Wii Wireless Sensor Bar | 
| From: NYKO Technologies
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $5.95
You Save: $14.04 (70%)
New (83) Used (3) from $5.95
Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 222
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Media: Accessory
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Nintendo Wii
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 11.2 x 2.5 x 2.5
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 87005
Model: 87005
UPC: 743840870050
EAN: 0743840870050
ASIN: B000LFJNG6
Release Date: March 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Infrared technology detects pointer and motion movements up to 20 feet away | | • | 4 AA batteries provide hours of use | | • | Perfect for home theater setups with wall mounted TVs or complicated cabling |
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Product Description
Nyko's Wireless Sensor Bar gives you better Wii Remote functionality without the hassle or mess of any wired connection to the console. The infrared field created by the Wireless Sensor Bar allows for play up to 25 feet away -- perfect for larger or wall-mounted TVs. The Wireless Sensor Bar is easy to set up, requiring no software or hardware installation on the Wii. Featuring 30 hours of battery life off 4 AA batteries (included) and a unique power saver mode with audible alarm, the Wireless Sensor Bar is designed for ultimate convenience. Ideal for wall-mounted flat screens Powered by 4 AA batteries (included)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 110 more reviews...
 Read this review to know if you need this product January 2, 2008
Rorke Haining (Seattle)
348 out of 374 found this review helpful
The Wii requires a "sensor bar" above or below your TV screen, so it can tell where on the screen you're pointing your remote controller. The Wii comes with a wired sensor bar that will work great for most homes. Don't buy an extra wireless sensor bar unless you actually need it.
To help you decide, it's really useful to understand how this device works. The name "wireless sensor bar" is actually quite misleading in 2 specific ways.
I at first assumed the "sensor bar" was communicating with the Wii console -- that a wired sensor bar sends communications over the wire, and that a wireless sensor bar sends information wirelessly to the console. After all, it's a sensor bar, so it must be sensing something and communicating that information, right?
Wrong. In fact, the sensor bar is nothing more than a fancy flashlight. All it does is turn on some infrared lights with specific spacing and orientation. In fact, it's your Wii remote controller that senses the infrared lights and transmits this information wirelessly to your console, which can then calculate where you are pointing the remote and display a little icon on the screen.
So, misconception #1: the "sensor bar" doesn't sense anything, it's just a little flashlight. Misconception #2, the word "wireless" often means "wireless communication", but in this case, the "sensor bar" is just a dumb device that can't communicate in any way, so the wire is just for power.
So you have 2 options:
* Use the fancy flashlight that you've already purchased, as it came bundled with your Wii, which is powered by a wire connected to your Wii.
* Buy a second fancy flashlight powered by a battery.
OK, with those misconceptions out of the way, you can make a much better choice about whether or not wireless is right for you. For example, don't fret about wireless network interference -- this device doesn't cause any. Likewise, don't worry about having a hard time setting up the "wireless sensor bar" with your Wii -- it doesn't require pairing or any extra configuration at all, it's just a flashlight.
Personally, I normally groove on everything wireless. I adore my Mac wireless mouse. I use only wireless peripherals for all my computers. I have a wireless home network. But in this case, I definitely prefer the bundled, wired "sensor bar". I have too many devices that need batteries as it is, but I was mostly bothered by the 2nd on/off switch.
Let me explain that last comment. You can turn on and off your Wii system with a single, remote controlled button click, just like a TV remote control. Grab any game controller (which of course is wireless and remote) and click the power button from any seat in the room, and the system powers itself on -- plus, that game controller is now designated controller #1. Hold the power button on the remote for several seconds and the system turns itself off -- and all the game controllers you were using are smart enough to power themselves off as well. Sweet! I vastly prefer this over the GameCube, which had to be powered on/off by pushing a button on the console itself.
Unfortunately, the "wireless sensor bar" breaks this elegance. Every time I wanted to play the Wii, I'd sit down, grab the nearest remote, click the power button -- and it would fail to work properly because the wireless sensor bar wasn't turned on. Nor was it able to turn itself on wirelessly, it's just a flashlight, it can't receive wireless commands in any way. So I'd get up, walk to this device, turn it on, and then be able to play. Turning off, same thing -- now I have to turn off 2 items instead of 1. Worse still, the 2nd on/off switch on the "wireless sensor bar" is near the TV, so you have to physically get up and walk around the coffee table, etc. etc., or just leave the flashlight on and have your batteries run down.
Yes, it's a minor complaint. But given that you've already paid for a "sensor bar" that works great, why pay extra for one that doesn't work as well?
There are undoubtedly good reasons to get this device in specific circumstances. If your screen is huge or unusually far away, or if you have a cabling nightmare behind your entertainment center and loathe the thought of adding one more unnecessary wire, you may need or prefer this device over the one that comes with your Wii. I'll defer to other reviewers who can explain what circumstances make this device useful. But for a typical living room setup, with a normal sized TV 5-15 feet away, the wired sensor bar that comes with the Wii works great.
And P.S.: ditch the coffee table, you'll enjoy your Wii more without it.
 Much Better May 31, 2007
J. Young (Pittsburgh)
70 out of 71 found this review helpful
Some reviews mentioned that this bar let you get further away from the TV. We have a 18X25 livingroom. With the original sensor bar, we had to sit in the middle of the room or it wouldn't work very well. With this sensor bar, we are now able to sit all the way across the room on the sofa and it works perfectly.
Yes it is a little larger, has a blue light, a timer, and so on. But at least for us, those are all miniscule with being able to get a much greater distance away from the TV. Well worth the money and definately much better than the original one that came with the Wii.
Wii-markable improvement over first party sensor bar July 20, 2007
supertim96 (TEXAS)
28 out of 31 found this review helpful
Since purchasing this item and using it in conjunction with the Wii console, I must admit that despite the wireless sensor bar being 3rd party, it delivers first party performance. The range is greater, as well as sensitivity. Don't worry about those who are upset with the alarm...you don't have to set it to the auto off feature, so there's no annoying alarm unless you want it.
This is a good product. Not having the unsightly spaghetti like wire is much kinder to asthetics, and mischevious pets. Order now!
It does what it claims... March 28, 2007
Joe (Washington, DC Suburbs)
23 out of 31 found this review helpful
I picked this up for use with my neighbor's projector. Under normal TV usage, it's fine, but because its size relative to the projector is so small, it makes the controllers _very_ sensitive (ie, a little wiggle will cause the cursor to go fully across the screen; my neighbor's 6 yr old didn't have the fine motor skills to use the pointing features well under these conditions]. You also may have to adjust the sensitivity of the IR sensors on the controllers so you can get far enough away from the sensor bar that you're not standing in the projector's image.
Another minor annoyance -- the bar has a timer setting, so it only stays on for an hour or two. It's a nice feature, but the alarm keeps sounding for a minute. Combine this with the an on/off button that's sensitive enough to trip when the relays on my TV get thrown, and you have a 2 hr timer that starts when I shut off the TV and go to bed. (luckily, the blue light is bright enough to serve as a notice when this has happened)
For someone with a large projector setup, if you're willing to fork over more money, you might want to think about picking up two, placing them end to end to make a bar twice the length, and tape over the two emitters in the middle. (if Nyko reads this -- think: telescoping so it's adjustable. If Nintendo reads this -- we need a setting to adjust this [like in Twilight Princess])
Use both! September 15, 2007
S. Byer (Cupertino, CA)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
So I had put this on my wishlist for my birthday and was happy to get it. It does indeed extend the range of the remotes. But our couch is 12' away from the TV (big TV) and was pushing the limit of even this sensor. But wait, it's not a sensor, is it? It's just a pair of LED emitters like the original. So I *stacked* them. They actually stack quite nicely, with the wired Nintendo emitter on bottom (so that the activation button on the Nyko is still on top). The result was amazing - what was jittery at 12' is now rock stable at 20'.
I like the timer function, and the on indicator. Not fond of the silver logo on front. But the product works great. If you have a Wii and a big screen, you want this product. Try it on it's own or stacked!
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