I work for the company that wrote the software for Mindstorm. The problem with the IR Tower (hardware - not software) is very annoying. The biggest culprit tends to be ambient light. Remember "IR" stands for "infa-red light". We have seen the most difficulties where florescent bulbs are present. Their light signature and flicker rate confuses the IR Tower & unit receiver. This is also true when the product is used near other electronic equipment such as TV's and computer monitors (gulp!!).The best tactic to incorporate is to block out any ambient light source. Get a dark towel / blanket (anything to block out light) and place it over the units. Then try your upload/download to the brick.This will usually solve the problem but you must be patient. If it does not work, keep trying different materials until you find one that truly blocks out the light; even cardboard boxes.