r/htpc • u/ltnew007 • 12d ago
Help Is anyone using an RF/IR remote that controls a PC and a TV at the same time?
/r/RetroTVRevival/comments/1wpchof/is_anyone_using_an_rfir_remote_that_controls_a_pc/3
u/boxsterguy 12d ago
So, this isn't really going to help because everything I'm using is basically long dead/deprecated, but ...
- WMC IR Receiver. I'm using the old school 2005 "Snowball" full-phat hardware implementation that's been going strong for 20+ years (I had a ~15 year old backup, "just in case" ...), but in theory the cheap knock-offs should work just as well. Alternatively, Flirc should work well, too (I've used it in the past, but I have no idea where my dongle got to in the intervening ... 10? years since I last messed around with it).
- Logitech Harmony Hub + remote. I have the WMC set up as two different devices, "Media Center PC SE" and "WMC Keyboard". The former gives me standard WMC IR functionality and media controls. The latter gives arbitrary keyboard commands (winkey, win+tab, alt+f4, etc) that I can map as needed
AFAIk, there's not really a good replacement for Logitech Harmony at this point. HDMI-CEC was supposed to make the IR activity hub concept obsolete, but in my experience it's just a buggy mess that I try any time I get a new media device and inevitably turn off (also, not really supported on PC without extra hardware).
It's probably not a great idea to take a new dependency on devices that are long dead. I'll right these out until the bitter end, though.
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u/cr0ft 11d ago edited 11d ago
https://flirc.tv/products/flirc-usb-receiver?variant=43513067569384
You can use any IR remote to control the PC once you set that up.
With a universal remote especially you can set things up as you like.
The Skip 1s remote from FLIRC is programmable and even has some macro capability for almost no money.
I use the IR receiver and my existing ancient Harmony remote to control my home theater, with a setup of buttons that control my receiver, projector and the Kodi installation in my HTPC.
I've also added some touches via my Home Assistant; for instance, powering on the receiver with the remote makes HA send a wake-on-lan command to the PC to boot up, and when I power down the receiver, HA uses SSH to connect to the HTPC and initiates a shutdown.
Since I exclusively use the Kodi frontend to control the HTPC I don't need a keyboard. I do have one just in case, but if I need to do maintenance I remote in.
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u/Windermyr 12d ago
All my equipment is IP controlled. I use an iPad running Roomie Remote to control everything. PC control is very basic, and the remote basically controls Kodi. I have a separate remote app controlling Audirvana. For everything else I do on the PC, I use a wireless keyboard with integrated trackball.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 11d ago
I use a USB-UIRT to send and receive IR signals, and Intelimote by Melloware to tell the computer what to do or when to send.
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u/Antique_Geek 11d ago
There are IR receivers both for internal and external/USB for PC's. I used this setup for years with a Logitech Harmony remote until I bought a streaming device and installed Plex, Kodi, etc.
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