Solved: Remote control, Ethernet=> Wifi.

[smith2]

I will describe our situation in hopes that someone may be able to tell me how to get this done, please:
We have this box: RQN Android Tv Box Q Pro Kodi(xbmc) Fully Loaded 1080p Quad Core Smart Media Player, IPTV,OTT TV ,Root,4k, H.265
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015QSPWOY/)
Wifi here works very poorly for streaming, possibly because of so many neighbors too close by with many sources - so our box has an ethernet cable connected instead.

This all works fine for us with the exception that it came with a rather useless remote control.
Connecting a USB KB/mouse made it plenty easy to use - as long as one wished to stand and do that stuff.

The only thing lacking in this box is bluetooth - so I tried plugging in a generic BT/USB dongle, but it didn't seem to do anything.

I'd like to use a retired Android phone as a remote for this box.
The phone does not have an IR blaster, but could be used via bluetooth - or maybe wifi - and that is my query=>

If I put an IP based remote app like Smart iRemote on there - is it possible for the wifi remote to cross into the wired portion of the network to do its job via IP ??

If not=>
Is there any way someone here may suggest to make a remote for this situation out of another Android device, please ??

Thanks for any help in this matter.

[Flumpster]

If you are mainly just using this for Kodi then the easiest option for you is to use the officials apps for Android or IOS. On Android it is called Kore.

You have to enable a few settings in Kodi Settings first to get it to connect but the instructions are in the app.

It works by communicating over your network so as long as the box is connected to your router (lets say by ethernet) and your phone is connected to your router (lets say by wifi) then it will work.

This will not control the rest of the box, only Kodi, so you will have to use a mouse or the official remote to get into kodi first.

Another possibility is to buy a flirc. This is a little dongle that plugs into a USB port and you can program any remote to work and assign what buttons you want. It can also learn from your crappy remote. This is what I do.

[smith2]

Thanks for replying Flumpster !!
I had found Kore and considered setting Kodi to autostart as it is mostly what we use.

After posting my query here, on the off chance that it might be helpful, I emailed asking similarly of several remote app makers.
Much to my surprise & delight replies arrived from the devs of Droidmote & Yatse.
Their answers indicate that as long as the IPs can ping one another that the LAN=>Wifi control should work fine.

A couple of weeks ago we also got a very cute remote that uses a dongle which has a KB side & a remote side.
It works pretty well, but is very twitchy & has some very odd effects on the sound.

Rather than having a useless remote as well as one which randomly mutes the box - it seems best to just have a single remote that has less buttons - and hopefully no odd side-effects.

So I'll try some of these things and post back when I have some results.

Thanks.

[Flumpster]

I really like Yatse and is better than the official Kore in my opinion but I was going for the easiest free option.

You can set widgets on one of your phones with yatse to have just the remote control options without going into the app which is great.

Good luck trying them all mate, here is a cut and paste from a different post I made with what I use.

Logitech K400



This a great little portable keyboard/touchpad. It comes with its own receiver and during a recent discussion between the devs here and myself it seemed that 90 percent of us owned one and the other 10 percent wanted one. There is probably a reason for this


FLIRC



Where has this been all my life?

I only recently discovered flirc while looking for a way to control Kodi on the PCG03. The Logitech K400 is a great controller for windows but my family just wants to pick up a remote. I could find plenty of MCE remotes reasonably cheap with receivers but it just added another remote to the collection.

Flirc allows you use any remote you like that uses IR and lets you program each key to a command or a key/combo. I set up one of the inputs on my universal remote to be a random device and then taught flirc what each button should do.

The first time setup is very easy using their interface but once it is programmed it can be plugged into any device as it just acts as a HID controller.

[smith2]

Thanks Again for replying so helpfully Flumpster.

Flirc is a really brilliant device & I hadn't heard of it before.
I will likely give the free stuff a spin before shelling out the $23 for a Flirc.

One which is well rated & reviewed is 'Limitless Remote'
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ontrolPad.main)
Folks say that it connects very easily & has great options & if it will work I can use it on a really old phone that has no other use right now...

Later on I may just get a Flirc though as that would be cool just to have a single remote.

[smith2]

I tried a couple of remote apps...
'Limitless Remote' connected OK, but is really messy - not easy to use a'tall.
Tried Kore next - and I must say, I am impressed.
It was simple enough to get connected and has just enough controls for what I need, so that may be the best answer for me after all...for now.

[ladyjack]

Just my $0.02 but, I've used the Droidmote client and server for years to control my Android boxes and Kodi. It works great. Of course, it's not free....the Server app is $3.49 but, once you purchase it, it can be installed on as many Android boxes as you want. The dev is also very responsive to any questions/problems you may have.....just as long as you send them to him via his email and not through the comment section on Google Play.

[smith2]

Thanks for replying Ladyjack.
As noted in #3, I also found the Droidmote dev to be very helpful via direct email.

What seems obvious to me is that many folks want LOTS of features & buttons in a remote app or unit.

For me all that is really needed is play/pause/stop & volume +/-; directional controls & OK are not even needed very often here.

The actual problem I sought to get past was the LAN=> Wifi connection.
It appears that most remote apps are built to work fine that way - even if they do not clearly state that fact in their descriptions.