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[lestat02882]

For years now, I've used the old x10 Mouse Remote with Max10 software:  http://max10.sourceforge.net for controlling Winamp.  The max10 made the otherwise frustrating Mouse Remote into a truly useful tool.  I control music in my living room, bedroom and bathroom flawlessly with the remote.

The only thing the Mouse Remote is lacking is the ability to learn IR functions.  That is why I'm considering getting the Google Remote. 

Does anyone here have experience using the Google Remote with Winamp?  Will it work with Max10 software? 

I'm also hoping that it can control other things like tv tuner cards, and dvd drives.

[MichaelC]

I'm not familiar with max10, but if it works with the original MouseRemote it's possible that it works with the Google Remote (the UR86A, which was originally called "MouseRemote II"). I believe there are enough RF commands in common for the two to work, thought you'd probably have to use the old MouseRemote receiver unless max10 can work with the USB-based CM19A. It's also unlikely that the mouse commands from the Google Remote would work, since they're sufficiently different from the original remote.

The Google Remote software is pretty good, though, and should work just fine with WinAmp. Although it's being sold as the GoogleRemote, the underlying software has been configured to work with Windows Media Player, WinAmp, Quicktime, iTunes, WinDVD, PowerDVD, and a number of other programs. You can even add control of other programs pretty easily if you're OK with reading and editing XML.

[lestat02882]

I've purchased, received, and installed the Google Remote on my XP computer.  I've been using the remote to operate InterVideo WinDVD.

The operation is poor.  For instance, when pausing DVDs with the remote I must hit the button several times before it works.  The on screen display of the program indicates that it is receiving the remote's signal by flashing play/pause in the upper left corner of the screen.  But it doesn't "stick" right away.  It's spastic and it takes several times for it to work.  The same spastic operation happens with fast forwarding and rewinding.  Does anyone know how to fix this?

Also, the volume buttons on the remote have an opposite function.  When I push up the volume goes down, and when I push down the volume goes up.  The same thing with the channel buttons.  How is this fixed?

Thanks. 

[MichaelC]

The software that's used for the Google Remote is also used for some X10 OEM projects where the buttons work opposite from the UR86A and we didn't create two different builds for those, as I recall. You may be able to go into the XML file I mentioned and swap the functions for channel and volume for each application.

I had similar problems at home with the responsiveness, and my solution was to move the receiver. Instead of using the USB port on my PC I plugged the CM19A into one on my monitor, and then placed the CM19A as far from other devices as possible.

[lestat02882]

OK, here's the deal.  There is CLEARLY a problem with the X10 drivers, not the hardware.  And I'll tell you why.

When I uninstall every piece of x10.com software, ie activehome and the software that came with the Google Remote (UR86A) and then install a third party Niveus PC remote software (which is an OEM of x10,), the Google Remote works BEAUTIFULLY.  The remote functions, such as volume up and down, channel up and down, etc. work PERFECTLY.  There is no struggle in which the volume in an application such as WinDVD goes up and down sporadically.

I repeat, the Niveus drivers work PERFECTLY.  Thus, there is nothing wrong with the relevant hardware; the Google Remote (UR86A) or the transceiver (CM19A).  And of course this means that placing the CM19A somewhere else will not solve the problem.

So you might ask "Why not just use the Niveus software?".  Believe me, I would love to but it doesn't control x10 modules or run timers.

Therefore, I simply want the ActiveHome Pro and the Google Remote to function as advertised.

Can anyone help me?

On another note, why does x10.com software suck so bad?  It's never simple.

[MichaelC]

It's not exactly a driver problem -- it's a software problem created by the need to support different hardware with the same piece of software. The UR86A and the Niveus remote and a couple others send particular commands for volume up and down. Some other (newer) remotes that X10 makes use reversed commands for up and down. That means that pressing Vol+ on the UR86A sends the command that pressing Vol- on other remotes sends. Because there's no way for the software to know which remote is sending the command, there's no way to know if the person pressing the button thinks they're increasing or decreasing the volume. I think a little time spent on the installation packages and configuration might have been able to come up with a solution, but the team wasn't given the time to do that.

[lestat02882]

a little time spent on the installation packages and configuration might have been able to come up with a solution, but the team wasn't given the time to do that.

Why the hell not?  Because that money was to be spent on more idiotic gorilla marketing tactics? 

I swear, just trying to find a single product on x10.com is a pain in the ass.  It is so cluttered with obnoxious marketing bs that I almost have a seizure any time I look at it. 

If x10 were to actually produce slightly better products and raise their prices they would probably profit better in the long run from repeat business.

On another note, Michael, do you know of any way I could modify or remove any of the ActiveHome pro software, so that it only operated the timers and macros and did not interfere with the Niveus software for the Google remote?

[MichaelC]

The component that causes the change in button behavior is X10Net, and so changing ActiveHome Pro won't have any effect. Your best bet is to edit the XML file that tells the Google Remote what to do in each application as I mentioned earlier. If you can find the file and give me a sample here I should be able to help out from my memory of that file.

[lestat02882]

The component that causes the change in button behavior is X10Net, and so changing ActiveHome Pro won't have any effect. Your best bet is to edit the XML file that tells the Google Remote what to do in each application as I mentioned earlier. If you can find the file and give me a sample here I should be able to help out from my memory of that file.

There are two files named x10net.  One is a .dll file and the other says x10nets, x10module, x10

The dll file has no "s"  it's just x10net, whereas the other file says x10nets with an "s."

Does that help?

[lestat02882]

As per my contact with x10 tech support, I did this:

"Install Niveus, move C:\Program Files\Common Files\X10\Common\x10nets.dll to a
different folder, install AHP, and move x10nets.dll back, copying it over the
one that AHP put there. "

It worked beautifully with the remote.  I've got ActiveHome Pro installed and the Google remote works as it should with the Niveus software.

HOWEVER, now I can't start ActiveHome Pro.  I click on it, it tries to start and then I get "Active Home Professional has encountered a problem and needs to close.  We are sorry for the inconvenience."  The error signature says "AppName: activehm.exe   AppVer: 3.0.0.204   Offset:  001bf320"

I've tried rebooting and that didn't solve the problem.  It still won't let me open ActiveHome.

I'm getting closer here.  Any suggestion on what to do next?

[MichaelC]

I guess I should have been more clear.

X10Net.dll is a shared component that is used by almost all software that X10 makes, including software provided to OEMs. X10Net handles high level things and low level things, and in this case it's the piece that processes the incoming commands from your remote controls. The reason AHP won't start is that you installed an older version of it (the one from Niveus, which was created before AHP) and the version you installed doesn't have all of the new features that AHP depends on. You need to put the AHP version of X10Net back in order for AHP to work.

After that you should look in the Program Files\Google Remote\ (it might also be Program Files\X10 Remote, I can't remember which it is) folder for a .XML file. That file contains the configuration for the button controls in the Google Remote software. If you can find the section of that file for your DVD player and post it here, I should be able to help figure out changes to make that will fix the volume buttons for you.

[lestat02882]

OK.  I've done exactly as you've instructed above.  Now the buttons on the Google Remote don't struggle to do one thing or the other.  They just simply execute the wrong function.  i.e pressing volume up makes the volume go down, albeit smoothly.

I located the .XML file in C:\Program Files\X10 Multimedia Remote.  The name of the file is rfhiddrv XML Document.  It's 20 KB.  When I double click on it, it opens in Internet Explorer.

Should I paste the text on the next post.  It's pretty long.

But first a question Mike.  Why does x10 claim on page 11-13 of its printed owner's manual for the Wireless MouseRemote Model UR86A that there is configuration software?  It illustrates the window that is supposed to appear when clicking the MouseRemote icon in the tray.   This window has configuration functions such as Launch, Web, Multimedia, Edit, System, etc. The manual goes into detail of how to use each.  Of course in reality, clicking this icon does absolutely nothing.   

If the buttons can't be configured with a simple user interface, then what's the point?  Again, I must bring up the point that the Niveus software did this beautifully.  Why can't the actual manufacturer's software do the same?   If it did, I would be one happy camper and one step closer to my dream of being the laziest bastard on earth.

One more thing.  Are you familiar with the ATI Wonder Remote software?  Maybe that will play nice with ActiveHome?

[lestat02882]

One other point.  Is it safe to say that somewhere out there exists the software from the owner's manual.  After all, I'm am staring at a picture of it on page 12, with text in the window that says "MouseRemote II Button Configuration"  "What do you want to program for the "PLAY" button?"  Then there are tabs for Launch, Web, Multimedia, Edit, System, Advanced.

So obviously someone wrote some software.  They wouldn't just "draw" some window, would they?

Now where the hell is it?!

[MichaelC]

The software as pictured in the manual was part of the UR86A product when it was first sold as the MouseRemote II a few years ago, but X10 stopped selling the UR86A at the request of an OEM customer. That was in 2003, I think, though perhaps it was earlier. In 2006 when we (the software team) were asked to make the Google Remote software the intention was also to include MouseRemote II software pictured in the manual, but the source code for that software, which had not been kept in the normal repository, wasn't available any more, though an older version (that looked different and needed extensive work) was. We had a limited schedule to start selling the Google Remote product, so we went with what we had.

If you can copy and past just part of rfhiddrv.xml here that will help. You don't need to past the whole thing -- look for text that relates to the DVD player you want to use maybe.

[lestat02882]

Mike-

So do you think it is at all possible to make the AcitveHome Pro work with the Niveus software?  I've got plans for the remote, other than just a dvd player.  I'll want to use it to control about at least a half dozen programs, and that will require button configuration.

Anyway here is the xml text: