The media center remote is a Home automation integration device for receiving signals from an infrared remote controller and dispatching commands to multiple devices through direct serial connections and webservice calls. This project uses the ESPHome framework, which has made it so much easier to develop, debug and monitor standalone IoT devices.

Using an ESP8266, an infrared receiver module, and a RS-232 to TTL UART converter module, this integration device is able to:

• Recieve and decode a variety of infrared signals
• Dispatch JSON-RPC calls to a Kodi instance over the network
• Send RS-232 control codes to a connected television

In addition to the individual articles below, the full ESPHome configuratio is available in my media-center-remote gist on GitHub.

Stage 1: Media center remote: Infrared receiver

Setting up a basic ESPHome configuration to receive and decode infrared signals

Stage 2: Media center remote: Kodi integration

Automations for reacting to infrared signals by dispatching JSON-RPC calls to Kodi

Stage 3: Media center remote: Television integration

Automations for reacting to infrared signals by sending RS-232 control codes to a television

Next steps

The Car MP3 remote controller works, but the grid of identical buttons makes it difficult to use without looking at it. The next step will be to either replace it with another remote controller, or to build a new body around the existing one with a different button layout.

Feedback? Questions? Email me

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