I have installed some new lights, and they each come with an identical-looking but apparently differently encoded remote controls. The remotes control only one lamp each.
Not infra-red as I had assumed until just now it seems. Signal hasno trouble passing through walls. Surprising.
Anyone know if there's a way to capture the signals from those remotes and install some USB device on my computer that can repeat them?
I figured there would be when I assumed they were infra-red remotes, coz surely a infra-red flasher/recorder is easy, but now I suspect it's probably some encoded encrypted wifi-band signal or something that there's no hope of intercepting.
The life-span of these lamps seems likely to be limited by the life-span of these remote controls then too.
Presumably a replacement control can't be found if they're all uniquely encoded and not backupable.
Perplexity suggests this hardware ( https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Transmitter-Adapter-Bi-Color-Compatible/dp/B0B2NRDCLF ) but it makes things up a lot.
Here's someone else who never seems to have learned how to clone a 2.4ghz remote signal:
https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5rdovc/system_for_cloning_a_24ghz_remote_control/
Hummm, apparently I can pair the remote to control more than one light.
Power off, power on, long-press remote power, ceiling light should flash to indicate paring successful.
Long-press the 30s button instead to un-pair.
So I could at least replace the remote if it's damanged without replacing the lamp, but this doesn't in itself help me trigger a change from a python script.
They have a support email address, but no AAA record for it's domain so no website.
Fired an email asking 'em if there's anything that'll pair to my USB socket.
You never know, perhaps they'll send me a debug kit. (Unlikely)
Seems likely their reply was either passed through ChatGPT to translate or else just answered by AI robots.
They asked for model-numbers, so maybe not all hope is lost.
They have replied saying that there is no way.
Only way forward would be dismantling the remote control and soldering it into some kinda device attached to the remote keypad or something.
Nothing even close to within my skillset anyway.
Maybe someone sells an array of solenoids that could actually press the buttons?
Picked up a couple of spare remotes since that definitely won't be possible any more by the time the existing ones break, and I've wired up the whole house with these things now.
Took the top off one of those remotes now they are more dispensable.
Button-pads which connect PCB channels that lead into a microchip and some other components.
I guess if I soldered transistors over those button-contacts then a charge in the transistor's collector would do the equivalent of pressing the button? And I could control it with an Arduino or something. Maybe.
Would be cool to just put the transistors on the chip-legs and cut off half the board but even if that would work I guess the board probably also contains the RF antenna.
And anyway I can barely even see the chip-legs let alone solder them.
Can only pair one remote at a time anyway, so would have to be under exclusive control of my Ardrino rather than additional control.
Probably not gonna be any better than just having the remotes in the holster on the wall by the switch anyway.
@pre would also be interested to know how these work! At risk being a reply-guy via unrelated comments: Just in case you didn't know that ceiling *may* contain (fairly small amounts of) asbestos. It's worth being a bit careful if you need to drill into or disturb it.
@stew_sims The plaster definitely crumbled a bit but I used existing screw holes.
Which didn't quite have the right width so they're held in with one screw instead of two but hey ho, matches the rest of the slapdash house.
@pre Well it looks good anyway Even if it is asbestos-containing you can drill it and repair small sections with appropriate PPE and clean-up if need be. HSE have some guidance. But main thing is just to be aware of the risk and not go sanding lots of it!
We have it in every ceiling here (plus numerous other places).
@stew_sims They definitely cleaned some up outside on the estate shortly after I moved in.
It's a fair call really.
@pre This is a tangent, but should the phrase be “backupable” or “backable up”?
@andrewfeeney I like backupable but I nearly hyphenated it.
@pre It has to be backupable, because the verb has become unhyphenated. “To backup”. But then people still separate it. “Did you back it up?”
@pre A remote operated dual button pressing unit would simultaneously be absurd and brilliant
@pre If they work without direct line of sight then it’s radio controlled. You could have a look inside the remotes and figure out the transmitter IC, which should give you a hint re the modulation used. After that, the least friction path is to get a HackRF and duplicate the signal from software. Mind you, all this is not trivial.
@rimio Yeah, that sounds beyond me. Fair chance I'd just break the remote trying to take it apart.