[Dave the Curious]

Quick question about the remote for the CoolCove. I’ve got it set up in my bedroom but sometimes want to adjust it from the hallway or living room. Does the signal actually go through walls or do I need to be in the same room? Not a huge deal but curious if anyone has tried it from another room.

[Chris Lee]

I’ve had decent luck with mine reaching from the next room over, but it really depends on what’s between the remote and the unit. In my place, it works fine if I’m just outside the bedroom door or in the little hallway area. The signal seems to carry through a normal interior wall okay, enough that I can tap the temp down a notch before I walk back in. Once I go around the corner into the kitchen, though, it gets spotty. Not totally dead, but I have to aim the remote back toward the bedroom and sometimes step a little closer.

The everyday reason I notice this is because I usually leave the CoolCove running while I’m getting ready in the morning. I’ll be in the bathroom or poking around the living room and want to bump the fan down or switch modes without walking all the way back. It works maybe half the time from those farther spots. From the hallway right outside the room, it’s pretty reliable. I don’t think walls are the whole issue, more like distance plus whatever else is in the way.

So for just adjusting it from the hall or an adjacent room, I’d say it’s worth trying. You’ll probably get some range through a wall, just not a ton if you’re farther out or behind a corner.

[Sarh_Kompress]

Mine cuts out through the bathroom wall, so close rooms are fine.

[Luna]

I’ve actually tested this a bit out of laziness, because I keep the remote on my nightstand and sometimes want to bump the temp before I’ve even gotten out of bed. Mine reaches through one interior wall no problem, and that wall has a closet built into it so it’s not exactly thin. But once I go around the corner into the kitchen, it’s hit or miss. Sometimes it works, sometimes I have to step back toward the hallway. I think it just depends on how much stuff is in the way, not really the distance itself. I’ve never had it fail from right outside the door though, so if you’re just popping into the hallway it should be fine. From the living room it’s honestly a toss up in my place.

[Maya Rose]

I usually just walk over to the unit if it’s more than a room away. The remote is handy when I’m right there but I don’t count on it from across the place.

[Jess Runner]

Mine actually worked through two walls when I first got it, but now it’s hit or miss from the kitchen. Same remote, same spot, so I don’t think walls are the whole story. Could just be interference from other stuff in my apartment.

[AnnaK]

Mine works from the kitchen if I leave the door open, but closed doors seem to block it more than actual walls. Not sure why that is.

[Sophi86]

Mine reaches from my bedroom to the hallway fine but I don’t usually bother going further than that. I’ve never really needed to adjust it from the living room so I can’t say for sure. It’s just a remote though so I doubt it’s meant for long range.

[Kevin Rogers]

I went into it expecting the remote to be basically a same room kind of thing and honestly it changed my habits more than I thought it would. When I first got the unit I figured I would just get up and use the touchscreen since it is right there on the wall, so the remote seemed like a nice extra more than anything I would actually rely on. After a couple months though I noticed I was reaching for it way more than the panel, mostly little stuff like bumping the temp while I am getting ready in the morning or switching modes without walking over. That part surprised me.

Where I land now is that I would not plan around using it from far away. If I am in another part of the house and want to change something, I just walk over. It is not a big trip and I would rather not stand there waving the remote at a wall hoping it catches. The remote is genuinely handy, just not something I treat as whole home coverage. For me it is a close range convenience and that is fine, it does what I need it to.

[Jenna Writes]

I always just get up and use the buttons on the unit if I’m more than a few feet away. The remote is nice when I’m on the couch but I never count on it working from other rooms. So if it were me I’d just walk over.

[Chris Reed]

Mine gets weird with distance but not in the way you’d expect. I can use it from my kitchen, which is maybe 15 feet away with one wall between us, and that works most of the time. But there’s this one spot near my coat closet where it just dies even though it’s closer. No idea what’s going on there.

What I’ve noticed is that it really depends on where you point it. If I aim it kind of low and toward the floor it works better from far away. Sounds dumb but it’s been pretty consistent. Through two walls though I wouldn’t count on it. One wall seems to be the limit for me, and even then it’s not 100%.

So for your hallway situation you’ll probably be fine. Living room might be pushing it depending on how your place is laid out.

[Tom in NYC]

I figured the remote was a gimmick when I got the unit. Like most of these things, you pay for the wireless feature and then you just end up walking over to the unit anyway. For the first couple weeks I didn’t even keep the remote near me. It sat on the shelf next to the CoolCove and I used the touchscreen because that’s what was right there.

Then winter hit and I started keeping the remote on my nightstand so I could bump the heat in the morning without getting out from under the covers. That’s when it actually earned its spot. It reaches from my bed to the unit on the other side of the room no problem, and that’s really all I need it for now.

As for the whole through walls thing, my take is people expect too much. It’s a small remote on a portable unit, not some whole home system. I tried it once from the next room over, got nothing, shrugged, and moved on. It didn’t make me think the product was broken. It just confirmed what it is. A remote for the room the thing is sitting in.

If you want to adjust from the living room, get up and do it. Otherwise you’re going to be standing in the hallway pointing a remote at a wall and feeling dumb.

[Nina Rogers]

Mine cuts out halfway down the hall, so walls are iffy.

[Old Dave]

Walls kill it for me. I get a few feet past the doorway and the thing just stops responding until I step back in. Figured that was normal for these little remotes.

[Dave the Curious]

Alright, that answers that. Thanks folks.

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