I wanted the ability to use a TV Remote to turn on and dim lights, change the thermostat for heating and cooling, even lock/unlock a door. Of course, everything looks like an Arduino project for me, so I scavenged the IR Sensor out of an old VCR, grabbed a TV remote, and went to work. I found some code on the internet I could modify for my purposes, and started logging what codes came across my serial monitor when pushing button. Then I created case statements that activate relays (or SSR’s) when a button is pushed. I’m sure you can come up with even more ways to use this. Code and schematics at:
http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com/2012/11/arduino-ir-receiver-part-2.html
Parts Needed:
Arduino Uno
IR Sensor
Relay Board or SSR’s