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Software:
When you get everything installed and plugged in, you will, by default, have a small circle or indicator; show up on your desktop and in your task manager. The circle will change color and make a sound depending on whether the IR eye received a recognizable command or a command that is not recognized or is not supported in the current application. The circle and the sounds can be disabled. The icon in the task area allows you full access to all the options, and configuration menus.
One application controls all aspects of remote controlling your Windows computer and a host of applications. There are a large number of applications that are supported right out of the box. When you first start the software, it searches your system and will set a basic group of commands for the programs that it recognizes. The list of programs is quite extensive but if the program you want to control isn’t listed, you can make a complete custom set of commands based on the keyboard shortcut commands for those programs. Even Windows based commands can be customized and added simply.
The software allows you to choose one program to be the ALL-TIME control mode program. This function will always respond to basic commands even if that program isn’t the maximized program on the desktop. This feature will allow things like changing tracks on your MP3 program while browsing the Internet. You can choose which program is the ALL-TIME control by pressing the Barricade button on the remote.
One of the best features of the iMon system is the ability to be used with 99% of the IR remote controls out there. The eye of the iMon will respond to any IR remote you may have in the house already. You can create as many remote profiles as you want and just have to choose a command, whether a Windows command or a program command and press the associated button on the new remote. Note however, you can only have one remote active at a time be it the iMon or a different remote. You can set up a dozen different remotes, but only one will be active at a time. This feature is truly what makes the iMon special and closer to being the right answer to a Home Theater PC controller. If you have a nice home theater universal remote and would like it to control your PC functions also, this is the answer. It would take a bit of manual setup, but all functions could be accessed with any remote.
As a matter of fact, one night during testing, my desktop icon kept flashing red and making the sound that it didn’t recognize the command. I could not figure out what signal it was getting, as I was not using the remote at the time. We searched all over the house for a stray source of IR. I put a toilet paper tube over the eye and aimed it around the room, turned out the dog was laying on the DVD remote!!! This brings up a bit of a problem if you choose to keep the desktop icon and sounds active, you will know when anyone in the house changes the channel or volume of any equipment in your house, and possibly your neighbors house too if your eye faces the wrong way!!! The eye is extremely sensitive, more sensitive than any IR device I have ever used. It picks up everything from all kinds of angles. I can point the remote at the back wall of the room and the eye will respond to reflected IR.
I allowed the iMon software to automatically detect and configure for the programs I had and began testing the functions of each. After playing with the remote for a bit I noticed some more advanced functions of some programs weren’t configured. Going through the setup screens I found that iMon only activates the basic functions of programs. I activated and mapped some advanced functions and all was good. This remote is very flexible.
 
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