Remote control does not work

I have purchased and set up the Bluesound IR remote control.  My Node 2i player is in the basement plugged into my whole house amplifier (OSD Nero) in a storage room.

I listen to the player in other rooms of the house.  The remote control does not work in the other rooms, does it need to "see" the player in order to work?

I looked on the back of my player and there is a little plug input labeled "IR input."  Is that for an antenna?  If I had an antenna, would the remote work in different rooms and floors of the house?

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