A Home Assistant custom integration for controlling universal IR/RF remotes using ESPHome or Tasmota devices via MQTT.

Universal Remote brings seamless integration of IR and RF remote capabilities into Home Assistant. With support for ESPHome and Tasmota-based hardware, this integration allows you to send, receive, and automate IR/RF signals from a wide range of remotes, making it ideal for smart TVs, air conditioners, and other appliances.

• Works with ESPHome and Tasmota-based universal remotes.
• Sends IR and RF commands via Home Assistant services or automations.
• Supports both protocol-based and raw data IR/RF commands.
• YAML configuration for multiple remotes and backends.
• Compatible with MQTT for Tasmota devices.
• HACS-friendly for easy installation and updates.
• Learns and stores IR/RF codes for reuse.

1. Go to HACS → Integrations → Custom repositories.
2. Add your repo URL (e.g., https://github.com/omaramin-2000/universal_remote).
3. Set category as Integration and add.
4. Find "Universal Remote" in HACS integrations and install.
5. Restart Home Assistant.

1. Download the universal_remote integration from this repository.
2. Copy the custom_components/universal_remote folder into your Home Assistant custom_components directory.
3. Restart Home Assistant.

This integration supports both Tasmota and ESPHome devices as universal remotes.
Below you'll find detailed instructions for each platform, including how to configure learning indicators and example Home Assistant configurations.

ESPHome-based devices communicate directly with Home Assistant and can be customized via YAML.

Below is a generic example for ESPHome that allows sending and learning any IR or RF code, without requiring a specific protocol.
This approach works with most IR/RF devices and is compatible with the universal remote integration.

remote_transmitter: pin: GPIOXX carrier_duty_percent: 50% remote_receiver: pin: GPIOXX dump: all buffer_size: 4kb on_raw: then: - homeassistant.event: event: esphome.universal_remote_ir_received data: code: !lambda |-  // Build a comma‑separated list of the raw timings  std::string out;  for (size_t i = 0; i < x.size(); i++) {  if (i != 0) out += ",";  out += to_string(x[i]);  }  return out;  output: - platform: gpio pin: GPIOXX id: status_led_output light: - platform: binary name: "Status LED" output: status_led_output id: led_indicator api: services: - service: learning_started then: - light.turn_on: led_indicator - service: learning_ended then: - light.turn_off: led_indicator - service: send variables: command: int[] # ← use int[] for a list of integers then: - remote_transmitter.transmit_raw: code: !lambda |-  return command;  - service: learn then: # Optionally, you can add actions here if needed when learning starts - logger.log: "Learning mode started"

Full example configuration

• Sending:
  The send service expects a comma-separated string of raw timings (as learned or provided by your integration).
• Learning:
  The learn service can be used to trigger an indicator (like an LED) or any other action you want when learning mode is started from Home Assistant.
  Note: ESPHome automatically dumps received IR/RF codes to the logs when dump: all is set. You can view these codes in the ESPHome logs and use them in Home Assistant.

Adjust the pin numbers and actions to match your hardware.
For advanced protocol support, see the ESPHome Remote Transmitter docs.

remote: - platform: universal_remote name: "Living Room Remote" backend: esphome device: livingroom_ir

Tasmota-based devices communicate via MQTT and can send/receive IR or RF commands.
To use a Tasmota device as a universal remote in Home Assistant, follow these steps:

To control your Tasmota device, you need to know its MQTT Topic:

1. Open your Tasmota device’s web UI in your browser.
2. Go to Information.
3. Look for the field labeled MQTT Topic.

This is the value you should use for mqtt_topic in your Home Assistant configuration.

Example screenshot:

In this example, the MQTT Topic is Esp8266_universal_remote.

Use this value in your configuration:

remote: - platform: universal_remote name: "Bedroom Remote" backend: tasmota mqtt_topic: Esp8266_universal_remote led_entity_id: light.bedroom_remote_led # Optional: entity to turn on during learning 

Tasmota does not expose onboard LEDs as light entities in Home Assistant by default.
To use an onboard LED (or any GPIO-connected LED) as a learning indicator with this integration, you should configure that GPIO as a Relay in Tasmota. This will expose it as a switch entity in Home Assistant, which the integration can control during learning mode.

1. Open your Tasmota device’s web UI.
2. Go to Configuration → Configure Module.
3. Find the GPIO pin connected to your LED (for example, GPIO5).
4. Set its function to Relay (e.g., Relay1, Relay2, etc.).
5. Click Save and let the device restart.

This will expose the LED as a switch entity in Home Assistant (e.g., switch.yourdevice_relay).

remote: - platform: universal_remote name: "Bedroom Remote" backend: tasmota mqtt_topic: Esp8266_universal_remote led_entity_id: switch.bedroom_remote_relay # Use the switch entity for the LED indicator

• When you start learning mode, the integration will turn on the switch (LED on).
• When learning ends, the integration will turn off the switch (LED off).

Tip:
You can still use other relays for actual relays (e.g., controlling power), just pick a free relay number for your LED.

If you want to use a light entity instead, you can use a template light in Home Assistant that wraps the relay switch.

This method ensures your LED can be controlled by Home Assistant and used as a learning indicator.

* Only one of device or mqtt_topic is required, depending on the backend.

You can send IR or RF commands using the remote.send_command service in Home Assistant.

• IR Example (protocol-based):

  service: remote.send_command target: entity_id: remote.bedroom_remote data: command: - '{"Protocol":"SAMSUNG","Bits":32,"Data":"0xE0E040BF"}'

• IR Example (raw):

  service: remote.send_command target: entity_id: remote.bedroom_remote data: command: - '9000,4500,560,560,560,560,560,1690,560,560,560,560,560,560,560,560,560,560'

• RF Example (protocol-based):

  service: remote.send_command target: entity_id: remote.bedroom_remote data: command: - '{"RfSync":12340,"RfLow":420,"RfHigh":1240,"RfCode":"0x123456"}'

• IR or RF Example:

  service: remote.send_command target: entity_id: remote.living_room_remote data: command: - "0xE0E040BF"

  The format and interpretation of the command depend on your ESPHome YAML configuration.
  You can pass protocol-based or raw codes as strings, but your ESPHome device must be set up to handle them.

You can use the remote.learn_command service to learn IR or RF codes. The learned codes are stored in /config/.storage/universal_remote_LEARNED_codes and can be reused.

service: remote.learn_command target: entity_id: remote.bedroom_remote data: command: - "power"

• Follow your device's instructions to put it in learning mode (e.g., point your remote and press the button).
• The code will be saved and can be sent later using remote.send_command.

• Tasmota:

  • The integration automatically detects whether to use IRSend or RfSend based on your command payload.
  • You do not need to specify the topic; just provide the correct JSON or raw string.

• ESPHome:

  • ESPHome functionality is still in development.
  • You must define the corresponding send and learn services in your ESPHome YAML.
  • The integration passes the command string to ESPHome; your ESPHome config must know how to interpret it.

• Multiple Remotes:

  • You can define as many remotes as you want, each with its own backend and configuration.

• Supported Formats:

  • Protocol-based (e.g., NEC, SAMSUNG, etc.) and raw data for both IR and RF are supported.
  • For Tasmota, see Tasmota IR Docs and Tasmota RF Docs.

• If commands are not working, check your device logs and ensure your payload matches what your hardware expects.
• For ESPHome, verify your YAML configuration for the remote transmitter/receiver.
• For Tasmota, ensure your device is online and the MQTT topic is correct.

Open an issue on GitHub issue tracker or ask in the Home Assistant Community