Despite the numerous user interfaces available in the contextual smart home, there is still a place for the good, old remote control. This especially true in a lounge environment. One of the biggest challenges with remote controls is avoiding having a whole family of them. There are many 'universal remotes' available but 'programming' them and keeping them up to date as your entertainment devices change, can be problematic for many.
Our current favourite is the Samsung Smart Remote (pictured), which doesn't need programming and also features voice control capability. It can spot devices connected to our SUHD TV and easily enable control of them.One thing our research has shown is that the humble remote control is a great source of occupancy information, if usage can be tracked. We have developed a simple project that enables usage tracking of remotes that use infra-red. Tracking of remote control via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is not so easy to do.
With individual IR remote codes being spotted, within the wider whole home context, it is also possible to infer much more powerful things. Who might be using the remote, what activity they are doing, e.g. watching a recording, which channel they are watching, etc.
Depending on the range of devices in your lounge, a 'universal remote' may be the best way forward. We have extensive experience of using Logitech Harmony remotes and once properly configured, they can provide a very powerful and simple user experience.
There are also many apps available to enable remote control of devices in your home, typically using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to communicate. For more complex task, the touch-screen based interaction can make things easier but the need to find and unlock a smartphone/tablet before then starting the app, doesn't result in the most efficient of user experiences.
An infrared blaster (or IR blaster) is a device that emulates an infrared remote control to enable automated control of a device that is normally only controlled by key presses on a remote control. IR Blasters also have the advantage of being able to control remote devices or devices that are out of sight (e.g. in a cupboard or Hi-Fi cabinet).
Devices like the Amazon Echo are essentially voice remote controls and can be used to simplify remote control of appliances and devices. They are particular good at starting scenes, to enable a complex sequence of operations to be performed, that might take a long time using several remote controls. They are less good for the simple, common tasks such as changing the volume.
This Aeotec Z-Wave keyfob is a another example of a wireless remote and this one is using Z-Wave.
We have completed a project with the Aeotec keyfob.
By developing IR remote control capability in our contextual smart home, we can now repurpose old IR remote controls to basically control anything in our smart home. This can be to run scenes, control appliances or lighting.
