Instead of having multiple remotes cluttering your coffee table, consider programming a universal remote to minimize the mess. Karen Sealy shows us three ways of how to get started.

Option 1: Programming the 5-Button Rogers Remote Control

1.    Turn ON your TV.

2.    Press the TV button once. The TV button will flash once.

3.    Press and hold the SETUP button until the TV button flashes twice, then release SETUP.

4.    Press 9 9 1 on the number pad. The TV button will flash twice.

5.    Aim the remote TOWARDS your TV, press the POWER button once.

6.    Repeatedly press the CHANNEL UP button until your TV turns off. The remote will cycle through all possible codes until a match is found. You may need to press the CHANNEL UP button many times before finding a match.

7.    Once the TV turns off, press the SETUP button once to lock the code. The TV button will flash twice.

8.    Confirm the remote is programmed correctly by pressing the POWER button to turn on your TV.

Programming Your 5-Button Rogers Remote – Manual Method

1.    Find the code for the device you wish to control in the Rogers Remote Code Library.

2.    Turn ON the device you wish to control.

3.    Find the mode button for the device you wish to program (TV, VCR, DVD, etc.) Press it once. The button will blink once.

4.    Press and hold the SETUP button until the selected mode button blinks twice.

5.    Enter the 4-digit code for the device. The selected mode button blinks twice. (If the mode button shows a single long blink, the entry is invalid. Try steps 3 and 4 again using a different code if available.)

6.    Point the remote at the device and press POWER. The device should turn off. If it does not, repeat steps 3 and 4, using a different code for your device, if available.

7.    If you continue to experience problems, try the auto-scanning mode detailed above.

Option 2:   Program a Universal Remote

There are many brands but the one I use at home (and showed on Cityline) is the Harmony remote.

There are 2 basic types:

•    IR (infrared), which  is a line of site, wireless technology.

•    RF (radio frequency), which is also a wireless technology but does not require line of site.

IR Harmony remotes, $30-200

– the price goes up when you add bells and whistles, like more devices or move from buttons to a screen.

RF Harmony Remotes, $300-350

– these are often rechargeable and can replace up to 15 remotes.

Option 3:   IR Extender or Blaster $300 (approx + installation)

The one shown on Cityline is good for 4 devices/components.  The IR reader is installed in the location where someone would point their remote and as discretely as possible. Then CAT5e or CAT6 runs from the TV to where the devices are going to live.  Minimum of 3 CAT wires – 1 for IR repeater and 2 for conversion to HDMI or 1 CAT wire and a HDMI 1.4 cable (its best to use the next generation HDMI cable instead of the 1.3 to allow 2-way communication).

Note:  CAK Services recommends 5x CAT5e or CAT6 wires for more options down the road.

This option is great for small spaces or to keep little fingers of the devices.

Questions you should ask to help decide the right set-up for your situation:

1. How many components/devices do you have?

2. How many HDMI ports do you have? If you only have a few you might want to consider a home theatre receiver which will switch your video and audio signal to one HDMI outlet and then the other devices plug into this.

Don’t forget to think about…

•  ventilation

•  cable management

•  leave at least 20″ of depth inside your cabinet for your devices.

Here’s another example of an older home that lacks built-ins — watch the clip to see how Karen dealt with the problem.

Written info by: Karen Sealy, www.sealydesigninc.com, 416-694-8588