Instructions for using MQTT commands with an IR remote control

Hi, I'm glad you're interested in integrating MQTT commands with an IR remote control. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight, pub/sub network protocol that is often used in the IoT world to control devices over the internet. The combination of MQTT with an IR remote control opens up many interesting possibilities, for example remotely controlling devices that can normally only be controlled via IR, such as TVs, air conditioners, etc.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to implement this:

### 1. Preparation

To accomplish this task, you will need a few things:

- An IR-enabled device that you want to control.
- An MQTT broker : This is the server that manages your MQTT messages. There are many options like Mosquitto, HiveMQ, etc. You can set up a local broker or use a cloud service.
- A microcontroller with network capability and IR capability : A common microcontroller for such tasks is the ESP8266 or ESP32. These have WiFi capabilities and can easily be equipped with IR LEDs and receivers.

### 2. Find out IR codes

First you need to find out the IR codes of the commands you want to send. You can do this by connecting an IR receiver to your microcontroller and reading the commands from your existing remote control. There are many libraries for Arduino, ESP8266/ESP32 that simplify this process.

### 3. Set up MQTT client on the microcontroller

Program your microcontroller so that it can connect to your MQTT broker. You must use an MQTT client library that is available for your platform. In the code, you configure the network connection and connect to the broker.

### 4. Send IR signals via MQTT

Now the exciting part: you need to programme your microcontroller to listen for specific MQTT messages and send corresponding IR signals when it receives them. You essentially define "topics" that the microcontroller will subscribe to, and when a message on that topic comes from the broker, the microcontroller converts that message into an IR command.

### 5. Implement control

On the sender side, you can now send MQTT messages to the broker via an application, script or even the command line, which are then picked up by your microcontroller and executed as IR signals.

### Example

Suppose you want to switch your TV on and off. You have read the power command from your remote control and implemented it in your microcontroller programme. You could have an MQTT topic called "home/livingroom/tv". To switch on the TV, you could send a message with the content "POWER_ON" to this topic.

### Conclusion

There are of course many details to consider, such as the exact implementation on your microcontroller, the security of your MQTT communication, and so on. But I hope this overview gives you a good starting point. Do you already have a specific piece of hardware or a special project in mind that you would like to talk about?