HD Flow itrio HDS100 - Performance at Distance
As usual, when we take on an interesting device for review, we don't typically have a sophisticated, or overly systematic testing method. Instead we rely on practical tests, and hope they answer your questions.
There have been two long distance ranges tested. I will describe both to you. Note, we only have one receiver and have been unable to learn what happens in long distances if more than one is used, although it shouldn't create a problem as far as the display signal.
The measured distance, as the eagle flies (if they can fly through walls), is almost 55 feet (from back of theater to the far side of the bedroom. 55 feet would be impressive (compared to the Gefen) even without walls. But, that eagle (or hdmi signal) has to pass through many walls. Since the two devices are on an angle to each other, relative to the house's rooms, here's what that HDMI signal has been passing through, starting from the source.
- About 17 feet of air in my theater, to the closest wall of a bathroom
- 1 bathrrom wall
- 6 feet of air
- through a 2nd bathroom wall/hallway wall
- 4 feet of landing
- through a hallway wall/bedroom closet wall
- about 8 feet of air
- through the bedroom/closet wall.
- about 18 feet of bedroom air to the receiver
In fairness, if I, or any other human, passes between those two devices (in addition to the 4 walls), the signal breaks up until the person moves, but considering the roughly 55 feet and 4 walls, I certainly am not complaining.
The second setup used, was a bit different. Done downstairs, the transmitter was placed in my work storage area where my DirecTV dish and Blu-ray player for the testing room are located. The receiver was hooked up to that same Sony, but before it moved to the bedroom. At the time, it was in our living room at the very back of the house.
This time our trans mutating eagle (passing through walls) only has to travel about 40 feet or a few inches less. In addition, only one wall to deal with.
- From Transmitter to wall 2 feet
- 36 feet of air
- Receiver sitting behind, but below the LCDTV
Total distance - just under 40 feet:
The HD Flow worked just fine. Time to lock onto the signal may have been a little quicker but we have no reliable way of testing.
Most important to note: Passing through People not an issue with this setup. With this scenario, people walking between the receiver and transmitter did not interrupt the signal. This was consistent, over probably more than a dozen hours of operation, including a small party, (more people wandering around), with some sports being transmitted to that LCDTV. At no time did we lose the HDMI signal.
Most impressive. Whether the HD Flow really has the reliability at distance through multiple walls to be a fully reliable system throughout a house, we aren't able to determine. Still consider that if the transmitter and receiver are placed up high - people won't be able to pass between... Overall, in your home, office, or other workspace, you will have to test to make sure it's reliable in your situation. Still, our results are most inspiring.
I can say this, however. My confidence is that the HD Flow can be used reliably in many situations, including passing through more than one wall. In other words, these may let you do your whole house, or, some rooms may just be out of range. I believe that's going to be up to your layout, and where everything is placed.
I think one can generally assume that it will be reliable, at least from any room to any adjacent room, and probably will work well covering most moderate sized homes for most rooms. Again, if you place the transmitter at one far corner of the house, you won't has as much success if the transmitter is in some more central location - as stands to reason.
Let's address a more commercial application. While I'm reviewing this product first as a home solution, there's no reason why the HD Flow can't be used in a corporate or general business environment as well. Of course the walls of large corporate buildings are packed with all kinds of wiring and who knows what else, that might impact the range of the HD Flow. The HD Flow isn't built to wirelessly setup your favorite skyscraper, but it's probably very viable in a small office, or passing signal to the nearest other rooms. Peerless has confidence in the HD Flow's use in corporations. Their website mentions and shows pictures of a typical office environment.
