Automate Things' IR Bridge Is a Low-Cost Two-Board Solution to Smart Home Infrared Integration
Driven by a Wemos D1 Mini, this nine-LED receive-capable infrared board is designed for use with Tasmota or ESPhome firmware.
UK-based Automate Things has launched a low-cost accessory designed to tie infrared-controllable devices into a Tasmota or ESPhome compatible home automation system: the Wemos D1 Mini-powered IR Bridge.
"With over 10 meters [of] range [around 33 feet], the IR Bridge allows you to control almost any infrared device and is compatible with Tasmota and ESPhome," Automate Things writes of its latest board design. "If you are feeling ambitious then you can even use the IRremoteESP8266 Library with Arduino!:
The IR Bridge is a two-board solution. The driving hardware is an off-the-shelf Wemos D1 Mini development board, based on the Espressif ESP8266 system-on-chip; to this Automate Things has added a custom shield with an impressive nine infrared LEDs for maximum range and coverage. A single 38kHz infrared receiver, meanwhile, allows two IR Bridges to work collaboratively — one receiving a signal and relaying it to another IR Bridge over Wi-Fi.
"The device can be easily integrated into home automation solutions such as Home Assistant," the company claims. "You can even place the device behind your TV and it should still be able to control it. The best part is that as you decide what firmware to install on it there is no need for another mobile app or a cloud subscription."
The IR Bridge is available to buy now, fully assembled and with the Tasmota firmware pre-installed, on Automate Thing's Tindie store at $9.99 including Wemos D1 Mini; more details and a template are available on the Tasmota Supported Devices Repository.