Forgetful? Save Precious Time with a DIY Wi-Fi Remote
Sasa Karanovic made a wirelessly-controlled remote using an ESP32 and couple of additional components.
If you have kids, pets or find yourself misplacing the TV remote on a regular basis, you can save time and a little heartache by following hardware and firmware engineer Sasa Karanovic’s tutorial to create your own Wi-Fi remote — which can easily be accessed from your phone, tablet or PC.
TV remotes leverage infrared singals to send codes to the TV to communicate which buttons the user pushed. In building your own wireless remote, you’ll read the codes from your TV clicker and store them in the device. Karanovic’s unit will then use these codes to send the same commands to your TV, thus eliminating the TV remote.
What You Need to Get Started
- Internet connection
- IR receiver (salvaged from a device or purchased)
- ESP32 SoC
- IR transmitter (940nm LED, salvaged from a remote or purchased)
- Vcc or common collector voltage
- NPN transistor
Assembling the Hardware
1. Build an IR receiver. Connect an ESP32 to an IR receiver. The Vcc goes to 3.3 volts ground to ground, and data out goes to data pit 15 on the ESP32.
2. Compile the receiver sketch in the YouTube video description from Karanovic and upload it to the ESP32.
3. Point the TV remote at the IR receiver. Press the first button on the TV remote, and the serial port will display the IR code that is received. Repeat this step with each button to obtain all the IR codes.
4. Add an IR transmitter to the ESP32 so that the Wi-Fi remote can send IR codes to the TV. Use an NPN transistor on the IR transmitter to ensure there’s enough current. Connect the LED anode to the Vcc (cathode to collector, emitter to the ground). Connect the base to D4 on the ESP32.
Design a Webpage with a Remote Control Interface
In order to access the Wi-Fi remote from your smartphone, tablet or PC, you’ll need to create a web-based interface with a design that resembles a TV remote. When you launch a browser, navigate to the webpage, and click a button on the virtual remote, the ESP will receive the command and send the corresponding IR code to the TV. Source code for the interface can be found on GitHub.
Simple Housing
If you have a 3D printer, you can make a housing or enclosure for your Wi-Fi remote. Of course, other materials and methods can be used.
Power Up Your Wi-Fi Remote
Position the Wi-Fi remote within the TV’s line of sight. Turn on the power. Open a browser on your phone, tablet or PC and go to the webpage you create for the ESP32. Click a button on the virtual remote, and your TV will complete the desired action.
Now you can watch TV without worrying about where you misplaced the remote. Or like, buy more remotes. Put them everywhere. 😊