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The remote_receiver component lets your ESP device listen for infrared (IR) and RF remote control signals on a GPIO pin and decode them into known protocols — NEC, Sony, Samsung, RC5, RC6, Panasonic, Pioneer, and dozens more. Once decoded, signals can trigger automations directly or be matched by binary sensors that momentarily activate when a specific code is received.

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Minimal Example

remote_receiver:
  pin:
    number: GPIO18
    inverted: true
    mode:
      input: true
      pullup: true
  dump: all
With dump: all, every received code appears in the ESPHome logs at DEBUG level. Use this to discover the protocol and address/command values of any remote.

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Configuration Variables

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pin
Pin
required
The GPIO pin connected to the data output of your IR or RF receiver module (e.g. TSOP38238, SRX882).
​
dump
list or 'all'
Protocols to decode and print in the logs. Set to all to enable every available decoder. Individual options include: nec, samsung, sony, rc5, rc6, panasonic, pioneer, lg, jvc, aeha, raw, pronto, rc_switch, coolix, haier, midea, toshiba_ac, nexa, keeloq, dyson, dooya, drayton, and many more.
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tolerance
int or Time or mapping
Acceptable deviation in signal timing. Defaults to 25%. Can be expressed as a percentage or a fixed time value. For noisy RF signals, try increasing to 50% or 60%.
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filter
Time
Ignore pulses shorter than this duration. Removes glitches from noisy signals. Defaults to 50us.
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idle
Time
Time a signal must remain stable before it is considered complete. Defaults to 10ms. On ESP32 with RMT hardware, maximum is 65536us (at default clock resolution).
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buffer_size
int
Internal buffer for received codes. Defaults to 10kB on ESP32 and 1kB on ESP8266.
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id
ID
Manually specify the component ID. Required when multiple receivers are configured.

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ESP32 RMT Options

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rmt_symbols
int
RMT memory allocated to this component (multiples of block size). Controls DMA buffer size when use_dma is enabled.
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clock_resolution
int
RMT peripheral clock in Hz. Defaults to 1000000 (1 MHz = 1 µs resolution).
​
use_dma
boolean
Enable DMA mode on supported ESP32 variants for large buffer sizes.
​
filter_symbols
int
Filter out received data shorter than this many RMT symbols.

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Automation Triggers

Each supported protocol has a corresponding on_<protocol> trigger. The decoded data is passed as variable x. 
remote_receiver:
  pin: GPIO18
  dump: all
  on_nec:
    then:
      - lambda: |-
          ESP_LOGI("remote", "NEC address=0x%04X command=0x%04X",
            x.address, x.command);
  on_samsung:
    then:
      - if:
          condition:
            lambda: "return x.data == 0xE0E040BF;"  # volume up
          then:
            - media_player.volume_up: my_player
Available triggers: on_nec, on_samsung, on_samsung36, on_sony, on_rc5, on_rc6, on_panasonic, on_pioneer, on_lg, on_jvc, on_aeha, on_coolix, on_haier, on_midea, on_toshiba_ac, on_raw, on_pronto, on_rc_switch, on_nexa, on_keeloq, on_dyson, on_dooya, on_drayton, on_beo4, on_byronsx, on_canalsat, on_canalsatld, on_dish, on_gobox, on_magiquest, on_roomba, on_symphony, on_mirage, on_toto, on_abbwelcome.
Raw codes (on_raw) give you a list of pulse widths in microseconds (positive = ON, negative = OFF). You can copy this list directly into a remote_transmitter configuration to replay the signal.

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Binary Sensor: Matching Specific Codes

Use binary_sensor with platform: remote_receiver to create entities that briefly activate when a specific remote code is detected. 
binary_sensor:
  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "TV Power Button"
    nec:
      address: 0x7F80
      command: 0x3FC0

  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "AC Cool Mode"
    samsung:
      data: 0xE0E08877
      nbits: 32

  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "RF Socket 1 ON"
    rc_switch_type_a:
      group: "01001"
      device: "10110"
      state: true
​
receiver_id
ID
Specify which receiver to use when multiple receivers are configured.

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Supported Code Types for Binary Sensors

Each entry uses the same fields as the corresponding on_<protocol> trigger:
ProtocolKey Fields
necaddress, command
samsungdata, nbits (default 32)
sonydata, nbits (default 12)
rc5address, command
rc6address, command
panasonicaddress, command
pioneerrc_code_1
lgdata, nbits (default 28)
rawcode (list of int)
rc_switch_type_agroup, device, state
rc_switch_type_baddress, channel, state
rc_switch_rawcode (binary string)

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Hardware Setup Tips

Many IR receiver modules (like the TSOP38238) have an active-low output. Use inverted: true and mode: {input: true, pullup: true} on the pin.
# Typical TSOP38238 / TSOP31238 configuration
remote_receiver:
  pin:
    number: GPIO18
    inverted: true
    mode:
      input: true
      pullup: true
  dump: all
  filter: 50us
  idle: 10ms

# RF 433 MHz receiver (no invert, no pullup)
remote_receiver:
  pin: GPIO21
  dump: rc_switch
  tolerance: 60%
  filter: 4us
  idle: 4ms
For the Sonoff RF Bridge, you can bypass the onboard EFM8BB1 co-processor with a hardware mod and use pin: 4 for RX and pin: 5 for TX with carrier_duty_percent: 100%.

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Complete Example: TV Remote Control

remote_receiver:
  pin:
    number: GPIO18
    inverted: true
    mode:
      input: true
      pullup: true
  dump: nec

binary_sensor:
  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "TV Volume Up"
    nec:
      address: 0x7F80
      command: 0x1CE3
    on_press:
      - media_player.volume_up: living_room_speaker

  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "TV Volume Down"
    nec:
      address: 0x7F80
      command: 0x9C63
    on_press:
      - media_player.volume_down: living_room_speaker

  - platform: remote_receiver
    name: "TV Power"
    nec:
      address: 0x7F80
      command: 0x3FC0
    on_press:
      - switch.toggle: tv_power_relay

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