Fire Cube

thebullsback

I have been given a Fire cube and want to place it in a cabinet below my tv .
The problem is with the cabinet doors shut the cube does not respond to remote control.
A friend mentioned a IR extender.... would this work ?

facade

Yes, you replace the bulky fire cube with a less bulky receiver cube with a trailing cable.....

EDIT: No, you can't, the device below is an IR Blaster that lets the cube control ancient equipment (like my Panasonic DVR) that only has infra red.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/amazon-ir-extender-cable-for-fire-tv-cube/dp/B074T95PW1

Can't you just shout at it, or hide it behind the TV so the IR signal reflects off the wall?

Won't Alexa be all muffled when she is talking in a cabinet, and GCHQ will have to send someone round to bug your house manually if they can't just get it straight from Amazon?

PHK

It should have come with the extender?

flaneurs_lobster

My Firestick remote is wireless rather than IR, is the Firecube different?

facade

flaneurs_lobster said:

My Firestick remote is wireless rather than IR, is the Firecube different?

 I thought they were wireless, like everything else nowadays, but the OP said it didn't work in the cupboard.

Actually the extender seems to be an IR blaster, and lets the cube control things that it can't see, rather than lets things control it.

thebullsback

I might have to Drill a discreet hole in my cabinet .

facade

Is it a genuine Amazon Fire cube?

The official voice remote is bluetooth, bluetooth waves should laugh at the doors of your cabinet unless it is lead lined.

Or you can just talk to it as apparently the point of the cube over a firestick is it has an echo built in (so Amazon can spy on every word that is spoken within microphone range)

PHK

facade said:

Is it a genuine Amazon Fire cube?

The official voice remote is bluetooth, bluetooth waves should laugh at the doors of your cabinet unless it is lead lined.

Or you can just talk to it as apparently the point of the cube over a firestick is it has an echo built in (so Amazon can spy on every word that is spoken within microphone range)

It needs IR to control devices that it can’t talk to using WiFi or Bluetooth. 

Given that it’s a voice activated speaker that can control other AV equipment and act like a fire stick, which is specifically designed to be on display,  I think it’s pointless to put it in a cabinet. If you’re only using it as a smart device to get streaming services  then might as well get a fire stick. 

facade

PHK said:

facade said:

Is it a genuine Amazon Fire cube?

The official voice remote is bluetooth, bluetooth waves should laugh at the doors of your cabinet unless it is lead lined.

Or you can just talk to it as apparently the point of the cube over a firestick is it has an echo built in (so Amazon can spy on every word that is spoken within microphone range)

It needs IR to control devices that it can’t talk to using WiFi or Bluetooth. 

Given that it’s a voice activated speaker that can control other AV equipment and act like a fire stick, which is specifically designed to be on display,  I think it’s pointless to put it in a cabinet. If you’re only using it as a smart device to get streaming services  then might as well get a fire stick. 

Yes, that IR Blaster I linked to enables it to control IR devices like VCRs shut in cabinets when the Cube is out on display, but the OP says that the cube doesn't respond to it's remote when the cube is shut inside the cabinet.

PHK

We don’t know anything about the cabinet. It could be an 80s style leaded glass front doors or a nineties/noughties enclosed cabinet, which coupled with equipment in close proximity will cut down the signal. 

thebullsback

thank you all for you helpful reply's I have simply moved the cube nearer and more towards the side of the cabinet and it works fine now .I guess its due to the slight gap in the door that the unit is now closer too.