Bell Fibe 4K PVR Receiver Bluetooth Remote, Will It Work With Remote Extender ?

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Feb 13th, 2017 12:45 am

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Feb 4th, 2017 9:08 am

BMWM10 [OP]: Newbie; Jan 27, 2017; 14 posts

Feb 4th, 2017 9:08 am

Bell Fibe 4K PVR Receiver Bluetooth Remote, Will It Work With Remote Extender ?

Currently we are with Rogers & we have the cable box in the basement with the TV hanging on the wall on the main floor (wires fished behind wall from main floor to basement) and we use a IR remote control extender to change channels from the main floor.

So question is whether the bell fibe 4k pvr receiver which comes with the bluetooth remote, would work the same way ?

How many feet (distance) would the bluetooth remote work ?
If not, would our remote control extender work with the fibe receiver bluetooth remote ?

Link below is the remote extender we have;
http://www.thesource.ca/en-ca/brands/ac ... /p/1518206

Thanks !

25 replies

Feb 4th, 2017 10:05 pm

Jerico: Deal Guru; Jan 25, 2007; 10053 posts; 5318 upvotes; Paris

Feb 4th, 2017 10:05 pm

Is the remote Bluetooth only? My bell sat receiver is UHF and IR. So if the Fibe is IR too then the extender will work.

A friend of mine has Fibe and uses a Harmony remote with it so my guess is that it's IR too.

Edit: Bluetooth can be 10 feet, 30 feet or 100 feet depending on the version. Knowing Bell, it's 30 at best.

+1

Feb 4th, 2017 11:38 pm

schade: Deal Addict; Dec 17, 2007; 2390 posts; 1360 upvotes; Alliston, ON

Feb 4th, 2017 11:38 pm

The Remote does both Ir and Bluetooth, Bluetooth being the default. It uses Ir to control the TV if paired. I think if the Remote is out of Bluetooth range of the receiver, then it reverts back to IR commands. Which should then work with your repeaters

You could always get a universal remote and ditch the bell one

+1

Feb 6th, 2017 9:13 am

BMWM10 [OP]: Newbie; Jan 27, 2017; 14 posts

Feb 6th, 2017 9:13 am

So bluetooth remote would work with IR extenders ?

Feb 6th, 2017 5:23 pm

Jerico: Deal Guru; Jan 25, 2007; 10053 posts; 5318 upvotes; Paris

Feb 6th, 2017 5:23 pm

BMWM10 wrote: ↑ So bluetooth remote would work with IR extenders ?

No. Bluetooth radio frequency remotes will NOT work with infrared remote extenders. One is light and the other is sound.

We think the remote is both bluetooth AND IR.

+1

Feb 6th, 2017 10:07 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 19384 posts; 5465 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 6th, 2017 10:07 pm

I control my Bell 4K PVR with IR only, using a Logitech Harmony 650.

So yes, it supports IR just fine.

+1

Feb 7th, 2017 12:34 am

Jerico: Deal Guru; Jan 25, 2007; 10053 posts; 5318 upvotes; Paris

Feb 7th, 2017 12:34 am

Apple TV is the same. BT and IR.

+1

Feb 7th, 2017 7:34 am

BMWM10 [OP]: Newbie; Jan 27, 2017; 14 posts

Feb 7th, 2017 7:34 am

EugW wrote: ↑ I control my Bell 4K PVR with IR only, using a Logitech Harmony 650.

So yes, it supports IR just fine.

Did your 4k pvr come with the bluetooth remote originally ?

Feb 7th, 2017 11:18 am

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 19384 posts; 5465 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 7th, 2017 11:18 am

BMWM10 wrote: ↑ Did your 4k pvr come with the bluetooth remote originally ?

? I thought only one remote was available for it from Bell, and that is Bluetooth. In any case, it looks exactly like the remote on Bell's website, which is Bluetooth:

I didn't bother looking for the Bluetooth symbol on it though. I'll check that when I get home.

Feb 7th, 2017 6:58 pm

BuildingHomes: Deal Addict; Mar 21, 2006; 4478 posts; 474 upvotes; Burlington, Ontario

Feb 7th, 2017 6:58 pm

The Bell FIBE boxes have absolutely horrible IR support. Giant pain in the ass to integrate with anything.

Audio - Video - Data - Security - This is what I do

Feb 7th, 2017 7:22 pm

mrweather: Deal Fanatic; Aug 29, 2011; 6264 posts; 3328 upvotes; Mississauga

Feb 7th, 2017 7:22 pm

Is that an Arris issue or Bell just being stupid with crippling the hardware?

Feb 7th, 2017 8:00 pm

BuildingHomes: Deal Addict; Mar 21, 2006; 4478 posts; 474 upvotes; Burlington, Ontario

Feb 7th, 2017 8:00 pm

mrweather wrote: ↑ Is that an Arris issue or Bell just being stupid with crippling the hardware?

My american counterparts complain of the same thing.

Audio - Video - Data - Security - This is what I do

Feb 7th, 2017 8:19 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 19384 posts; 5465 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 7th, 2017 8:19 pm

BuildingHomes wrote: ↑ The Bell FIBE boxes have absolutely horrible IR support. Giant pain in the ass to integrate with anything.

What are the issues you are encountering? For my usage it seems fine but I am just using the main regular functions including PVR playback and channel entry etc, plus soft buttons for Apps, Search, Options, DVR on a Logitech Harmony remote. All work fine.

Feb 7th, 2017 11:32 pm

Jerico: Deal Guru; Jan 25, 2007; 10053 posts; 5318 upvotes; Paris

Feb 7th, 2017 11:32 pm

Sounds like Bell crippled Fibe just as badly as they crippled the EchoStar tech.

My cousin and I discussed Tv over Christmas and he made a great point... why can't one just buy whatever box you want and sub to the service? He said "if I want ABC to be channel 1 then who can stop me?" Basically an android like experience.

And TV providers wonder why Kodi is so popular.

Feb 8th, 2017 10:26 pm

BuildingHomes: Deal Addict; Mar 21, 2006; 4478 posts; 474 upvotes; Burlington, Ontario

Feb 8th, 2017 10:26 pm

Jerico wrote: ↑ And TV providers wonder why Kodi is so popular.

Remember, Kodi is not free TV, it's a media player. What you are talking about is Kodi with an add on that provides illegal content distribution for next to nothing in costs.. that's why people like it

Audio - Video - Data - Security - This is what I do

Feb 8th, 2017 10:28 pm

BuildingHomes: Deal Addict; Mar 21, 2006; 4478 posts; 474 upvotes; Burlington, Ontario

Feb 8th, 2017 10:28 pm

EugW wrote: ↑ What are the issues you are encountering? For my usage it seems fine but I am just using the main regular functions including PVR playback and channel entry etc, plus soft buttons for Apps, Search, Options, DVR on a Logitech Harmony remote. All work fine.

Button repeats or just missed IR signals altogether. Very inconsistent in how it works. I even sent off Bell remotes to a universal remote company called RTI so they could read the signals and they said it was a mess.

Audio - Video - Data - Security - This is what I do

Feb 8th, 2017 11:51 pm

Jerico: Deal Guru; Jan 25, 2007; 10053 posts; 5318 upvotes; Paris

Feb 8th, 2017 11:51 pm

BuildingHomes wrote: ↑ Remember, Kodi is not free TV, it's a media player. What you are talking about is Kodi with an add on that provides illegal content distribution for next to nothing in costs.. that's why people like it

Disclaimer: yes yes I know.

My story: I have Bell sat Tv with virtually all the programming. I also have the fabled 9242 which is the best Hardware Bell ever ever had for sat Tv. It has an external drive that I like to record a whole season of Game of Thrones or Walking Dead on to binge later. They crippled the EHD software so badly with the last update that it often takes 2-3 mins to browse to and start a program on it. Conversely, with an add-on through Kodi I can get the same content much much faster. I pay for the content legally and yet Bell f$&ks up the distribution so much that it's EASIER to get it illegally.

And Bell will kick and scream about cord cutters (if they weren't running an Internet distribution racket too). I often ask myself: Why in the heck am I still paying for this?

Feb 9th, 2017 6:24 am

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 19384 posts; 5465 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 9th, 2017 6:24 am

BuildingHomes wrote: ↑ Remember, Kodi is not free TV, it's a media player. What you are talking about is Kodi with an add on that provides illegal content distribution for next to nothing in costs.. that's why people like it

And while it's free, it's also crap, at least IMO. But I guess people will tolerate a lot more crappiness when it's free. There are some advantages (other than being free) but the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages IMO.

BuildingHomes wrote: ↑ Button repeats or just missed IR signals altogether. Very inconsistent in how it works. I even sent off Bell remotes to a universal remote company called RTI so they could read the signals and they said it was a mess.

I don't have those problems at all. I just typed in Bell VIP5662W or VIP2502W when setting up my Harmony remotes and the commands were automatically populated on the remote. The only command I added to the interface was PVR, but the code was already there. So on my soft button screen I now have Search, Apps, Options, and PVR, but I didn't have to read any signals. Works just fine. No unintended button repeats, ever.

The only thing I notice with the Bell boxes is the remote actually needs to be pointed at the unit. In contrast, with my Rogers SA8300HD boxes most of the time I could point the remote in completely the wrong direction and it'd still work.

Here's a thought: I wonder if it might actually be easier for a third party to read/replicate the signals from a Logitech remote as opposed to the original remote. I could be mistaken, but my understanding was the signals on Harmony remotes don't necessarily replicate the original signal exactly but instead are configured to be most appropriate for Harmony remotes while at the same time retaining compatibility with the original.

Feb 9th, 2017 6:45 pm

mrweather: Deal Fanatic; Aug 29, 2011; 6264 posts; 3328 upvotes; Mississauga

Feb 9th, 2017 6:45 pm

EugW wrote: ↑ The only thing I notice with the Bell boxes is the remote actually needs to be pointed at the unit.

I've been experiencing the opposite with my Fibe receivers. I can point the remotes in pretty much any direction and the boxes pick up the signal.

Feb 9th, 2017 7:40 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 19384 posts; 5465 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 9th, 2017 7:40 pm

mrweather wrote: ↑ I've been experiencing the opposite with my Fibe receivers. I can point the remotes in pretty much any direction and the boxes pick up the signal.

Yeah, but are you using the included Bluetooth remote? If so, that's expected.

I was talking about the IR support on the Bell PVRs. I'm using Logitech Harmony IR remotes. It seems Arris puts its emphasis on the Bluetooth support. IR works fine, but it's not as robust as the IR on say the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD for cable TV. It seems the SA 8300HD has an unusually strong IR sensor, whereas the IR sensor of the Bell PVR is just average.

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