BroadLink Smart IR Remote Control Hub-WiFi IR Blaster for Smart Home Automation, TV Remote, Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT (RM4 mini)

Bands 4 and 5 GHz PLUS, Alexa has a few more tricks up her sleeve for you First and foremost, I had difficulty setting it up when my Router was set to "Smart Connect," which allows devices to automatically connect to either the 2. Wi-Fi frequencies of 4 GHz and 5 GHz are available. Fi bands. To get around this, I temporarily turned off the router's "Smart Connect" feature so I could finish the BroadLink RM4's initial setup. Following the initial setup of the RM4, I was able to connect it to my network successfully. I was able to re-enact the scene. After enabling the "Smart Connect" feature on my router, all of my devices, including the BroadLink RM4, were able to automatically connect as before after a router reboot. br>This configuration setup issue has only happened to me with three smart home "2. Devices that are only capable of operating at 4 GHz include the following: There were two BroadLink devices and a Sanoff RF Hub. All of my other devices that only use the 2. (Wemo, Wink, August, Amazon, to name a few) With "Smart Connect" enabled on my router, the 4 Ghz Band worked perfectly, so I believe the problem is with the setup software of the two manufacturers who don't work - This is the case with the BroadLink App. br>I bought this device so that I could use my Amazon Echo voice to issue IR commands to my TCL Roku TV, which I can normally control with network commands from my Echo. Unless the TV is in Energy Saving mode, with Fast Start disabled, and has been turned off for more than 12 minutes. Then I have to turn it on with the IR Remote. br>This is where the BroadLink RM4 enters the picture. Initially, I added the remote for my "ROKU TV – IR"– as a TV Remote that can be used with my Amazon Echo. Because the remotes they had on file were faulty on the power button, I made my own and assigned it to the power button using the Learn Feature. The command was then added to my Amazon Alexa App's "TV" Routine, which I had previously created. Because it takes a few seconds longer to turn on the TV when fast start is disabled, I just added the device "ROKU TV – IR" to Power On at the top of the TV Routine. I left the original power command, which is sent via network control, in the routine, which is located after all of the lighting controls. br>When I say, "Computer TV," this Alexa "TV" routine works perfectly – it sends the power button IR Code to the TV first, then proceeds with the rest of the routine as usual. Next, I added the remote for the eROD Motorized Drapery Rod to the BroadLink RM4's App. I went with User Defined Remote this time. The following buttons were added by me: OPEN, CLOSE, OPEN, CLOSE, OPEN, CLOSE, O STOP, and it picked up on their IR commands quickly. With the remote, I was able to completely control the curtains. THEN I used the BroadLink App to create a Scene. I chose the General Scene type so that I could use the IR eROD Remote I had just created to control it. I gave it the name "Curtains OPEN" and programmed it to activate the Open Button on my eROD remote. After that, I made Scenes for both the Close and Stop commands. br>After that, I created an Alexa Routine called "Open Curtains" and added a Smart Home activity that controls the Scene "Curtains Open" that I created in the BroadLink App and has been published in the Alexa scenes. "Close Curtains" is another Alexa Routine I made. "Stop Curtains" are used to control the scenes that they are associated with. br>I also added the Smart Home activity to the Alexa "TV" Routine I mentioned earlier, which controls the Scene "Curtains Close. " Everything went off without a hitch. br> Later, I removed the "TV type remote" from the ROKU TV and replaced it with a User Defined Remote. I then went on to say figured out how to use the POWER button Then, in the BroadLink app, I created a Scene to activate that button. After that, I added the Smart Home activity, which controls the "ROKU TV POWER - ON" setting. To the Alexa "TV" Routine I mentioned earlier, add an "IR" scene. br>This method works better for me because when I first created the "ROKU TV" remote, I selected the "TV Remote" type and only assigned IR commands to the power button, which resulted in a remote inside the BroadLink App that only worked with the power button. . . the rest of the buttons didn't work because I didn't assign IR commands to them. Besides, the BroadLink App discovered my TCL ROKU TV over the network and is only available if the TV is turned on, so I wanted to get rid of the original "TV Remote" type I made with mostly non-functional buttons. Instead, create a remote with only one button using the "User Defined" type. br>To summarize - The IR control capabilities of the BroadLink RM4 have exceeded my expectations. It's a lot better than using Harmony Hub to control devices like the curtains or other devices that will automatically stop running activities when you start a new one. br>I've already placed an order for a second BroadLink RM4 Mini with sensor cable so that I can move some devices away from my Harmony Hub that are interfering with its main functions. When the automated sunset curtain closing is triggered, I believe Harmony Hub made a mistake by ending the active "Watch Movie" activity (which turns off the Projector and surround sound). Harmony Hub has a significant flaw.
FYI: Sensor cable with built-in temperature sensor sensors that measure humidity With Amazon Echo, only the current temperature is available so far – the Amazon Echo acts as a temperature sensor. The humidity function is currently unavailable on Alexa. Hourly temperatures, on the other hand, In the BroadLink App, you can find humidity data readings. Inside the BroadLink App, I gave my temperature sensor the name "Living Room. " So now I can ask, "Computer, what is the temperature in the living room?" "The Living Room Temperature is 75," Alexa responds. 1 degree Celsius! "I also added the Living Room temperature sensor to an Alexa Group called "Inside" in the Alexa App. "Computer, what is the inside temperature?" I can also inquire. "br>I apologize for the length of this review, but I wanted to add some "how to" information and issue workarounds that I did that other users have reported as issues while setting up their BroadLink RM4 Mini to help fill in the gaps for the somewhat lacking instructions on how to setup and configure the device and BroadLink app. br>Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and happy automating!.

Azariah Briggs

| Jun 26, 2021

I'll keep you updated. Because the manufacturer of this product contacted me and provided me with some information, I had to change my original review. Because an update was required to use the device, there was a critical bug that prevented it from being updated, which meant the product couldn't be used and became a useless brick. According to the company, the problem has been resolved, and I'll be updating the firmware today to test it. br>br>I'm editing this review without testing the product right now because I just wanted to get my original review off of Amazon (I'll edit it after testing). Normally, I wouldn't bother; instead, I'd leave a negative review as a reminder to the company not to release bugged updates without testing them; however, in an email to the company, I had shot my mouth off, said some very inappropriate things, and didn't deserve a response; instead, I received a fairly well-written email from a company rep who actually took the time to respond to my being nasty. br>br>I'm not going to make excuses for why I'm so fed up with the establishment at this point in my life. I'm not one of those people who expects everything, but I do expect things to work as advertised when I buy something and spend what little money I have (believe me, I'm poor and worked 60 hours a week before Covid, despite a college education). This isn't an excuse for some of the things I said; I went too far and crossed the line; I apologize to the representative who read that email and will do so in a follow-up email. br>br>Until I get everything set up, I'm not going to make a decision on whether or not this is a good solution. I've had the device for a few days now and haven't been able to use it because of the bug. I had already started returning it, and was about to do so today, and I had already purchased a Logitech Harmony hub for three times the price (no joke, it's been nice not eating for a few days to save the extra money; I even dropped a few pounds as a result of my efforts. )br>br>Anyway, I'll be trying to set this up completely offline with Home Assistant today. I've read that I'll probably have problems because the newer models aren't designed to be used without the Broadlink servers, but I'll give it a shot anyway. br>br>I'll say a few things about Broadlink's preference for harmony: br>br>Harmony has an artificially imposed limit of eight devices per hub, which can be increased to fifteen if you purchase an extra $200 remote. There's no reason for this because the hub, not the remote, stores all of the additional information when you add a remote to get the extra 7 devices. It's essentially a marketing ploy by Logitech to persuade you to spend $300 on an infrared blaster ($100). ($200) remote, despite the fact that the same hub stores all of the information, not the remote, so there's no reason the hub can't handle at least $15 devices on its own. Broadlink, on the other hand, allows for far more devices; in fact, I'm not sure if there is even a limit; it could be infinite. br>br>The humidity sensor and Alexa aren't compatible; it won't report to Alexa, which is apparently an Amazon issue rather than a broadlink issue. If you're buying it for the humidity sensor, keep that in mind; it explains why none of the humidity sensors I tried seemed to be reporting to Alex correctly. Even if you can't use it through Alexa, I applaud the broadlink for including the option to read humidity. If you know how to set it up correctly, you'll be able to use it with other home automation systems. I had no idea Alexa, not third-party developers, was the source of the problem. It's ironic, because Amazon lists humidity sensors as a device that works with the Alexa app, despite the fact that Amazon has previously stated that humidity sensors are not compatible with the Alexa app. Broadlink is what I believe based on the representative's email. Again, none of the humidity sensors I've tried with Alexa have given me accurate results. br>br>As I previously stated, I was out of line with the email I sent them, and they could have simply ignored it; there was no reason for them to lie or even respond at this point. If anything, they can be faulted for failing to include some of this information in the product description, but they are far from alone in this regard; in fact, the various product descriptions on this site frequently fail to include proper technical information. br>br>After learning more about the company and receiving a response to an email that should never have received a response, I've decided to give them another chance. At the very least, I'd like to use it in the bedroom, where an additional $80 for a Harmony box would be unnecessary. To be honest, I'd like to bring back the Harmony box because it's ridiculous that Logitech is charging $100 (I got it on sale for $80) for a box with an eight-device limit, but unfortunately, this broad link device doesn't support Bluetooth remotes, so no Apple TV, fire TV, or anything else that uses Bluetooth. While the Apple TV box has an IR receiver, I couldn't get it to work with anything other than the volume (using other IR blasters), so I'm assuming the IR receiver on the fourth generation Apple TV is only used to receive signals from other television remotes to change the volume. br>br>I'll end on this note: the product appears to be well-made. made. I recently received a keyboard from Amazon from a different manufacturer, and it was immediately apparent that it was a complete waste of money. In fact, the battery that came with it was 1mm too small, and it wouldn't even turn on until I stuffed a piece of cardboard under the battery compartment to keep it from falling out. When I picked up this Broadlink IR blaster, I didn't get the same sensation; instead, it felt well-made. made. Better built than the other ($17) IR blaster from a different company, which I bought, set up, and it worked, but it felt like junk. br>br>I'm going to work on the project now, so hopefully this one works. I'll keep this review up to date. br>I'll start working on the project now, hoping this one works. I'll keep this review up to date. br>br>PS: If you're looking for a unique way to express yourself, try using the words "cre In the updated review, I apologize for the voice typing autocorrect errors. It was unreadable, so I updated it a third time. After nearly 25 years in business, you'd think a company worth nearly $1 trillion would be able to get voice typing right, but Apple appears to have a long way to go. My bad; I should have double-checked before pressing the submit button.

Santiago Barton

| Aug 16, 2021

I bought it with the intention of automating three infrared devices in my room: a TV, a standing fan, and an air conditioner/dehumidifier. Wow, only a few weeks after I opened it, it asks for a firmware update, but you can't do it with their app (I'm using Android on my Pixel phone and iOS on my iPad). I tried everything I could think of, including customer service, Facebook, and Reddit, but nothing worked to get the update to 75. Google Home integration is also a bit of a letdown. The DeLonghi air conditioner isn't even listed on the manufacturer's website, and the Lasko standing fan, yes, the one with the IR remote, didn't work either. Those two had to be learned through in-depth research. The television system is effective. The cable sensor is useful because I monitor the humidity in our room on a regular basis because our child suffers from dust mite allergies, and we have a master bedroom with a bathroom where we don't even close the door, so we use our dehumidifier if the humidity in our room is too high. Overall, this device is a half-baked product that still has a long way to go. For one thing, there is a large database for IR remote codes; I'm not sure why my Lasko or Delonghi don't work. It claims to have cloud-computing capabilities. I understand that this device does not have enough memory to store IR codes, but it should be able to obtain IR codes from the cloud and save them locally.

Stevie Palmer

| Dec 07, 2021