Hello,
I’m currently hesitating to migrate from my eedomus+ to Homey Pro, in order to have simpler interface but also to merge all protocols in the same box (while I currently have to use a raspberry to add Bluetooth capabilities, and a Broadlink Rm Pro to add IR and RF capabilities, all of them introducing instabilities and random slowness due to HTTP calls in between).
But reading forums, I feel like IR and RF learning are not possible on Homey Pro, excepted by developing my own App, which needs strong development competencies. I’m not new in development, but if I migrate to homey, it’s to make things simpler (maximum of complexity I would like is to use sometimes HomeyScript), not to have to fall again in a development mess just to be able to use IR / RF which on another side are in the main promotion arguments of the device…
And I don’t want to use anymore my Broadlink RM Pro: if I buy the Homey, it’s because it includes itself IR/RF, so I don’t want to keel this additional device (and related instability problems)
But perhaps what I read is outdated ? So the question is: Today, is it possible to easily learn/send an IR and RF signal ?
Keep the Broadlink, you can control it with Homey using the Broadlink app.
From what I know, the RF/IR learning mode can only be used by developing an app.
I’ve tried IR learning (IR + learning function was one of my “I want that ball” arguments), but none of my devices responded. Through a cam I could see the IR signals being sent, but of no avail.
While with Logitech Harmony remote & Broadlink all signals are copied and the same devices all respond fine to the copied commands. So an extra €15 for the Broadlink made me a happy man🙃. I like my Homey anyway!
Thanks, but I want to get rid of these multiple devices consuming energy and with cables everywhere. If I have to keep my Broadlink, then there is no advantage to migrate to a box which says it support IR / RF-433.
It’s a pity (or a scam) that Athom includes such technology, promote its presence, whiteout allowing users to use it easily.
Well, just how you look at it. It sure is not reality how they sell IR. On Homey itself it’s “experimental”, in other words: you’re on your own with that.
The existing IR apps work ok.
But IR learning doesn’t.
So I was a bit dissapointed at first.
I forgave that glitch, after trying all day to get one signal working, and with a Broadlink it works like a charm, not one signal failing. I can live with that.
AND Homey doesn’t need to be located in line of sight…
There have been many complaints and disappointed users regarding Homey not having simple RF learning capabilities.
I’ve been very vocal on this (see my other posts) …
Like you I was very disappointed to discover that my very expensive $600AUD Homey which was advertised as having 433Mhz capabilities was basically useless when it came to 433Mhz and all of my gear wouldn’t work or operate with it.
It’s nuts for Athom to try and rely on having an App for each make and model as there a literally millions and millions of RF products out there (many obscure) with new ones coming out every week. Wanna use anything from AliExpess… Forget it …
There are cheap $30 Chinese bridges that can learn RF remotes, yet my $600AUD Homey can’t do it… The most frustrating thing is this could be fixed. Athom just stubbornly refuses to make this a feature.
People have been complaining about this for about 5 years now. Athom promised they would fix it 2 years ago… Nothing
As I’ve said before in some of my other posts, Athom simply do not care…
It kills me to regularly see new Homey user’s (like yourself) come onto this forum asking “why can’t I learn my RF remotes” and all end up being very disappointed.
It’s like watching Lemmings endlessly walk off the edge of a cliff.
Relying on an App “only” system is utterly stupid. Apps are ok, but we “must also” have RF learning .
You could call that a scam. It does technically have IR learning but it doesn’t work… Never did …
It’s there (buried away in experiments) but is 100% useless …
Most new users only find this out after wasting many hours first… (like I did)
Homey does actually learn and register your IR remote control but it can’t transmit back what it’s learnt.
Yes crazy…
In other words it can learn IR remotes, but you can’t do anything with it.
I wasted so much time trying to figure out why my gear wouldn’t operate. I’d teach it a button. The test window in Homey visually acknowledges that its learnt the button. It re-acts when you press the button again. I created some flows and Virtual Devices to find that none of my gear would work or respond.
After many many wasted hours of testing , re-learning my remotes multiple times I eventually found out later on that the IR learning doesn’t work, it never did, and it’s been like that for a long time.
Like the 433Mhz feature I felt extremely cheated. I purchased a premium $600AUD hub to discover it cant do the same thing that a cheap $30 Chinese IR/433mhz bridge can do…
Yep a literal scam …
As for the IR database, it’s a joke . Only 50% of my gear is on it. All are big brands , 3 to 15 years old.
Like the concept of totally relying on having to have an App for every 433Mhz device , having to rely on a data base for IR is totally crazy… Like 433Mhz, there are so many IR devices on the market it’s absolutely foolish to try and rely on a database only and not have learning as a fall back incase your device isn’t listed.
It’s more than that, but the other functions are quite all already covered by my current box (eedomus+, as stated in my first post), excepted zigbee that I don’t need until now.
So if I migrate to Homey, it would be to reduce the number of devices, which seems not possible today, as far as I understood.
My 5 cents; I bought automatic curtains which are controlled by a RF signal. As I was confident that Homey would be able to control them I bought 6 of them in one go.
Several days later I noticed that Homey was not able to “learn” the RF signal. In the developer UI I found “some” functionality that was (I guess) retrieving signals… But thats it… Nothing I can do with these signals.
Unfortunately there’s no app for this French built system so I’m sitting here with 5 remote controls …
While the Homey plateform has its flaws it’s not bad overall once you’ve used it for awhile and you then go and look at other systems.
I call it the flawed Diamond. It has huge potential and does have a lot of really good features but unfortunately its run by a bunch of “talented idiots” as I like to call them.
While Athom are very good at programming. GUI interfaces and visual design they are extremely horrible when it comes to running a business. They have a very bad business strategy mixed in with a bit of ignorance, arrogance and some occasional upside down logic.
From a moral point of view , considering this is an extremely expensive premium product (marketed as an all in one solution) and Athom’s apparent extreme contempt and disregard for IR and 433mhz (plus some other features) which $30 Chinese bridges can handle easily I would vote with your wallet and buy into another platform.
Potential buyers read this forum and they read these posts. Athom are definitely losing sales from this very poor attitude and disregard. It’s not until they realise they are losing sales they will fix this big ugly black hole in their system. Vote with your wallet I say.
If you have to start adding a complicated tangle of external bridges then you might as well go with Home Assistant.
There is more of a learning curve with it . It will take time to learn but it’s more powerful , has a far larger user and support base and is getting more user friendly day by day. The whole setup (inc a Broadlink) will only cost you a quarter of the price of a Homey Pro.
Saying that though I’d probably hold off until the new Homey Pro announcement coming up if it’s just IR/433mhz that is the decider for you.
If they don’t fix those two things then I’d start doing some research into Home Assistant.,
If you get into a jam trying to get your curtains to work I can give some advice on a work around for them It will involve adding an RF bridge but it will be possible to operate them…
… because a lot of people is searching for a solution. For me a topic should be closed once it is resolved, not because it raise a problem lot of people are agree with (but I’m not the moderator, so I don’t do rules).
Perhaps someone could develop an application able to learn an send IR / RF-433 signals ?
Yeah, I guess Anthom is not allowing applications to access learn APIs… while it exist at least internally since they developed it for developper interface.
it’s really strange, as if it was restricted voluntary.
Let’s be honest.
In order to create a prerequisite for IR, Homey would have to be permanently within sight of the devices to be controlled. This fact limits the use from the outset. I switched to the Harmony Hub and the Switchbot Hub a long time ago. There is no IR device that I cannot control with the two hubs. Both are compatible with Homey and achieve a quality that Homey will never achieve. Either you continue to get angry, or you change something about it.
It’s similar at 433 MHz. You can be angry or you can buy a broadlink. 433 MHz has little future in the smart home. The very limited range and no repeating limit the use to a radius of about 10 meters enormously. Many Bluetooth devices have a better range. It’s a shame if someone has invested a lot of money in 433 MHz, but this technology will become extinct in the medium term.
With IR I can only advise everyone to invest in a Switchbot hub for € 35.- and to place this hub in line of sight to their IR devices. The secret of a perfect smart home is not just a control center, but the optimal control center for every purpose and then connecting it to Homey.
