Bose Wave Radio remote - interference with nearby TV?

jbollyn

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The radio does not always seem to be receiving the signal from the remote control. I think there is interference with a Samsung 46” LCD TV, which I will call TV1.

TV1 and the radio both face the same way, with the radio in front of TV1. The back of the radio is 6” from the front of TV1.

The purpose of the radio is to handle the audio from another (smaller) Samsung LCD TV, which is further away. I will call this TV2. I am using a high quality cable, bought from the local Bose store, Audioquest Mini-1.

When I power TV1 off, the Bose remote always communicates perfectly with the radio. When TV1 is powered on, the radio does not always seem to receive the signal from pressing the remote. There is no response from the radio at all. If I then power TV1 off, the remote always works fine.

This Wave Radio II is replacing a ten-year-old Wave Radio. I had similar problems with that radio, so I moved it to another room.

Is this a well known problem? I can’t really move the radio further away from TV1, without a major furniture move. How far should a TV be from a Wave radio? I am waiting to hear back from Bose tech support.

 
Solution
the light from the television is probably affecting the infrared sensor on the radio.
or the tv is shining light that is bright enough to block the light coming from the infrared thingy on the remote.

if TV1 is turned on, but the screen is all black.. does the remote work?
what about if the screen is all white.. does the remote work?

i think its the screen pouring light into the room.. not something on the TV1 circuit board that is causing a problem when it receives electricity.

but.. if the remote refuses to work with a full white screen, and a full black screen, then i suppose it is possible that there is something on the circuit board causing interference.

just how does the remote work anyway?
its is infrared-FM-bluetooth?

anwaypasible

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the light from the television is probably affecting the infrared sensor on the radio.
or the tv is shining light that is bright enough to block the light coming from the infrared thingy on the remote.

if TV1 is turned on, but the screen is all black.. does the remote work?
what about if the screen is all white.. does the remote work?

i think its the screen pouring light into the room.. not something on the TV1 circuit board that is causing a problem when it receives electricity.

but.. if the remote refuses to work with a full white screen, and a full black screen, then i suppose it is possible that there is something on the circuit board causing interference.

just how does the remote work anyway?
its is infrared-FM-bluetooth?
 
Solution

jbollyn

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It does not seem to matter if the TV1 screen is white or black. All that matters is if it is powered on/off.

I have not been able to determine what technology the remote is using, from the owner's guide.

I am using a Logitech Harmony One remote to control the Tivo, and have never had a problem.
 

anwaypasible

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i'm leaning to the conclusion that the remote's sending unit is so weak.. and the radio's sensor is so sensitive.. that the light in the room is interfering.
but you say the remote wont work when the screen is all black or all white.. and that really makes the situation complex.

if the radio's remote communicates with FM signals.. the interference from the tv would change the function of the radio as if pushing buttons the remote.
i suppose its possible that the FM frequencies are close enough to interfere, but not close enough to cause the radio to change functions and/or act erractically.
although, the tv shouldnt have any reason to emit an FM signal.

the FCC has a job to prevent things like this from happening.
so the situation is a little rare.

i hope you find out what technology is used for the radio and the remote to communicate.. hopefully that will lead you to the problem/answer.

normally its like a radio with 100 watts and you cant miss the audio.
but if you are down to 1 watt or less.. of course having a fan turned on is going to make it hard to hear.
 

jbollyn

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It is the light from TV1 after all. When I cover TV1 with a large towel, leaving it powered on, the Bose remote works. I am fairly annoyed with Bose, since all my other remotes work fine. I pay a premium for Bose products, to hopefully avoid problems like this.

Anyway, thanks.
 

mrvict0r

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Hello. I have the exact same problem. Have a 50" LCD TV in the bedroom. The BOSE remote for the wave radio will not work if the TV is ON, or uncovered (works if I cover the TV with a sheet or towel). Can't seem to get help from Bose on this. They tell me "They have never heard of this before. it must be a problem with the TV" Does anyone know of an aftermarket remote that would work with the Bose Wave Radio?

THANKS!

Aaron
 

anwaypasible

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maybe it's not the remote that is the problem..
maybe it is because the sensor is too sensitive and it is picking up the light from the TV.

(maybe it is because the sensor is not sensitive enough and the light from the TV hides the remote)



i dont know of a remote, but if i had to shop for one.. i would download the user manual and look for bose in the list of codes.
i would also buy from a store that allows me to return the item if it doesnt do what i need it to do.
 

jbollyn

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I programmed a different 3rd party remote, which does the same thing as the OEM remote. The problem is the sensor on the radio. I have since moved the radio 5' from the TV, and partially shielded it with a shelf, but the problem persists.
 

mrvict0r

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Update. This is mrvict0r:

Got it fixed. Found out its the eco settings in the TV. the emmiter for the eco settings are whats messing with the remote. On my model, it was:

Menu -> Picture -> Eco Solution -> Eco Sensor - Set that to off.

All set. Works perfectly now. This came from the BOSE tech support line. The problem is known across all different lines of TV's and your settings may be a little different. But you bassicly want to shut off the auto dimming/brightness feature for your TV. Samsung calls it Eco Solution (makes it brighter durning the day, dimmer at night).

THANKS!

Aaron
 

jbollyn

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Looks OK so far - thanks! I don't know why my several calls to Bose tech support did not know this tweak.