The infrared port was lost somewhere in the 2000s. With the advent of Bluetooth technology on the world market, the need for an IR port has been reduced to a minimum. But it is still used to remotely control equipment through the remote control, which is why it is needed in some phones. Xiaomi is one of the few that still produces gadgets with this sensor. This is definitely very convenient for controlling some of the components in the house. A unique program Mi Remote was developed to operate the infrared port. It is exclusive to the MIUI shell.
What Technique Can You Manage
Mi Remote, which is installed by default in almost every smartphone from Xiaomi, is designed to remotely control home appliances. With this utility, you can use your smartphone as a remote control for your TV, air conditioner, music device, refrigerator, and so on.
The program is able to control such types of equipment as:
| English designation | Technique |
|---|---|
| Mi TV / Mi Box | branded TV set-top boxes |
| TV | TVs |
| AC | acoustic and sound systems |
| Fan | fans |
| Box | set-top boxes, consoles |
| A/V receiver | amplifiers |
| DVD | DVD players and other reproducers of sound and video information |
| Projector | projectors |
| Cable / Satellite box | cable devices, antennas, tuners |
| Camera | cameras |
How Mi Remote works
Operates using an infrared (IR) port. Even the cheapest Xiaomi smartphones, such as the Redmi 4A, are equipped with this sensor, so the Mi Remote is available to everyone.
Who is Mi Remote available to?
To use the application, you first need to make sure that your smartphone has an infrared port. Usually in smartphones from Xiaomi with an infrared port, the software is already preinstalled. If suddenly not, then you can download it for free from the Play Market or on any other resource in the form of an apk file.
Conditions for controlling home appliances
If we figured out the smartphone, then let’s go directly to the equipment. Please note that not all devices receive this signal.
Before using the program, check if the equipment uses a remote control with an IR signal to control it. Many manufacturers make wireless remote control via Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi. If home devices are not equipped with an infrared receiver, then, alas, Mi Remote is useless.
Also, the problem with control may be in the inaccurate setting of the program. Review all points carefully and select the correct brand of the device you want to operate. Make sure that the smartphone is looking straight into the receiver, because the infrared port works along an even beam, it cannot spread to all 360 degrees, like Wi-Fi. If nothing works, press all the buttons, sometimes the device simply cannot recognize the command from the smartphone.
How to set up the app
Setting up the Mi Remote app is very simple and straightforward.
- Search on your smartphone via the Remote Launcher or Application Manager and launch.
- Before choosing a device, turn on access to the Internet, then the utility will find more brands on the Internet that are supported by it. After selecting, the Internet connection is no longer required, and the program will go offline.
- After starting, click on the plus sign at the top or “add …”. Before us appears a list of equipment in English. For a more understandable choice, use the list above, where the entire list with a short description is given. Chooses the type and move on.
- Depending on the selection, Remote will ask a couple of questions. We answer them.
- Then, after choosing a device, we find the brand. The app supports the most popular and not so popular brands like LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and so on. We answer simple questions to check the performance and that’s it, the setup is complete.
What else can please Mi Remote
Mi Remote does not end with simple control. Among its features there is also the addition of quick access to the selected remote control through the main screen. A shortcut is created, clicking on which immediately opens the control, without any settings and other things.
After some settings, the utility will help you check if it works correctly. It will look like a small survey. An IR signal will be sent to the equipment, after which a window will appear on the smartphone, asking whether it worked or not. Thus, you can check which nodes the Mi Remote can control.
Mi Remote can also work via Wi-Fi, but only with branded equipment from Xiaomi: Mi Box, Mi TV. If the smartphone does not have an IrDA port, then the application will endlessly search for a native device via Wi-Fi.
The app has an editing function. The point is to make it more convenient to use. Here you can rename the console, set the location (by default, living room, bedroom, study, dining room, office) and create a shortcut on the desktop, which was discussed above.
