# HDMI over CAT5e disables UHF remote



## malhotraspokane (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi folks. I am trying to have HD on a third TV in my house without having to pay $35 extra for the Joey/Hopper system. There are other things about that system that make it impractical for me. My 722 and 922 work just fine.

I found an inexpensive gadget http://amzn.com/B0089NLSGU from Sewell that lets me convert from HDMI to a single CAT5e and it works, to my surprise. The problem is that when I have the HDMI to CAT5e gadget turned on, my UHF remotes mostly stop working.

I put a coax between the receiver and remote antenna and switched the remotes to the "B" band. These changes help a bit but the UHF remotes pretty much need to be in the same room as the receiver to work. When I turn off the HDMI to CAT5e device, the UHF remotes work fine. I thought there was no CEC on the 722?

Any ideas? The best ideas I can some up with are to try to find the CEC cable and cut it; or find a component to HDMI converter and use that to go from the receiver to the HDMI to CAT5e box. Any other suggestions? I suppose I could use Google TV and Sling but don't like the buffering and delay with the software remote. I would like to be able to use the real remotes.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Use some RG59 / RG6 coax and move the UHF antenna on the receiver to a better location - the room where TV2 is, for example ? That little stub antenna does NOT have to be on the receiver for it to work.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

How much distance between locations and can you run cable?

Monoprice has HDMI cables up to 100' or so relatively cheap.


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## drjake (Jun 12, 2002)

If you can't run a wire, the other option is to get a cheap indoor amplified UHF antenna and hook that to the UHF antenna input. I have done that before and it works pretty well.


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## malhotraspokane (Sep 16, 2012)

Sorry for not checking back in until now. I was expecting an email when there was a reply, but did not get one.

I have moved the antenna for the remote a bit but that doesn't make much difference. The UHF remote has to be closer to the receiver than the IR remote to work but only when the HDMI-Cat5 box is on. 

I ran Cat5, I'm not keen on now running coax or HDMI just to get the remote to work. The distance is probably about 100' after I go outside, up, over the front door, and back down.

The strange thing is that I can easily use the UHF remote when the HDMI to Cat5e box is off. There is definitely an interaction between the box and the receiver over the HDMI cable. There is no such interaction when the Dish receiver is connected via HDMI to the TV in the same room. 

As an experiment, to rule out interference, I hooked up the Dish receiver directly to the TV in the same room over HDMI and left the HDMI-Cat5 box on though not connected, had the local TV on, and the UHF remote worked just fine in a different room.

I bought a so-called CEC-less HDMI cable and tried that between the Dish receiver and the HDMI-Cat5e box but that made no difference. I'm wondering if they sent me a regular HDMI cable. As my next experiment, I'm going to get an HDMI to DVI cable then a DVI to HDMI adapter. I understand that DVI cable is the same as HDMI except without the CEC.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

No, they are different: that DVI-HDMI cable has no sound path.

I would try use the long HDMI+baloons to twisted pair CAT cable just between TV and the receiver, in same room to do final conclusion about RF EMI from it affecting your RF remote.
If it will - you have very badly designed and manufactured HDMI-CAT cable what should be forbidden to use by FCC rules. I would contact the manufacturer/seller for the outcome and sue them.


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## malhotraspokane (Sep 16, 2012)

Oh, I forgot about the sound, good point. But I can still do the experiment to see if it is a CEC problem.

I contacted the manufacturer of the HDMI to Cat5 box to ask them. The manufacturer thought that the only explanation was EMI from the Cat5e cable. If the transmitter is on, but not connected, there would be no EMI caused by the cable. 

The Cat5e cable was from the local phone company. It was left over that they gave me after installing DSL. 

If I am going to have to re-run the cable, I'll follow SayWhat?'s suggestion and just run HDMI cable. 

But running a longer cable between the UHF antenna and the receiver; or getting an amplified UHF antenna, both ideas suggested above, are sounding like the best solutions.


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## malhotraspokane (Sep 16, 2012)

I just performed another experiment--I left the HDMI-Cat5e device on and connected to the Dish receiver but disconnected the Cat5e cable coming out of it. If it was a CEC issue, the UHF remote should have shopped working. 

But the UHF remote worked fine from the other room. 

So the problem is interference over the cable. Now that I know the problem, I just have to pick the solution from the solutions you guys proposed already. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

And another one: use shielded (more expensive) CAT-5 cable.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

malhotraspokane said:


> I have moved the antenna for the remote a bit but that doesn't make much difference.


Why do I get the feeling that you're talking inches and we're talking yards?


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## veehb (Oct 24, 2013)

This is an old thread, but maybe someone is following it? I had this same problem this week. I'm using a Monoprice HDMI extender using CAT6 cable. My UHF remote stopped working when I got the remote HDMI TV working (that works great, by the way). I finally added a coax cable to the UHF antenna moving it up on the wall about six feet above the 722K and now the UHF remote for TV2 works great. There is some type of interference signal either from the CAT 6 cable or from the driver or receiver electronics boxes. I'm using the Monoprice 8158 HDMI extender, driving two CAT6 cables. I'm also having trouble with my Dish IR/UHF remote with the IR repeater. It has stopped working altogether. Going to trouble shoot that tomorrow.


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