cloudless IR – Misryoum covers IR2MQTT, a cloud-free way to control TVs and air conditioners in Home Assistant using IR blasters and an ESP device.
Turning a pile of “dumb” appliances into something smart shouldn’t require you to trust the internet every time you press a button.
Misryoum explains how IR2MQTT aims to solve a common frustration with many smart home setups: cloud dependence. Instead of routing infrared control through online services, the approach connects an IR blaster to your local home automation flow, keeping the experience more direct and predictable.
At the center of the setup is an ESP32 or ESP8266 running ESPHome firmware to handle the actual infrared “blasting.” On top of that, IR2MQTT provides the back-end and a web interface so you can set up devices without hand-capturing IR signals or wrestling with complex configuration files.
The web interface is designed to make onboarding simpler, especially for popular appliance models. IR2MQTT can pull from built-in IR code libraries for common equipment, so you may be able to get going faster by selecting your device rather than building everything from scratch.
This is one of those projects where the technical payoff is less about flash and more about control: less friction in setup, fewer moving parts, and fewer reasons for your automation to “miss” a command because a service is slow or unavailable.
The payoff for everyday users is straightforward. Once configured, appliances like televisions and air conditioners can be managed inside Home Assistant through the IR2MQTT layer, using the local hardware to translate your automation commands into infrared signals.
Meanwhile. if you’re the kind of tinkerer who prefers crafting their own infrared hacks. Misryoum notes that an IR LED and a willingness to experiment are often enough to expand what you can control.. Projects like this also make it easier to iterate. because setup and device management live in a more accessible web workflow.
Why it matters: cloud-free infrared control can reduce reliance on external services and make home automation feel more stable, especially for routines you expect to work reliably day after day.