This is the support page for my new IR Remote app.
Concept
The idea is quite simple: Create IR remotes in homey to automate and control the devices that are normally controlled via IR remotes. You can either use ProntoHex Codes or learn the individual buttons with an ESPHome IR Transceiver.
Pitfalls
Homey and the bridge have only an IR Blaster. Which means: They can only send IR commands. None of both have an IR Receiver. Which means you can not use them to learn new IR codes. The only way is ProntoHex.
I will later edit this post to add instructions for an ESPHome based IR Transceiver which will fill this gap.
I’m interested in the app if I can deploy a more powerful blaster than the one in my Switchbot hub which is hit and miss and insists on leaving at least 5 seconds between blasts.
Strange. They have removed it in the Pro 2023 then, since I use a Homey Pro 2019 and it does show up there. I’ve used it to develop my 2 IR apps as well
I am making progress it seems! I found a way to dynamically send IR codes via Homey Pro or Bridge (select per device) and it seems to work already. I am currently creating a IR Transceiver code for ESPHome so that I can use that for learning codes in a practical way. Looks like this is going to be a first test version very soon.
If you want to use ProntoHex codes you can skip to the usage part.
If you want to use the learning feature you have to setup a mqtt server.
Personally I use this app:
If you have set up a mqtt server already you can go to the settings of the app and enter the login details to connect to mqtt there. As homey pro after 2023 does not have an IR-Receiver for learning the codes you need a little hack job to get around that. This is where the little ESP8285 Board comes in handy. You flash the firmware I provided below and you are good to go.
Usage
Add a new device and select the Universal Remote app.
Follow the steps to create a new Remote device.
If you want to use the remote on a Homey Bridge go to the advanced settings of the new remote and select unter Antenna the device from where IR should be sent.
Use the Repair flow on remote device to create buttons.
Each button gets its own pronto hex code.
To learn a new button you need to set up an compatible board with an IR receiver.
New Update: Sending IR Commands via ESPHome IR Blaster. Advanced Settings in Remote were updated so that you can select the ESPHome IR Blaster as send target. Please do not forget to configure the MQTT topic for sending. Firmware for ESPHome device was also updated so make sure to stay in sync.
Maybe you could change the link to your app to the generic one, so that when a user clicks it they will see their local version in the Homey app store (instead of the German version) .
I’m dithering - not an unusual situation for me. I currently use a Switchbot hub for blasting from Homey/Alexa. That works about 80% and there’s no way to reduce the gap between commands below 5s so it is slow and unreliable. I have also invested in two Switchbot remotes - they could be great, but they are badly flawed in several ways (not least their tendency to randomly duplicate or triplicate key presses).
We’re going to stick with the remotes for the time being. My wife and I have learned to get around their limitations. We could, however, use a different device to blast command sequences (we’d lose the ability to execute them from the remotes, but we mainly use Alexa to start them).
We could use Homey as a blaster but it’s in a different room and I don’t want to risk my Thread network by moving it. I’ve previously tried a Broadlink RM4 mini but got disappointing results. So my questions are:
Does the blaster you suggest use a stronger IR signal than the Switchbot hub or the more expensive Broadlink devices?
Is there a case for it? I’ve searched but the only ones I could find required me to print my own - and I don’t have a 3D printer
I honestly don’t know how to answer your first question properly. I don’t have Broadlink RM4 to compare, but a switchbot hub. For sending IR signals I do not use the IR blaster that I have in my recommendation. I use a homey bridge, which also answers your second question. From what I experienced though I can say that the little IR blaster is relatively directional but I guess that might be the case for most of them as they often use a simple IR diode for sending.
For improving this I see some options:
Add a second IR diode (requires soldering)
Adjust the Power source for the diode (also soldering)
.