Suggestion for small IR Receiver for Raspberry Pi 2 / Kodi

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#1868008 18-Sep-2017 12:42

frankv:

Surely it must be possible to use your phone(s) to talk to the RPi via WiFi, and do away with the 70s-technology IR?

Yes I have an app that does that just fine. However, I charge my phone in the evening so it's not convenient. I could use my tablet, but I don't always have it around. I could use an old phone, but then I'd probably have my little boy playing with that too.

SumnerBoy

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#1868009 18-Sep-2017 12:46

Not sure if anyone has suggested this yet, and I realise it is a little more expensive, but I have one of these for both of my Kodi (OSMC) clients and they are really very good. Simple and easy to use, and natively supported (in OSMC at least). Highly recommended.

https://nicegear.co.nz/htpc/osmc-remote-control/

timmmay

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#1868016 18-Sep-2017 13:05

SumnerBoy:

Not sure if anyone has suggested this yet, and I realise it is a little more expensive, but I have one of these for both of my Kodi (OSMC) clients and they are really very good. Simple and easy to use, and natively supported (in OSMC at least). Highly recommended.

https://nicegear.co.nz/htpc/osmc-remote-control/

Nice suggestion, but given everything else is controlled by the Harmony remote think I'll keep it as is.

Rikkitic

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#1868024 18-Sep-2017 13:23

frankv:

Surely it must be possible to use your phone(s) to talk to the RPi via WiFi, and do away with the 70s-technology IR?

Don't knock 70s technology. My house runs on it.

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Rikkitic

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#1868028 18-Sep-2017 13:45

xontech:

I bought this for exactly this purpose:
https://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/peripherals/other/auction-1420258562.htm

Worked straight away, plug and play. I didn't use the remote as I have a Phillips Pronto.

This is actually the one I used (see above post). I simply discarded the remote after programming the Harmony.

But this one really does look like exactly what you want. The Flirc sure does seem designed specifically for your situation. But of course it does cost more than $2.

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timmmay

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#1868039 18-Sep-2017 14:05

I guess no-one has tried anything like the one I linked to. I guess I just buy it and see what happens when I plug it in.

I appreciate the suggestions, they were all super useful! ;)

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#1868044 18-Sep-2017 14:10

timmmay:

$40 for the Flirc, almost as much as the Pi!

I might just buy the cheap one on ebay and see if it works.

Hi Timmmay

I've got a spare original flirc you can have.
Just need to check its OK as its not been used in a while.

timmmay

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#1868052 18-Sep-2017 14:14

NightStalker:

timmmay:

$40 for the Flirc, almost as much as the Pi!

I might just buy the cheap one on ebay and see if it works.

I've got a spare original flirc you can have.
Just need to check its OK as its not been used in a while.

Thanks, I appreciate the very generous offer! I'll definitely give it a shot if it works for you. It might work just plugged into my Pi, otherwise a small USB extension cord could get it somewhere my remote can see it but my toddler can't!

robjg63

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#1868143 18-Sep-2017 16:23

I have OSMC(A very smooth Kodi package/variant) installed on my pi.
It is connected to a several year old Samsung TV via HDMI cable.
OSMC and the TV both have HDMI-CEC enabled.
All I have to do is select the pi from the TV via the input button and once I have done that the TV remote does all the navigation on the pi
TV volume buttons etc control the volume etc.

You should check, but it appears regular Kodi supports this too:
http://kodi.wiki/view/CEC

No faffing around with additional devices/remotes etc.

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timmmay

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#1868152 18-Sep-2017 17:00

I thought about CEC a while back. Not sure how to get it all working with the Harmony remote. Might do a bit of a Google and see if I can work it out.

robjg63

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#1868183 18-Sep-2017 18:47

Assuming the harmony controls everything on your TV, you shouldn't need to do anything to the harmony as far as I can see.

You would need to have HDMI-CEC enabled in Kodi and on the TV.

On my Samsung TV, the inputs show the Kodi box and a second version that is labelled something like osmc-cec (I mentioned I am using the OSMC variant of Kodi).

On Kodi you may need to tell it what sort of remote you have so it recognises the TV remote signals and knows how to make Kodi recognise it. As the harmony is emulating your TV remote I suppose you try Panasonic,LG or whatever.

If you have an amp in the mix you may have a bit more fiddling.

Edit: I gather some lower special HDMI cables don't support CEC properly. If you have very cheap HDMI cables it 'may' cause issues....but trying costs nothing.

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NightStalker

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#1868184 18-Sep-2017 18:47

timmmay:

NightStalker:

timmmay:

$40 for the Flirc, almost as much as the Pi!

I might just buy the cheap one on ebay and see if it works.

I've got a spare original flirc you can have.
Just need to check its OK as its not been used in a while.

Thanks, I appreciate the very generous offer! I'll definitely give it a shot if it works for you. It might work just plugged into my Pi, otherwise a small USB extension cord could get it somewhere my remote can see it but my toddler can't!

tested flirc - working OK. PM sent

timmmay

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#1868186 18-Sep-2017 18:49

robjg63: Assuming the harmony controls everything on your TV, you shouldn't need to do anything to the harmony as far as I can see.

You would need to have HDMI-CEC enabled in Kodi and on the TV.

On my Samsung TV, the inputs show the Kodi box and a second version that is labelled something like osmc-cec (I mentioned I am using the OSMC variant of Kodi).

On Kodi you may need to tell it what sort of remote you have so it recognises the TV remote signals and knows how to make Kodi recognise it. As the harmony is emulating your TV remote I suppose you try Panasonic,LG or whatever.

If you have an amp in the mix you may have a bit more fiddling.

I'll look into it, thanks :)

NightStalker:

tested flirc - working OK. PM sent

Thanks, got it, will reply soon :) I might try the CEC thing first. Just have to get time, the little guy soaks it all up!

timmmay

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#1868424 19-Sep-2017 10:12

I had a play with CEC, but no luck. A quick Google suggests the slightly older Samsung LCD TVs aren't always super reliable, and there's a receiver between the R.Pi2 and the TV that could make things even more difficult. I think I'll just go with the Flirc that NightStalker kindly offered :)

Rikkitic

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#1868531 19-Sep-2017 13:14

Let us know if it does what you want.

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