RF Modulator first. Use audio/video cables to go out of either the Hopper or Joey into the RF Modulator. That will convert it to coax cable and then you can distribute it to whatever TVs you'd like. You would have to use a separate cable than the one that already connects to the Hopper/Joey.

 

[charlesrshell]

You would need an RF Modulator first. Use audio/video cables to go out of either the Hopper or Joey into the RF Modulator. That will convert it to coax cable and then you can distribute it to whatever TVs you'd like. You would have to use a separate cable than the one that already connects to the Hopper/Joey.

Scherrman, I am planning on a three Hopper and two Joey install in the near future. I am going to install a RF Modulator on each Hopper. Do all the Hoppers and Joeys use UHF for the remotes and all have different channel numbers like the VIP 722s?

 

[lucky86]

Scherrman, I am planning on a three Hopper and two Joey install in the near future. I am going to install a RF Modulator on each Hopper. Do all the Hoppers and Joeys use UHF for the remotes and all have different channel numbers like the VIP 722s?

No they all use 2G communication but they do not interfere with one another and you can have multiple remotes linked to each Hopper /Joey.

 

[charlesrshell]

No they all use 2G communication but they do not interfere with one another and you can have multiple remotes linked to each Hopper /Joey.

Is there a way to amplify the 2G signal to increase range? How do you perform this link process? Lets say at at TV2 location you want to switch to another Hopper. Presently I just change the remote channel number and change the TV channel to the modulated channel the DVR is set on. Is the remote linking to a different Hopper done something like that?

 

[lucky86]

Is there a way to amplify the 2G signal to increase range? How do you perform this link process? Lets say at at TV2 location you want to switch to another Hopper. Presently I just change the remote channel number and change the TV channel to the modulated channel the DVR is set on. Is the remote linking to a different Hopper done something like that?

As far as modulation, that's different because unlike a dual tuner, the Hopper and joeys do not have coax video outputs. I believe the range on the remotes are 200ft. I don't know about amping it but I doubt you need it, honestly. Linking and De linking the remote is done by bringing up system Info on the receiver that the remote is paired with. On the screen choose unpair for the remote.

 

[charlesrshell]

As far as modulation, that's different because unlike a dual tuner, the Hopper and joeys do not have coax video outputs. I believe the range on the remotes are 200ft. I don't know about amping it but I doubt you need it, honestly. Linking and De linking the remote is done by bringing up system Info on the receiver that the remote is paired with. On the screen choose unpair for the remote.

I understand the having no video (home distribution) modulation coax output. That is why I am installing a RF modulator to each Hopper. They will be attached to the RCA outputs. Each Hopper will have a different channel number setting. That is good news on the 200 ft range for the remotes. But by the time you have a little noise interference and walls to go thru that distance can be cut way down. I will just deal with it if it becomes an issue. Does the remote linking and de-linking have to be done in front of the Hopper or can it also be done at the remote TV2 location?

 

[Stargazer]

Perhaps if one had a purchased Joey that you could open it up and find where the built in antenna is and modify it to solder an external antenna or connector to it to diplex like what is done with the other receivers with UHF antennas? Or maybe one can get an IR to UHF Pro kit to extend the range modifying it somehow. Another way could be to get an IR Emittor.