In the age of modern technology and technical progress, it is difficult to imagine your life without a TV that is controlled by a remote control. But what to do if the remote control is broken?
Of course, you can go to the store and buy a new remote control, but not everyone has the opportunity to do this immediately. If for some reason a person does not want to buy a new remote control, there is a simple solution: you can make the remote control yourself.
With the advent of smartphones, assembling a remote control with your own hands has become easier than ever and anyone can do it at home. But the main thing is that such a remote control can control any TV that has an IR port, as well as other household appliances.
Build process
When starting to assemble the remote control, make sure that all the necessary tools and parts listed above are at hand. Assembly consists of several stages:
- Grind off the protruding side parts of the IR diodes on one side only with sandpaper;
- Glue 2 diodes together with superglue, pressing one element to the other with the smooth (ground) side. Wait for the glue to dry;
- Bend the legs of the diodes and bite off the excess parts with wire cutters;
- Solder the anode of one diode to the cathode of the other with a soldering iron. Do the same with the second IR diode;
- Then you need to solder the LEDs to the plug legs; the polarity when soldering is not important at this stage;
- Fill the soldering area with glue and wrap it with electrical tape;
- Insert the resulting device into the headphone jack;
- Download a program to control your TV from the Play Store and install it on your phone.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in assembling a remote control for a TV; for this you do not need to have a higher education or be a radio physicist.
KV.by
In every modern home today you can count a large number of different equipment. These can be computers, televisions, speaker systems, laptops, tablets, air conditioners, and other electronic equipment. Many of them have separate remote controls, which sometimes have nowhere to put them. However, some equipment lacks such a useful accessory. It turns out that an ordinary smartphone can replace them.
Thanks to the mobile device, you can easily replace all the remote controls in the house, intended for various devices. But for this you will need specialized applications, which we have selected for the readers of our site. If you use these programs, you will be able to quickly and efficiently create a full-fledged and multifunctional remote control to adjust the sound, switch tracks, rewind videos, lower or increase the temperature, and do much more.
Mi Remote
Initially, Mi Remote was developed for gadgets from Xiaomi, because this Chinese manufacturer is the creator of the application itself. But almost immediately it was decided to provide the opportunity to all Android users to install the utility on their smartphones.
Mi Remote stands out from its competitors with its extremely simple interface. The same applies to settings. As for the Russian language, it is supported, but not everything is fully translated. For the program to work properly, you must have Wi-Fi or an infrared transmitter.
ZaZa Remote
Do you want to control any equipment? Then ZaZa Remote will come in handy. The application will instantly detect the device and then display the corresponding control panel. Moreover, each recognized model will have its own interface with a specific button arrangement.
And this is very convenient, because the control of the air conditioner and the TV are somewhat different. The developers note that there is support for a wide variety of household appliances: game consoles, satellite systems, TVs, cameras, Blu-Ray and DVD players, projectors, air conditioners, amplifiers and even light bulbs.
Peel Smart Remote
Thanks to Peel Smart Remote, you can get a universal remote control that can display the TV program. This application not only automatically detects the active provider, but also offers you to familiarize yourself with the TV program for any available day.
During use, information about the preferences of the smartphone owner is collected. This makes it possible to use recommendations, which can be very useful. For example, you can quickly find the channel you need, or find out the broadcast schedule for tomorrow. Therefore, Peel Smart Remote will be most in demand among owners of televisions and computers that are used to watch TV content.
AnyMote Universal Remote
AnyMote Universal Remote is a very good program that replaces all remote controls. The work with control elements is especially impressive. Here you can adjust literally everything by dragging the buttons to any convenient place. At the same time, it is possible to configure macros to perform several actions simultaneously with one click.
The developers honestly state that their creation does not support smartphones from Sony and Huawei, as well as some LG models. The most preferred brands with support for all available functions are Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Xbox, Xfinity. There should be no problems with the equipment of these manufacturers.
Unified Remote
But Unified Remote is designed for comfortable computer management. To do this, the application can play videos, switch music tracks, flip through presentations, work with various files and enter queries through the browser. Connection with computer devices occurs using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. There is support for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms.
The appearance is quite simple, but you can choose a white or black theme. As for supported programs, there are more than 70 of them. If you purchase the full version of Unified Remote, you can gain access to additional control modes and voice commands.
SURE Universal Remote
SURE Universal Remote is another omnivorous remote control for various equipment. An interesting feature of the program is the broadcast of photo or video content using your own phone and device with the Smart TV function.
The following technologies are also supported: Android TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast. SURE Universal Remote can be an excellent replacement for remote controls for AV receivers, projectors, LED equipment, TVs, air conditioners, DVD and CD players, robot vacuum cleaners, and so on. It is possible to create a unified “smart” home equipment control system.
MusicBee Remote
Sometimes you just want to lie down on the sofa and play your favorite music loudly! In this case, the selection of compositions, of course, is on the computer. What to do? For example, install MusicBee Remote on your phone.
This program offers remote control of the multimedia player. On the screen of your mobile gadget you will see not only detailed information about the track, but also virtual buttons. Press repeat, pause, play, stop, next or previous file. You can enable Last.fm scrobbling.
TV (Apple) Remote Control
If you are a fan of Apple TV and also want to control your TV remotely, then this application can be called a godsend. With its help, an Android smartphone turns into a real remote control for a popular media player. However, some functions are limited, and the program itself is unofficial. But the basic capabilities (playback, navigation, menus) of TV (Apple) Remote Control perform well.
Android TV Remote
But Android TV Remote is already intended for fans of competing set-top boxes. Almost all the features of this program repeat the functionality of the previous application. The user just needs to install it on the smartphone, and then connect to the TV or set-top box via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. An intuitive four-way D-Pad will appear on the display. You can also go to the menu. Voice commands are activated thanks to a special button. The on-screen keyboard allows you to type text.
How to control any TV from your phone - universal solutions
Download Universal TV Remote Control.
Works via Wi-Fi and infrared sensor. Use older TV models.
Peculiarities:
- View multimedia files located on the phone on the TV screen;
- Voice search;
- Launching applications.
TV Remote
Features: user-friendly interface, instant synchronization with TV. Works with older TV models. Download the utility from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tcl.tvremote.
The application works via WiFi and IR sensor.
SURE Universal Smart TV Remote – Universal Soldier
It is also one of the best TV remote control apps. Like Anymote, it also supports other devices. However, among the additional features it is worth noting the ability to “send” photos to the TV via WiFi. How often do you lose your TV remote control? Write about it in our Telegram chat.
Download: SURE Universal Smart TV Remote
The principle of operation of the remote control in a smartphone
Everything is very simple. You need to download a program, for example, SmartThings (for Smart TV from Samsung), on your phone or tablet and open it, connect both devices to the same network, find and select your TV.
The smartphone screen will turn into a remote control with buttons. It's now easy to control your TV from your mobile device, and for convenience, you can also personalize your playlist to easily use files stored on your phone.
Device types
Remote controls that remotely control lighting are classified depending on the principle of transmitting the signal to the controller (the relay responsible for turning on the light). The most common are two types of devices, each of which has its own characteristics that determine its advantages and disadvantages:
- IR remote controls are limited to a short range; they use an infrared lamp that transmits a signal over a distance of up to 12 meters. Such devices can control the operation of the controller only within line of sight, that is, it will not be possible to turn on the lighting in the next room. Advantages of IR remote control - low price;
- Radio remote controls are slightly more expensive than their infrared counterparts, but their range of action is much greater (up to 100 meters), in addition, they can control a controller located behind a wall in another room. This significantly expands their scope of application, in particular, radio remote controls are suitable for the receiver.
Lumax radio remote control Radio remote controls use specially designated frequencies to transmit signals, so their sale is not subject to restrictions on trade in radio devices.
Separately, it should be noted that some programmable controllers that are part of the Smart Home system may contain a GSM module that allows you to control it using mobile communications. In this case, it is enough to have a phone with a touchpad on which a special program is installed.
To control such a system, no training is required; the operator sends a key command to the controller using a telephone, the program processes it and sends a signal to the radio relay to perform certain actions, for example, turn off the lawn watering tap or turn on the lighting.
When else can a smartphone replace a TV remote control?
A smartphone can act as a remote control in almost any situation. In this way, and thanks to the ability to enter text on the touch keyboard, the setup process and further viewing of content are greatly simplified.
If you still have an old TV at home without smart functionality, you'll need a phone with an infrared port (IrDA) - and there's no need to go through the pairing process. It is used less and less, but is quite common in Xiaomi smartphones. Smart TV will require Wi-Fi pairing. In both cases, you need to download the appropriate program, connect to the network and follow the instructions on the screen.
In the Google Play Store you can find an official (but not always) application adapted for a specific TV. Typically, you'll need to search for the brand name and add the word "Remote" to find the software you're looking for.
