Automate infrared devices

In Home Assistant

Introduction

With an infrared transmitter and receiver device, you can automate all your infrared infrared-controlled devices!

There are a lot of devices that have a remote that works via infrared. Like a TV, air conditioner, (ceiling) fans, fireplace, screens, lights and electric candles. The signal of an infrared remote has no encryption and is always the same. This makes it easy to capture, store and resend the signal.

air conditioner

ceiling fan

tea lights

fireplace

candles

light curtains

Read further to learn how to create a switch helper or buttons on your Home Assistant dashboard, to control your infrared devices!

Now I can also control my dumb infrared-controlled air conditioner via my Stream Deck with the Home Assistant integration as well!

control IR air conditioner on/off via my Stream Deck

Stream Deck keypad to control dumb infrared device next to your computer

NOTE: If you want to know more about the Home Assistant Infrared integration (since 2026.4) check out the Home Assistant’s own blog site.

NOTE: Affiliate links are used on this page. You sponsor my work and still pay the original price.

Video: control tea lights via Home Assistant

In this video, you see the infrared receiver/transmitter in action.
Now I can control the tea lights via the original remote and also from my Home Assistant dashboard.

Smart infrared transmitter / receiver

For this project I used the Zigbee IR remote control - Moes (AliExpress) (Amazon US) (Amazon NL) | UFO-R11 With this small black box, battery powered, you can control any infrared device.

An infrared sender needs to be in a direct line with the receiver. If you have more devices to control, you may need multiple smart devices to control them all.

There are also similar WiFi versions (AliExpress) (Amazon US) (Amazon NL) available for this device.

Another popular WiFi IR remote control is the Broadlink - RM4 Mini (AliExpress) (Amazon US) (Amazon NL)

examples of devices you can control with infrared

You can set the device in learning mode to copy signals and store the signal on the device.
When you trigger the device with a code, it sends the stored signals, but now from this box. You can save many signals on this box, for each button on multiple remotes.

I also used this solution for my Christmas paper star, see my dedicated page about my automated Christmas lights and decorations.

I also used this solution for my air conditioner.

Learning mode

There are multiple ways to put the device in learning mode to receive the IR codes, for example via ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT.

Option 1: via ZHA

This device is also compatible with ZHA.

This YouTube video explains how to integrate the UFO-R11 with ZHA.

Option 2: via Zigbee2MQTT

If the device is paired with Zigbee2MQTT, you can go to the frontend and in the Exposes tab you can enable the learning mode.
When you point the original remote at the device and press a single button, the code will be visible in the second row.
You can test the code by copying it to the input field and pressing the Enter key; the device then sends the cloned signal.

learn IR codes in Zigbee2MQTT

Option 3: via MQTT

It’s also possible via MQTT.

To learn a new signal, set the device in learning mode by sending this payload to the MQTT topic of the device zigbee2mqtt/irremote/set.

{
  "learn_ir_code": "ON"
}

Now an LED light turns on in front of the device.
Now you can hold the original remote in front of the device and press a single button.

The response is sent to the MQTT topic zigbee2mqtt/irremote and contains the infrared code. You need this code to resend the signal via this same device.

{
  "battery" : 11,
  "last_seen" : "2024-11-03T09:21:03.343Z",
  "learn_ir_code" : null,
  "learned_ir_code" : "Bb8jphFIAuAXAQF9BuAVA0ABwCPgAwFAE0ABwAdAAUALwANAAUALCcqdvyPBCEgC///gAgcCCEgC",
  "linkquality" : 43,
  "voltage" : 1200
}

Resend signal

To resend the signal, send this payload to the MQTT topic zigbee2mqtt/irremote/set. It resends the same signal as the original remote sent.

Make sure the signal is aimed at the device, because the infrared signal is an invisible light beam. In my experience the signal can still control devices within a range of 5 meters. Because it runs on batteries, you are free to position the device.

{
  "ir_code_to_send": "Bb8jphFIAuAXAQF9BuAVA0ABwCPgAwFAE0ABwAdAAUALwANAAUALCcqdvyPBCEgC///gAgcCCEgC"
}

If all goes well, the device now also responds to your box!

Now you can also add other buttons from the remote to the box, and clone the signals of other remotes as well.

Now the fun continues with automating the commands! Turn the candles or fireplace on when you enter the room in the evening, or any other scenario you can think of! Enjoy home automation!

Home Assistant

In Home Assistant there are different methods to send the infrared signal over MQTT to the Zigbee IR transmitter. This can be done by creating a helper on/off switch, or with a button card.

Via a helper switch

helper switch to control the IR air conditioner

You can define a helper in the graphical interface, then you only need to define the turn on and turn off mqtt.publish action with the topic and payload. See this configuration.yaml definition for how it can also be defined in code. The graphical interface does not allow the state template and assumed_state to be defined.

# Source code by vdbrink.github.io
# configuration.yaml
template:
  - switch:
      - name: "AC"
        unique_id: ac_ir
        icon: mdi:air-conditioner
        turn_on:
          action: mqtt.publish
          data:
            topic: zigbee2mqtt/irremote/set
            payload: '{"ir_code_to_send":"<ON_CODE_HERE>"}'
        turn_off:
          action: mqtt.publish
          data:
            topic: zigbee2mqtt/irremote/set
            payload: '{"ir_code_to_send":"<OFF_CODE_HERE>"}'
        state: "{{ is_state('input_boolean.ac_state', 'on') }}"
        assumed_state: true

helper switch defined in configuration.yaml in HA

helper switch frontend configuration in HA

Via Button Card

From Home Assistant, you can create buttons on your dashboard and send a MQTT events with a specific copied infrared signal to the infrared device topic.

Home Assistant button sending an MQTT event

# Source code by vdbrink.github.io
# Dashboard button card code
show_name: true
show_icon: true
type: button
tap_action:
  action: perform-action
  perform_action: mqtt.publish
  data:
    topic: zigbee2mqtt/irremote/set
    payload: >-
      {"ir_code_to_send":"BdsjmxFPAuAXAQF1BuAZA0ABQCfgAwHgAw/AC0AHwANAAUALCdma2yO3CE8C///gEgcCCE8C"}
name: Turn on
icon: mdi:candle

You can also create a script which contains the MQTT event and call this script from an automation.
For readability, I place it here directly on the dashboard as an action for a button.

Home Assistant button card on the dashboard

Hardware

These hardware devices are examples of what you need and can use in your own infrared automations.

Infrared transmitter / receiver

Some examples of Zigbee and WiFi devices that act as programmable infrared remotes. They can learn signals from the original remote, and via WiFi or Zigbee you can resend the copied signal via an automation. There are also devices that support RF signals as well.

TransmitterProgrammable infrared remote

In these examples I use the Zigbee Moes UFO-R11.

Buy tips | Moes UFO-R11

Infrared controlled devices

As mentioned in the introduction, there are a lot of devices that can be controlled via infrared. Here are some links to products that all work via infrared, and that can be controlled via the above-mentioned infrared transmitter / receiver.