KIRA – Keene (Electronics) IR Anywhere
Having purchased the standard pair of KIRA IP infrared modules, I’ve been quite impressed with the possibilities they’ve given me, especially as the units can be set up in a number of ways, which I’ll have a go at explaining below.
1) Target & Receiver Mode – This allows me to have one unit in the bedroom to accept IR commands from a remote and the other downstairs to translate them back into IR and send them on via an attached emitter to the targeted appliance.
2) Standalone Mode (Built-in Memory) – This will allow me to store up to 4 IR codes in the internal memory, allowing me to call any one of them on via the internal webpage or a specific URL.
3) Standalone Mode (External Client) – Basically the same as above, but instead the module takes its IR commands from an external source, such as a PC application or website/server application.
As well as the modules themselves you will also need to access the Keene Electronics website in order to download their IR software to capture the codes produced by any compatible remote. Once captured, you can then either save the IR string to it’s built in memory or as a text file on a PC
Initially I thought I’d use the units simply in Target & Receiver mode, allowing me to control my Sky HD box in the lounge from the bedroom upstairs, but being a fan of all things home automation, I wanted to see if I could integrate them into my Node Central set up. Unfortunately not having the 128bit version of Kira, the basic pair can only hold 4 commands within its internal memory, but reading up on how a standalone module receive its commands (via UDP), I wondered if I could not only integrate it my home automation set up, but also create almost unlimited capacity.
Kira Remote Control Web Interface
The first idea I had was to create a web interface primarily for the iPad , so with the help of my good friend @Metphoto, I asked him if he’d be willing to help out by me build a web site that would act as a remote control interface and allow me to control my Sky HD box. The goal was to store and call all the codes i needed from one of the web servers running in my Node Central (e.g a NAS unit). Being a very technical and incredibly helpful guy, @Metphoto even seemed quite excited by the challenge and so with some example of the IR codes I needed to send (see below) he quickly got to work on creating a website..
Sky Power:K 2417 0A68 0378 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 0378 01BC 0378 0378 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 0378 0378 0378 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 0378 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 01BC 0378 01BC 01BC 0378 01BC 01BC 01BC 2000
With some Sky TV channel logos downloaded, within pretty much a day @Metphoto had built a very simple web page/site, which I eagerly customised the config file to allow it to point to my KIRA’s IP address and then uploaded the files to my NAS to test it out. One of my goals for the site’s design was for it to be very simple to use, plus the app ideally needed to send multiple commands onf the back of one click, e.g. Clicking on the BBC1 image, the IR codes 1, followed by 0 and then 1 again should all be set, and upon testing it, ‘hey presto!’ it worked, the channel change of 1….0….1 was presented on the screen as the TV turned over.
It’s at this point I should share that @Metphoto does not even have a KIRA unit to test, he was doing all this blind, which for me was even more impressive. To help set the scene better, here’s one of the latest versions he created for me
If anyone is interested in more details, just leave me a comment below..
Node Central 