Ohhh! That new native Infrared building block integration makes wonder if there is a change that we will soon also see a matching RF building block integration and RF-proxy devices based on ESPHome that will help such RF-devices become a first-class citizen in Home Assistant as well?
Update: Apparently there was at least an architectural proposal discussion started yesterday about adding a new ”Radio Frequency Entity Platform” which is based on the previous infrared proposal with the same concept, though that proposal currently only focuses on RF-transmitters and not RF-receivers:
Anyway, I am sure many are aware that there are almost as many wireless devices that uses basic RF (Radio Frequency) for one-way communication which can be remote controller via a simple low-cost microcontroller gateway and RF transmitters, receivers, and transceiver modules for 315MHz, 433MHz, 868MHz, and/or 2.4GHz, but the challange is most devices require unique decoding and encoding of packets/messages.
FYI, there is a complete list with hundreds of such devices supported by the RFLink Gateway Arduino firmware that can be found here:
I know that there are plenty of other closed-source RF-modulation solutions for that which work out-of-the-box, like example RFLink and RFXCOM RFXtrx which both have very extentive device support (or other similar propriatory RF-bridge solutions such as the Sonoff RF Bridge for 433MHz), but an official native RF integration that could use ESHome-based RF-proxies to communicate with such devices would be awesome!
Spotted that the new implementation in ESPHome for it is called IR/RF Bridge component:
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IR/RF Proxy - ESPHome - Smart Home Made Simple
“ESPHome’s IR/RF proxy component works with Home Assistant to expand its remote control capabilities. This component provides a unified API-accessible interface for transmitting and receiving infrared and RF signals, acting as a bridge between Home Assistant (or other API clients) and ESPHome’s existing remote receiver and remote transmitter components. Note that at least one of these components is required in your device’s configuration if you wish to use the IR/RF proxy component. The IR/RF proxy enables runtime signal transmission without recompiling and/or reinstalling (flashing) firmware, making it ideal for learning and replaying IR/RF commands, creating universal remote controls, and integrating with Home Assistant’s remote control features.”
For reference, there is also an RF Bridge component for ESPHome as well:
And there is already support for CC1101 and SX127x RF-transceivers too:
Personally I have migrated away from most such “legacy” devices however it would still be great to see Home Assistant getting a native RF integration building block someday as plenty of such devices are still being manufactured and sold with basic RF-receivers/transmitters, especially for less expentive generic variants of doorbells, temperature sensors, weather stations, remotes for different type of fans and covers (example motors for blinds, outdoor awnings, or home cinema screens).