ESP Home universal remote from dumb TV remote

I just finished my first esp project that wasn’t simply following a tutorial!

Hardware:

  • D1 mini
  • IR Receiver
  • Cheap wooden box from Michaels

I had observed several buttons on my TV remote do absolutely nothing, many TV remotes are generic and only a sunset of the buttons are actually programmed into the TV. In my case the remote has a numpad and the TV doesn’t recognize any of these buttons. I programmed all 10 buttons into the esp and set them up as a binary sensor. When triggered the esp toggles the sensor on and then immediately off again. I can use this as an automation trigger to do literally anything in HA. So far I’m only using it to toggle the 2 lights in the same room and another button is essentially a bedtime routine which turns off everything in the room after a short delay.

My biggest complaint/regret is that I couldn’t find an affordable source for IR transmitting acrylic. The hole I drilled for the sensor limits the functional angle for the remote relative to the box. I also think this may have provided a cleaner look.