What I'm attempting to do in my TSU9600 quest is to replace my Crestron rig. Currently, I have the large touchpanel Crestron which controls my HT; then, for the second floor, most of my media is piped out of Zone 2 of my AV Processor (Denon AVP-A1HDCI), to two other points. These are controlled by a small handheld remote that communicates to an access point.

What I envision, therefore, is that for my theater, which is in the vicinity of my router, I would simply connect several RFX9600 units via serial cable to the router, and that will be sufficient to output commands that will then be connected via IR to the components. Question 1: Is this correct?

Question 2: For the upstairs, I'll need a wireless router to serve as an access point to the main router, and, using Zone 2, I can command the upstairs components as I'm doing now? (I've got a TSU9400 for this more limited duty). I would be able to hardwire another RFX9600 to the wireless access point.

Question 3: If the above is correct, why does the Crestron have a wireless router only, which is not really connected to my main router? Perhaps irrelevant, but inquiring minds and all that.

Thanks,

Nick

I am not a proponent of cascaded routers in a simple home LAN setup, unless they are required for some security reason. All you should need is a WAP on your second floor. Your main router can be enhanced with workgroup switches which can be co-located with it or placed downstream to minimize wiring runs.

I would put a WAP in the theater and one on the second floor, running them on different channels and if desired using different SSID's

I do not use RFX units so I can not speak to them specifically but I do believe they are designed to be used the way you indicate. The Pronto would talk to the WAP, the WAP would place the traffic on the LAN, the RFX would see and respond to its traffic.

If you use multiple RFX's I would run them off of the same workgroup switch along with the Theater WAP so there would not need to be any flow back to the router.

It sounds like in the crestron case they have constructed a dedicated LAN having nothing to do with the main LAN. You can do the same with a WAP and a workgroup switch, however if you need DHCP which a router generally provides then running the switch off a router port will provide that. Some WAP's (Pakedge for example) do provide a DHCP service.

Currently you have crestron processor somewhere that the Remotes and Tocuhpanel communicate to.

Q1 Correct the RFX copnnects to your Router/switch and then controls equipment by IR/RS232/CC etc

Q2 You need the TSU to be inrange of an AP this may require a second AP it may not. As long as its on the network you can locate another RFX upstairs

Q3Crestron use a dedicated router and set deivces in a sub net this is good practice but the second router is not a necessity for pronto (don't think its a necessity for Crestron) Also Creston used to favour 802.11a WiFi rather than the more standard 802.11b/g systems which may be the reason for the second router.