First, I already posted this on the Newbie thread and have not had any responses, so I am posting this here for more feedback and help, so please forgive me for double threading this subject.

I am trying to figure out how I can get the N800 to work as a Universal Remote.

And this is what my understanding of the topic is,
1. The N800 does not have an IR port, thus some sort of external IR module is required which can obtain the remote codes for various devices.

2. A software like Irreco is required for the remote interface.

3. With the lack of an IR port some sort of interface to link the devices with the N800. I am assuming this is where LIRC/WinLirc/Girder comes in.

This is where I am getting confused, how do I put all these together.
Because all the threads and the products web sites talk about what can be done but not how it could be done.

I already have the Microsoft's Media Center Remote with the receiver, can I use this with the N800 as its IR port and utilize Irreco. All the options talk about Serial interface but can a USB interface also be used ?

Please shed some light on this topic as I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

It is not necessary to post anything on more than one thread. Most of the senior members monitor all new posts throughout the day and view each new post as soon as it is sent.

There was no reply, because there is no guide. I've not even heard of anyone actually having done it before, only speculation.

I am not 100% sure on this, but you should be able to set-up a program like HIP/Girder to control remote commands using keystrokes which I am guessing could be transferred over Wi-Fi from your Nokia device using something like VNC/Telnet.

I will try to explain it step-by-step.

1. Nokia device with Irreco/Telnet/VNC logged on to PC via Wi-Fi
2. PC has Microsoft e-Home IR Receiver/Transmitter installed and Girder/HIP
3. e-Home device has the blasters installed for transmitting received commands to external devices.
4. HIP/Girder set-up correctly to interpret commands from the Nokia device.

So I could tell HIP to use Channel Up command when I press the up-arrow on my keyboard. I VNC into my PC via my Nokia device, load the on-screen keyboard and click the up-arrow button. Now you can make it do this behind the scenes I am sure with Irreco/Telnet.

Now this is just for MCE. But the same principal should work for TV/Hi-Fi/Satellite and so on, as long as you get HIP to learn/record the specific remote controls commands and set them to blast out on the specified keystroke.

I haven't tested this yet, so this is merely just guesswork. The hardest thing is getting HIP working with the e-Home device, learning the right commands and blasting out the codes on keystroke etc. Once this is done right though and working it should be very easy to get the N800 etc speaking with the PC to execute the commands.

I hope this helps

IIRC, you're still missing a piece of hardware. You need an IR blaster/transmitter. The receiver can only help you learn remote codes in your scenario. The blaster sends those codes to your A/V components. Maybe you've seen some discussion around here about putting an IR blaster on an n800. Forget about that. You need an IR blaster that either connects to your network (expensive) or you need one that connects to a compter (not your tablet) via some serial port. Preferably USB. I recommend visiting this page at the irreco project. There are some diagrams that may be helpful. And just in case, a transceiver is both a transmitter and a receiver.