Radio frequency

The Radio Frequency integrationIntegrations connect and integrate Home Assistant with your devices, services, and more. [Learn more] allows you to use Home Assistant to send commands to radio frequency-controlled devices. The integration acts as an abstraction layer between the following components:

• A radio frequency remote adapter (proxy) hardware
• An integration that provides radio frequency entities by integrating a radio frequency remote adapter (such as ESPHome or Broadlink)
• Device-specific integrations (such as Honeywell String Lights or Novy Cooker Hood)

You can control radio frequency-controlled devices from Home Assistant without touching the handheld remote control. The chart illustrates how this is possible via the integrations.

Diagram showing how the Radio Frequency integration connects device integrations to a radio frequency remote adapter through a remote adapter integration. How the Radio Frequency integration connects device integrations to a radio frequency remote adapter through a remote adapter integration.

A radio frequency entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] represents a radio frequency transmitter.

Setting up radio frequency control in Home Assistant

You can set up a radio frequency remote adapter (proxy) to control devices directly from Home Assistant.

Prerequisites

The Radio Frequency integrationIntegrations connect and integrate Home Assistant with your devices, services, and more. [Learn more] is a building block that other integrations build on. It cannot control devices directly. To control devices from Home Assistant, a few other components are needed.

• Administrator rights in Home Assistant.
• A radio frequency-controlled device, such as a remote outlet, garage door, or string lights.
• A radio frequency remote adapter. If you’re unsure what to get:
  • Find integrations that support radio frequency: In the documentation, search for the radio frequency category.
  • You could also follow an example from the ESPHome radio frequency proxy projects.
  • Make sure the remote adapter supports the frequency and modulation that your device uses, such as 433.92 MHz OOK.

To set up radio frequency control in Home Assistant

1. Place the radio frequency remote adapter within range of the radio frequency-controlled device. For more details, refer to About device placement and coverage.
2. In Home Assistant, add the integration for your radio frequency remote adapter. Home Assistant creates a separate radio frequency entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] for each transmitter it provides.
   • To add the integration, follow the steps in the integration documentation.
3. Add the integration for your radio frequency-controlled device, such as Honeywell String Lights.
   • To add the integration, follow the steps in the integration documentation.
   • During integration setup, when you are asked which radio frequency transmitter to use, select the transmitter from your radio frequency remote adapter.
4. If some radio frequency-controlled devices are out of range or respond unreliably, place additional radio frequency remote adapters closer to them.
   • During setup of the radio frequency-controlled device, select the remote adapter that is within range and provides the most reliable signal.

About device placement and coverage

Radio frequency is a radio-based technology. Unlike infrared, RF signals can pass through walls, furniture, and other objects, so a single remote adapter can often reach devices in more than one room. Range and reliability still depend on where you place the adapter.

For the best results, keep the following in mind:

• Place the radio frequency remote adapter within the range supported by your adapter’s transmitter strength and the device’s receiver sensitivity.
• Keep some distance between the adapter and large metal objects, which can block or reflect RF signals.
• If your adapter has an antenna, position it for the best coverage. Its orientation can affect range and signal strength.
• Avoid placing the adapter near sources of radio interference, such as other devices on the same frequency (for example, 433.92 MHz), Wi-Fi routers, or USB 3.0 hardware. To see how much USB 3.0 hardware can affect nearby radio devices, refer to Connectivity issues due to interference.

If some devices are out of range or respond unreliably, add another radio frequency remote adapter closer to them. During setup of each radio frequency-controlled device, select the remote adapter that is within range and provides the most reliable signal.

Viewing your radio frequency remote adapters

You can see all your radio frequency remote adapters in one place from the Radio frequency configuration panel.

1. Go to Settings > Radio frequency.
   • At the top, a status summary shows how many of your radio frequency remote adapters are currently online.
2. Select Devices to open the list of radio frequency remote adapters. For each one, you can see:
   • The name of the adapter.
   • When it was last used.
3. To view more details, select a radio frequency remote adapter to open its device page.

About radio frequency terminology

This section explains some of the key terms on this page and how they are used in the Home Assistant documentation.

Radio frequency remote adapter (proxy)

A device that relays RF commands on behalf of Home Assistant. It can connect to Home Assistant over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or other technology. A radio frequency remote adapter is also known as a radio frequency proxy.

It has the following characteristics:

• The radio frequency remote adapter is the hardware device.
• The radio frequency remote adapter contains one or more transmitters.
• Each transmitter is shown as a separate entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] in Home Assistant.

Radio frequency transmitter

The component of your remote adapter that sends out RF signals. This is the same kind of signal a physical remote sends. A transmitter is what actually controls a device. In Home Assistant, each transmitter appears as a radio frequency entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] that other integrations can use.

Radio frequency-controlled device

The appliance you want to control, such as a remote outlet, garage door, or string lights. It listens for RF signals but does not connect to your network.

Radio frequency entity

The Home Assistant representation of a single transmitter. This is what you select when configuring an integration for a radio frequency-controlled device.

About the state of a radio frequency entity

The radio frequency entity is stateless in the traditional sense, as in, it cannot have a state like on or off. Instead, the state is a timestamp showing the date and time when an RF command was last sent through the transmitter.

In addition, the entity can have the following states:

• Unavailable: The entity is currently unavailable.
• Unknown: The state is not yet known.

Because the stateThe state holds the information of interest of an entity, for example, if a light is on or off. Each entity has exactly one state and the state only holds one value at a time. However, entities can store attributes related to that state such as brightness, color, or a unit of measurement. [Learn more] of a radio frequency entity is a timestamp, it changes every time an RF command is sent. This means you can use it to track when the transmitter was last used. The logbook can also show context about which integrationIntegrations connect and integrate Home Assistant with your devices, services, and more. [Learn more] or actionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called sequence. [Learn more] triggered the transmission.