Controlling HASS with a physical remote

Configuration
1

Hi there,

I’m looking to control my Home Assistant with a physical remote controller.
What would be the best way to go about this?

I have tried an old TV remote with a small IR receiver bulb, but this only worked at night due to sunlight, and even then the range was quite poor.

I’m thinking of maybe going the 433mhz route, but I don’t know what I’d have to buy. The RFXtrx is just way too expensive for me.
But the cheap 433mhz transceiver sets from ebay have proven unreliable too. And I won’t even have a remote that way.

Now I’ve seen some apps for phones, but that would defy the point, as I’m trying to move to a physical remote, away from my phone.

Preferably I’d scatter 2-3 physical remotes around the house so they’re always handy. Is this possible?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

2

This might be of interest to you then:

3

I have looked at this article, but that is an app on your phone right?
I would like to have a physical controller other than my phone.
Thanks for the suggestion though!

4

I’m surprised by your experience with an IR remote. Mine (using a raspberry pi and LIRC) works at all times of day even with very bright sunlight behind the sensor.

5

Hmm, I wonder why you have better results, because our setup is the same.
What kind of IR led are you using?

6

An additional question: did you ‘program’ your remote into LIRC yourself, or did you use an available preset file?
Maybe I’ve just had interference while programming, so it won’t recognise the remote when it doesn’t hit the sensor just right.

7

Does Hass support a z-wave scene remote like Vera and Smart Things?
My GE remotes work great on the Vera

8

Well, turns out it was a faulty IR receiver.
Installed a new one (TSOP38238), and I can now control my lights from across the room :smiley:

10

If you look at this article, it explains how you can make use of LIRC for HASS.

In my /root/.lircrc I have: (I run HASS as root user)
begin remote = carmp3 button = KEY_1 prog = home-assistant config = KEY_1 end begin remote = carmp3 button = KEY_2 prog = home-assistant config = KEY_2 end

Then in my HASS configuration file I have the following automations:
`automation:

  • alias: Off on Remote
    trigger:
    platform: event
    event_type: ir_command_received
    event_data:
    button_name: KEY_1
    action:
    service: homeassistant.toggle
    entity_id: light.standing_lamp
  • alias: notify remote
    trigger:
    platform: event
    event_type: ir_command_received
    event_data:
    button_name: KEY_2
    action:
    service: script.turn_on
    entity_id: script.testnote`

Edit: Unsure why the code doesn’t stay in neat blocks, sorry :confused:

12

No problem! :smiley:

I know right, there’s an overwhelming amount of components to play with