I have been looking through other forums and haven't quite found anything specific to what I am trying to do.
I have a Universal RF and IR Remote and I was wondering if I could use it to control my Arduino.
Is it possible to use this transmitter and somehow "sniff" the signals from various buttons on the remote, then program those buttons to perform different operations?
If this has been done can someone please point me in the right direction? Thanks!
You seem to have a bit of confusion about how a "remote" works. The universal remote control you have linked to probably acts along the same lines as 99% of the remote controls used for tvs etc..
It produces a flashing light (it's infra red so not visible to the naked eye).
The RF transmitter/recievers you mention work by sending radio signals. Also invisible to the naked eye but their signals lie in a completely different domain. The two technologies are completely separate.
The remote has an RF transmitter and the matching RF Extender reportedly uses 433 MHz so you might be able to receive the signals. Try connecting the 433 MHz receiver as if it were an IR receiver. If that doesn't work you may need to de-modulate the 433 MHz signal. You will likely need a digital storage oscilloscope or a logic analyzer to record the received signal and figure out the modulation.
Thanks for the replies. KenF, I do understand the difference between IR and RF waves. To clarify... You are right that my remote does transmit IR, however, it transmits RF simultaneously.
johnwasser, the one thing I was trying to figure out was, can the same exact code be sent through RF and IR. (Even though they are sent with different frequency)
In theory, if my universal remote operates on 433MHz and if my remote transmits the same binary code simultaneously in RF and IR and I have an IR receiver plugged into my Arduino, I should be able to press a button on my remote and have the Arduino perform a function by IR signal... Then I should be able to unplug the IR receiver and plug in the RF receiver in the same spot and when I press the same button, the Arduino should do the exact same thing but get the same signal through RF...
Is this true? or do the RF and IR receivers communicate with the Arduino differently?