IP2IR iTach TCP/IP to IR Converter - Connects Infrared Control Devices to a Wired Ethernet

I’ve used these multiple times for different projects. They’re excellent units and very useful if you need to control IR devices over a network. Global Cache’s entire product line are well made and powerful problem solvers.

I do not believe the average home consumer purchases this type of device, so I'm writing this for the semi educated consumer that understands what they are buying or trying to achieve. This device acts as a "bridge" between two commonly used protocols: TCP and Infrared. Global Cache is one of the leaders in these types of devices, used by many home automation companies to integrate home automation controllers with receivers, TVs, and just about every type of device that has a remote control and takes infrared commands. Centralized home automation is not just for the uber-rich or the professional installer anymore. A Do it Yourself (DIY) community of people are out there that have built many great tools for building your own home automation solution. With the communization of devices like an iPad, you can use software to design your own remote control. These types of devices are critical to controlling devices in your house. RS232 is substantially better at delivering commands to a device than infrared, but many times you have no choice. In that case, this is the best device for bridging that gap to include infrared devices in your home automaton scheme. Keep in mind that infrared cannot give you feedback (such as acknowledgement that the device received the command, or the ability to ask a device a question - What is the currently volume level?) where RS232 and TCP do. So, if you want to communicate with a device via a home network, RS232 or TCP are preferred. These devices work great with a home automation package called Indigo by Perceptive Automation, and can be integrated using a plugin called Global Cache. Certainly these devices can be used with just about any home automation system, but these are two of the best for the DIY market. Feel free to reach to me if you have questions.

The IP2IR hardware works well. What they don't tell you is that, other than for testing, it MUST be used with expensive and complicated third party software. There is no capability with the included web interface to even set up simple on/off control of IR devices. Global Cache had the opportunity to build a really great product but is simply missing the point by not including any practical application capability with the IR2IP. If you don't have the required software already, there is absolutely no point in buying this item.

This is an awesome little device. The single IR blaster included works quite well. The two adhesive emitters were easy to set up and worked fine with a 25 foot 2.5mm stereo extension cable, to control a projector on/off. The IR learner was hard to use at first. Just put the iTach and the remote control on a flat surface, point the remote's emitter at the back of the iTach with about 2 inches distance between the two. There's a pinhole reset button that apparently also includes the recessed IR receiver. You may need to angle the remote, so it's IR emitter has a "line of sight" directly into this little hole on the back of the iTach. I get frequent crashes with the iLearn software if I use any of the functions except learning a code, trimming it, and saving it. Reconnecting the iTach (it apparently times out after a while), clearing windows, etc, caused the program to eventually crash. Other than that the iLearn and iConvert tools work perfectly. I tried both OpenRemote and iRule, and settled with iRule because I couldn't figure out how to get repeating IR codes to work smoothly with OpenRemote for my Motorola set-top-box. iRule occasionally goes into a mode where it fails to send commands to the iTach, but I think this mostly has to do with my Nook Tablet's groady wireless. Otherwise iRule and the iTach work together perfectly, including the extensive IR device library available with iRule. If using OpenRemote, assign the iTach a static IP _before_ programming a bunch of commands to save yourself a lot of grief when your DHCP server decides to play musical chairs.

I have a fairly extensive home automation system, mostly based on Z-wave devices. The Vera3 controller I use supports IR devices through a controller such as the Global Cache unit, so I decided to give it a try. The IP2IR unit does what it's name implies: translates network (IP) commands to infrared (IR), letting you pretty much control any device using an IR remote control model. Because the IP part isn't line of sight the way IR is, this means you can control your IR devices anywhere you have a network signal - across your home, or across the planet. The IP2IR is physically small but it has three independent IR outputs, so you can control several different devices with it. If your devices are, say, stacked together the way many AV components are, you can probably even control multiple devices with a single IR output. For the most part, it's simple to setup the hardware...you need wired ethernet (there's a WiFi wireless too - I have one of these as well...very similar), a power cord and up to three IR outputs that you'll want to dangle in front of your equipment. Still, I have to say that the initial setup was awful - but 100% of the problems were the fault of the Vera3's embedded IR control software. The Global Cache IP2IR worked exactly as it should in all cases. As other reviewers point out, most people will generally need some sort of remote control or home automation software to go with the IP2IR. In addition to the somewhat buggy Micasaverde Vera3 home automation controller, I've had good luck with a mobile app called MyURemote...it's expensive, but it has an extensive database of devices supported out of the box. No doubt there are all sorts of other apps out there that work with the IP2IR. Definitely worth a try if you're a hobbyist or don't mind hunting around for workable software and are willing to debug until you get it right.

My initial impressions of the iTach IP2IR were 1. it's smaller than I expected and 2. feels a bit plasticky/cheap. I was a little worried about what I had plunked down $90.00 on. However, I am pleased to say that I plugged it in and found it quickly on my network. The size is great because I hide it right next to my router. In it's final destination, my new home's AV closet, it won't take up much space or generate much heat. I am using the iRule remote software and it works great with the iTach. The two were definitely made for each other. The IR blaster included with the iTach is very effective at the range I'm using it (approx. 10 feet). The best place to use the IR blaster is when it's aimed at devices that won't move. Some, like my XBOX and Apple TV, need to be angled just right for the signal to successfully go through. One more thing that I've heard people get frustrated with on network connected devices is the lag that occurs when a device "goes to sleep." I've seen it happen on my wife's iPhone when she uses the IOS remote software to control the Apple TV. It takes a few seconds to connect to the gateway. I'm happy to report that we haven't had that problem with the iRule and iTach. As soon as the screen comes back from "dim" or the program opens, we can send commands. Great little device! Definitely worth the money if you're going to put together a mildly complex home AV system.

I bought this hoping to be able to program some basic functions in the web interface (power on/off) to control my Frigidaire Air Conditioner. The only thing you can change in this devices web interface is IP address and some emitter/sensor settings. If you are not a technical person and do not have basic networking skills don't bother reading any further, just don't buy it. Now if you are a techy and have a few hours to kill, a pc running windows or OSX to install 3rd party open source software on then you might have some fun. I used open remote, it's free and is really easy to design your own remote control. It was not the easiest software to install, but it's free so I'm not complaining Open remote setup: [...] After setup this guide helped me figure out how to learn my air conditioners remote codes and apply those codes to the remote I designed with Open Remote designer: [...] After lots of research looking for a free remote control program OpenRemote is by far the best. This product in conjunction with openremote is really cool and works very well, however I am only giving this product 3 stars because it's description led me to believe it would be a stand alone box where in reality you need a PC to send it commands from a 3rd party program.

NOTE: You HAVE TO combine this box with software to use it. I bought this box to control my Sony AV receiver, Samsung blu-ray player and DirecTV satellite box - located in a rack in an unfinished room in my basement while Optoma HD 3300 DLP projector is mounted on the ceiling in a finished family room. The receiver’s speakers are also in this finished room. All my equipment was old, so I control it via two of the three IR ports on the back of the box (1 blaster on port 3, and one emitter). ALTERNATIVES. A couple of years ago, I had purchased a Savant system for a lake home (read $3,000). This iTach box and Roomie apps do basically the same job for about $135. iTach HARDWARE. The iTach IP2IR takes almost nothing to install. Plug it into cat5 on your network and power it up. A download (Windows only) program from Global Cache tells you when your network can “see” it and reports its’ IP address. AV HARDWARE. It took me two days to set up the rack, run the necessary cat5, romex (power), speaker wire, HDMI cables, etc… SOFTWARE. I used Roomie Remote ([...]) apps, from the Apple App store…[you'll spend $40]. The Roomie apps require “moderate” skill level to set up. The apps are extremely flexible, allowing the setup of multiple “rooms” and “activities”. For instance... Room: “Movie Room” Activity: “Watch Blu-Ray”. The Roomie apps allow you to define everything you need down to the “open drawer” command on the blu-ray. Impressive. Some knowledge of what command should precede what, and what commands have to be sent twice is trial-and-error, but once you have that - it’s off to the races. As mentioned, I only used their IR capabilities. The Roomie people claim their software (and your iPhone or iPad & iTach) can control your equipment via IP (ethernet on your local network) or via IR (infra-red). Check out their IP and IR compatibility lists on their website, they also have nice video tutorials. SUMMARY. If you’re technically inclined and have the time, this is a big savings.