HA-Firemote

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Introduction

Firemote is a custom Home Assistant card that is capable of controlling your media devices directly from any Home Assistant dashboard. The Firemote dashboard remotes are designed to look just like your physical remote controls, but they also contain TONS of customization options to choose from!

For a visual introduction, YouTube's @BeardedTinker created a fantastic video about this card!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbEHaspKvWs - Be sure to give him a sub and a like if you enjoy it!

A full video demonstration of setup and use featuring a Homatics device can be found here

Short demonstration videos also exist for Roku Firemote and Chromecast Firemote

Prerequisites

• A functioning version of Home Assistant
• HACS (not required, but it makes things easier)
• A supported device
  • Amazon Fire Smart TV, Fire Stick, or Fire Cube
  • Apple TV
  • Chromecast
  • Homatics
  • NVIDIA Shield
  • onn. Media Player
  • Roku TV, and Media Player
  • Xiaomi
  • Any device (advanced)

Download and Setup via Home Assistant UI & HACS

1. Turn on ADB/USB/Network debugging on your Amazon, onn., Shield, Xiaomi, Chromecast, or Android TV device - Video Tutorial
   • For NVIDIA Shield users, be sure to turn on Network debugging (not shown in the video)
   • (does not apply to Apple TV or Roku users)
2. Connect your device to Home Assistant:
   • Amazon, Chromecast, Shield, onn., Xiaomi, or Android TV users:
     • Set up the Home Assistant Android Debug Bridge Integration and connect it to your device (REQUIRED in every setup why?)
     • Optionally, for non Amazon Fire devices only, you may additionally choose to set up the Home Assistant Android TV Remote Integration and connect it to your device. (optional)
   • Apple TV Users
     • Set up the Home Assistant Apple TV Integration and connect it to your device. This will create a "Media Player" entity, and a "Remote" entity automatically.
   • Roku Users
     • Set up the Home Assistant Roku Integration and connect it to your device. This will create a "Media Player" entity, a "Remote" entity, and multiple others as well.
3. Click on the HACS sidebar option, then type "Firemote Card" into the search bar
4. Use the 3 dots on the right side of the search result to select Download or click on the search result then tap the DOWNLOAD button in the lower right.
5. You will be prompted to reload your browser. Click the RELOAD button to continue

OR Install Manually

1. Turn on ADB/USB/Network debugging on your Amazon, Homatics, onn., Shield, Xiaomi, Chromecast, or Android TV device - Video Tutorial
   • For NVIDIA Shield users, be sure to turn on Network debugging (not shown in the video)
   • (does not apply to Apple TV or Roku users)
2. Connect your device to Home Assistant:
   • Amazon, Chromecast, Homatics, Shield, onn., Xiaomi, or Android TV users:
     • Set up the Home Assistant Android Debug Bridge Integration and connect it to your device (REQUIRED in every setup why?)
     • Optionally, for non Amazon Fire devices only, you may additionally choose to set up the Home Assistant Android TV Remote Integration and connect it to your device. (optional)
   • Apple TV Users
     • Set up the Home Assistant Apple TV Integration and connect it to your device. This will create a "Media Player" entity, and a "Remote" entity automatically.
   • Roku Users
     • Set up the Home Assistant Roku Integration and connect it to your device. This will create a "Media Player" entity, a "Remote" entity, and multiple others as well.
3. Download the contents of the dist/ directory, and place it in your Home Assistant /config/www directory
4. Register the HA-Firemote.js file that you just installed as a new resource

How to use

1. On any dashboard, click the +ADD CARD button
2. Search by cards for "Firemote Card" and click on it - help: It's not showing up
3. Under the Device Family dropdown, choose "Amazon Fire", "Apple TV", "Chromecast", "Homatics", "NVIDIA Shield", "onn.", "Roku", "Xiaomi", or "none/other"
   • Amazon, Chromecast, Shield, onn., Xiaomi, or Android TV users:
     • Under Device Model, select the device model that you own. (Help: Which Amazon Fire or NVIDIA Shield device do I own?)
     • Under the Android Debug Bridge Entity dropdown, a list of your Android Debug Bridge integration entities will appear. Select the one you wish to control.
     • If you are setting up something other than an Amazon Fire device, select the Associated Android TV Remote Entity that points to the same device as your Android Debug Bridge entity. This step is not required, but it will greatly improve the speed and reliability of your Firemote card
   • Apple TV Users
     • Under Apple TV Device Model, select the device model that you own
     • Under Apple TV Media Player Entity, select the Apple TV Media Player entity you wish to control
     • Under Apple TV Remote Entity, select the Apple TV remote entity that is associated with the Apple TV Media Player Entity you chose in the previous step
   • Roku Users
     • Under Roku Device Model, select the device model that you own
     • Under Roku Media Player Entity, select the Roku Media Player entity you wish to control
     • Under Associated Roku Remote Entity, select the Roku remote entity that is associated with the Roku Media Player Entity you chose in the previous step
4. Make any other optional changes to your card, then click "SAVE" Other options include changing the app launch buttons to apps that you use most often, or changing the style of your remote control to look like something completely different from what shipped with your device. You can even add names and adjust the size of your Firemote card too!

Screenshots from Users

Click here to see the full gallery

YAML card setup options

Examples:

type: custom:firemote-card
entity: media_player.fire_tv_192_168_1_30
device_family: amazon-fire
device_type: fire_tv_4_series
compatibility_mode: default
app_launch_1: prime-video
app_launch_2: netflix
app_launch_3: hdmi_1
app_launch_4: youtube
hdmi_1: Cable
scale: 85

type: custom:firemote-card
entity: media_player.apple_tv_4k_2nd_gen
device_family: apple-tv
device_type: appletv-4k-gen2
compatibility_mode: default
apple_tv_remote_entity: remote.apple_tv_4k_2nd_gen
app_launch_1: apple-appstore
app_launch_2: apple-tv-arcade
app_launch_3: mlb
app_launch_4: nfl
visible_name_text: Game Room
name_position: top
button_overrides:
  mute-button:
    script: receiver_mute_script

type: custom:firemote-card
entity: media_player.android_tv_192_168_107_209
device_family: nvidia-shield
device_type: shield-tv-pro-2019
compatibility_mode: default
android_tv_remote_entity: remote.shield
scale: '100'
app_launch_1: netflix
app_launch_2: function-find-my-remote
app_launch_3: function-mute

App Launcher Buttons

Custom app launch buttons are not limited to the few that came printed on your remote control. In fact, the possibilities are endless! If you don't see your favorite app on this list, you can click on the Issues button on the top of this page, and select the App Shortcut Request option. There are currently over 330 options available, and the list just keeps growing.

Launcher Button Customizations

You are not limited to only using the launcher buttons that come with Firemote. Through YAML, you can define your own working buttons in one of two ways: defining a script or constructing an action call.

Example:

type: custom:firemote-card
entity: media_player.fire_tv_192_168_107_88
device_family: amazon-fire
device_type: fire_tv_4_series
compatibility_mode: default
custom_launchers:
  - friendly_name: flash the light
    label: FLASH
    image_path: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Flash-outlined-thin-circular-button.svg
    color: red
    background: white
    script: flashthelablight
    data:
      color: green
  - friendly_name: Red Lamp
    label: red
    icon: mdi:lamp
    color: red
    background: blue
    action: light.toggle
    target:
      entity_id: light.bedroom_lamp
    data:
      color_name: red
      transition: 2
      brightness_pct: 100
app_launch_1: customlauncher flash the light
app_launch_2: customlauncher Red Lamp
scale: '110'

Once defined, a custom button can be assigned to a Firemote button location through the YAML config itself, or it can be selected through the Visual Editor dropdown

Button Overrides

Button Overrides can be very useful for customization. These overrides can be used to call a Home Assistant action directly, run a script, or hide a button on your remote. These options are accomplished through your Firemote's YAML configuration. Just like launcher button customizations, you can also include a data parameter with your action or for your script.

Consider this example:

button_overrides:
  mute-button:
    script: receiver_mute_script
  volume-down-button:
    script: receiver_volume_down_script
  volume-up-button:
    action: light.toggle
    target:
      entity_id: light.bedroom_lamp
    data:
      color_name: red
      transition: 2
      brightness_pct: 100
  power-button:
    hidden: true

FAQ

Additional FAQs can be found here in the Firemote Wiki

I installed the Firemote Card, but I can't find it to add in my dashboard

This tends to happen when your Home Assistant UI needs a refresh. The best way to do this is through force clearing your Home Assistant cache and trying again.

Why won't the volume, mute, and/or power buttons work from my Firemote card?

In many cases, your remote control sends commands for volume, mute, and power to your TV or receiver using the IR emitter on the front of the physical remote control. These IR commands cannot be sent in a traditional Home Assistant setup.

If your player device AND the device they are connected to both offer CEC options, then activating CEC will allow the Firemote card controls to work as expected. Click here to learn more about how to configure CEC to work with your Firemote. Another option might be to control your devices (TVs, Receivers, etc.) using Button Overrides. If you can control those kinds of devices through Home Assistant, you can write a HA script and attach that script to a button on your Firemote.

Due to the way the Apple TV Home Assistant integration is built, an Apple TV style Firemote cannot properly simulate a "Mute" button press. A Button Override will be required in this case.

Why don't any of the buttons on the Firemote work at all?

• If your Firemote used to work perfectly, and some or all of the buttons suddenly stopped working, it could be that all you need to do is press one button (any button) on your Fire TV device's physical remote control. After doing that step, try your Firemote again. This step most commonly fixes the issue in Amazon Fire devices after they are powered on, restarted, or updated.
• Check your card configuration:
  • Is the correct Android device selected?
  • Is the correct Device Family selected?
  • Is the correct Device type selected?
  • If you are using one, is the correct matching Android TV Remote Entity selected?
  • Is Compatibility Mode set to Default?
• If the Default Compatibility Mode is not working on your device, and you've checked every other step, slowly choose "event0", "event1", etc. and test your remote buttons under each mode. One of these will work.
  

I own a device that isn't a part of any of the existing device families, can it be added?

Yes! In fact, there is a poll in the discussion group called Vote for what gets added next where the community can help decide which new device family will gain Firemote support next. If your device isn't on the ballot, no problem! Just vote for "Other" and write the name of your device in the discussion thread below.

Why isn't the model of my Amazon Fire Device supported?

There are over 40 kinds of Amazon Fire devices, so it will take a while to gain properly tested support for all of them. If Firemote doesn't support your Amazon Fire device yet, you can still use Firemote! Simply choose a supported device that is similar to the one that you have (preferably a remote that looks the same as your physical remote), then you can test different compatibility modes to find out which one works the best.

The BEST option for everyone is if you would submit a request to have your device added! It's simple! Just open a new Amazon Fire TV Device Support Request, fill out the quick and easy form, and you're done!

Why do only some of the Firemote buttons for the Apps that came with my Apple TV work properly, while others don't?

Apple TV app shortcuts work simply by passing the name of the app to the apple tv remote entity. Firemote is built and tested against an environment that uses English as the primary language. In some scenarios, built-in Apple TV apps use language app specific names, which is why asking it to open the English version of that app's name does not work. In order to overcome this, I request that you open a new language support request so we can work together and make all of these buttons work as intended.

I want a shortcut button for an app I use frequently, but it's not on the list. Can it be added?

Absolutely! Simply ask! Here's how: From the Issues menu, simply start a new App Shortcut Request. If you absolutely cannot wait, you can also build your own launcher button using YAML.

How do I report a problem, make a request, or talk about stuff?

Click on the Issues button at the top of this page, click 'New Issue', and select the appropriate category for your needs. You're also welcome to join or begin a new discussion if that suits your needs.

How can I contribute?

• Did you install Firemote through HACS? If you did, and it was easy, visit the HACS Github Page and give their project a star! There should be thousands, but for some reason they don't have many. Give them some love!
• Do you speak a language other than English that is not already supported? You can help out the community by filling out a new language support request.
• Take a look at the current discussions board to see if anything is tagged with "Help Wanted".
• 
• Since it is personally expensive for me to purchase, evaluate, and develop integrations for all of your requests, I've set up an Amazon Wish List (US) and an Amazon Wish List (DE) for any of you who are feeling incredibly generous and want to send me something that I don't already own.