I’m new to Hubitat but stumbled over it in my online search. Hubitat might be overkill for what I need to do but I’m glad I discovered it.
I want to be able to control the lights in my entertainment room using a learning IR remote control device. Lighting switched that are IR conrolled are not available, most lighting switches and dimmers work with z-wave and zigbee.
So let me explain my requirement, I want to be able to switch-on or ramp-up the lights just before entering the media room, a push-button switch at the entrance will be fine. I then want to be able to either switch-off or ramp-down the lights as I begin to watch TV while seated in the couch. I do like the URC MX-490 with the MRF-350 hub but it does not support z-wave or zigbee.
As an alternative, I’m in the process of looking for a relay switch module that supports IR.
By the way, is Hubitat capable of learning and receiving IR signals from a remote control device?
Either will work. There is not a native integration but there is a very good community integration. I rely on the Mini 3 for my home theater but also have an RM4 sitting in a box because it is not currently needed.
With a dashboard full of buttons, you can create your own remote using Rule Manager that will control the Broadlink and your lights.
The famous last words for a soon to be home automation addict. . I started with a simple local way to turn on a couple sets of lights for my ailing father who couldn't get to the switch. 180 devices later here we are. You will always find the "oh man what if I did this" or the "there has got to be some way to make that work" items. A lot of times they will be fixes looking for problems but don't worry about that. Just enjoy the journey and don't rule anything out.
There are some extremely brilliant people on this forum that doesn't care to help and will always lend a helping hand. You definitely stumbled onto the right home automation system and group. I run several home automation platforms and have found how to bring them all into Hubitat if at all possible. Enjoy it.
I'm a bit confused on the need for IR here. Wouldn't you just use Zigbee or Zwave for lights? is there some specific IR device you already have that you need to control? I do have a blaster in my home theater, but it only controls the projector. The overhead lights and the side lights are just Zwave In-Wall switches. I have a "screen scene" that dims the lights and turns on the projector, but only the projector needs IR.
Yes, you are sort of right. I am using a learning IR based remote control that does not support Z-Wave or Zigbee, I want to be able to control my theatre room lights using my remote control, I've been looking for light switches that have IR control but have not been successful. Hence, my search for an IR based relay that I can use to control the lights.
Higher end AV brands like URC tend to try to keep things locked into a dealer based model of sales and support.
I don’t know enough about that remote and its base station to be that helpful, but if you really want to keep using it you may have limited options for integration with lighting control systems.
I use a IR receiver hooked up to a linux box that send messages to Hubitat through Maker API. This way I can control any device I want on Hubitat with my IR remote. It require some tinkering but once it is setup, the remote appears as a button device which can be easely configured with Button Controler.
