IR is an abbreviation for the phrase infrared port. The name clearly indicates the technology by which this device is implemented. The first prototypes of infrared ports appeared in the 1990s. The port is implemented as a receiver and transmitter of light waves in the infrared range, and this is light with a wavelength of 850 to 880 nanometers. This range is outside the spectrum of radiation visible to humans, therefore it does not interfere and is convenient for use. Infrared radiation from the infrared port is absolutely harmless, so you can not think about the consequences of its use.
As previously used infrared
In the era of push-button phones without an operating system, when a very small percentage of the population had the Internet, the infrared port along with bluetooth technology became the main way to distribute information between devices. It worked like this: you had to select a file on your device, and then in the options select transfer via infrared. Then two phones were laid out next to each other at a distance of a centimeter, or less. Now it was only necessary to wait until the process of transmitting information through the port was completed. The transmission speed and the amount of information transmitted were very low.
Decline in popularity
Soon, bluetooth and wireless Internet began to develop much faster and replaced the infrared port. But they did not forget about him, but on the contrary, found a new, more logical application. More precisely, the well-forgotten old. The fact is that, a long time ago, the infrared range is used in control panels for household appliances. Given the tendency to equip smartphones with more and more features, it is not surprising that the infrared port also fell into some smartphone models. One of the most popular representatives of such devices is Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 - a Chinese mid-range smartphone.
Infrared port for smartphone on the example of Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
The Chinese company Xiaomi rarely tries to independently try new ideas in digital technology, and simply follows the general trends, making sales due to the low price of the devices. But still, there are exceptions. For example, several models of smartphones of this company boast the presence of an infrared port for direct control of equipment. It should be clarified that we are talking about household appliances, such as a TV, air conditioning, or maybe even a “smart” multicooker.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 has the Mi Remote application installed “from the factory”, which is a hub for controlling the operation of devices via infrared. Some people do not understand the meaning of this technology, preferring to have 10 control panels for each device, instead of just one, and even inside the smartphone. Well, there will always be those who prefer a horse-drawn carriage to a car, because this is the choice of everyone. But in this article we will be guided by the opinion that the infrared port in the phone is good and convenient.
Configure the infrared port in the smartphone
The program for the IR port Mi Remote is configured without much difficulty. Let's look at this process step by step:
- Make sure you have an Internet connection on your device.
- Turn on the device for which you want to configure control via infrared.
- In Mi Remote, click the plus sign in the upper right corner of the screen.
After that, a special window will open in which you will need to select the type of device to be connected and the brand of the manufacturer, then select the name of the device.
The next step will be the selection of remote control codes for the device to which you are trying to connect. Do not be afraid, you are not required to select the code manually, you just need to point the smartphone towards the desired device, and then press the button in Mi Remote. After receiving a response signal - stop pinching the button on the smartphone and confirm your intentions in the Mi Remote menu bar. Sometimes there may be cases that such an operation will have to be repeated several times. On average, three iterations are needed for a successful join. That's all, now you can easily and simply control all the devices in a smart home.
What other smartphones with infrared
Some companies, like Apple, rely on the ideal optimization of embedded software and hardware. Some other companies with slightly less resources can not afford to spend years developing “ideal software” and try to travel up the hill due to non-standard solutions in the hardware of the smartphone.
Screens with a volumetric or half-volumetric picture, a fading screen, receiving television signals - all this is often "chips" for the "chips". Therefore, many people took smartphones with infrared in the same way as a simple marketing move. But if you nevertheless used the infrared port in the phone and decided that you need it, then you should think about buying a device with the presence of such a function. Fortunately, an abundance of manufacturers and an extensive lineup allow us to do this. Therefore, we list the main applicants for the purchase of a smartphone with an infrared port:
ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe.
HTC One ME.
Huawei P9 Plus.
Ulefone Power.
Lenovo Vibe X3.
Xiaomi Mi5.
LG G5.
Samsung Galaxy S6.
LeEco Le Max 2.
The technical characteristics of each of them you can easily find, and you can also see reviews and comparisons on YouTube. But you can be sure that each of these flagships supports infrared technology.
IR Applications
The advantage of an open operating system is that third-party manufacturers can absolutely safely develop and offer their applications for working with the hardware of the device. Infrared port was no exception, so now you can find many programs in Google Play Market, the essence of which is to use a universal remote control on your smartphone via infrared port.
You absolutely may need one of these third-party applications if you want, for example, to connect to some rare TV model, or a smart lighting system.
ASmart Remote IR is currently the best third-party infrared application. It is universal, so you can easily pick up codes and connect to your air conditioner, remotely control the operation of a webcam, projector and so on.
In addition to this application, the AnyMote Universal Remote program behaves pretty well in work. In it, you can combine on one screen the control buttons of various devices, creating your universal remote. Agree, this greatly simplifies life. With such an application, the loss of a standard remote control, or its failure, will cease to be an urgent problem. The special IFTTT service in this application will help you create multi-level action scenarios. This means that pressing one button can solve several of your daily tasks at once. The application supports almost 900 thousand devices to connect.
What if the smartphone is already purchased, but I want an infrared port
Of course, such a problem could hardly go unnoticed. Therefore, the Chinese have begun to make vengeance on external accessories for mobile devices that connect via USB, or even through a headphone jack! Owners of iOS devices can also rejoice in this scenario, because for their operating system they also developed external infrared ports.
To summarize
Nowadays, equipping a smartphone with an infrared port is unlikely to be something surprising, and its use is doubtful if you use little household appliances. One thing is for sure - determine for yourself whether this function should be decisive for you when you buy it or not, and then look at the presence of an infrared port in the phone. Indeed, it’s definitely not worth paying for an opportunity for the sake of opportunity, but knowing how to use the infrared port, you can greatly simplify your life .