So you saw the YouTube video of the guy controlling his TV with the Nokia N900? But you’ve looked everywhere for that app and either can’t find it or found it and just can’t get it to work? Here’s something to help.
I. Enable More Apps on Your N900
1. First you need to do our How To Get More Apps On Your N900 Procedure then come back to this procedure.
II. Download Irreco and Start Lirc
1. Now that you have all of the repositories mentioned in our Get More Apps procedure, you can find the Irreco for the N900 app in the App. Manager > Download > Multimedia. Find it in there and download it (only download the one that says for N900 in the name).
2. Now download RootSh app from under App. Manager > Tap the Title Bar and then click Search. Search for rootsh and hit enter. Download the application.
3. Open X Terminal under Menu > More… then click X Terminal. Once open type the following, hitting an enter after each line:
sudo gainroot
/etc/init.d/lirc start
It should say that Lirc is started or that it was already running, either way were done in Terminal, you can close it out now.
*Steps 2 and 3 above are optional and are meant to stop the common error of “Cannot Open Socket” being displayed in Irreco, I highly recommend doing them either way. Also if you ever get the “Cannot Open Socket” error go and do steps 2 and 3 again and it should fix it.
III. Setting Up Device Controllers and Downloading Control Commands
1. Now open Irreco by going to Menu > More… > and click on Irreco – IR Remote
2. Push Ok on the Notification that pops up.
3. When Download Remotes comes up click out side of it to cancel it. Then click ok on the next notification.
4. Tap the title bar to open the menu and click on New Remote. Then enter a name for your new remote.
5. Tap the title bar to open the menu and click on Device Controllers, then click New.
6. Select Internal Lirc when asked What do you want to control? then click ok.
7. Check that the settings on the next dialog box match what is written below and then click Ok.
Hostname: localhost
Port: 8765
If you get an error after clicking Ok saying Cannot Open Socket, please go back and do steps 2 and 3 in the previous section.
8. Now click outside the Device Controllers section to close it.
9. Click on the title bar again and click on Download from Lirc.
10. Here is where you will choose your TV. So try to find the model that most closely represents the TV you wish to control (keep in mind it usually does not have to be exact, so long as it is close they might use the same control commands).
11. After you have found it click on download and then click ok when it says successful.
IV. Creating a Remote
1. Click the title bar then New Button.
2. Enter a name for your button, as a test I always make a power button first, so I named mine Power.
3. Then click Add and select the command you want, for a power button select On/Off, Power or something similar then click Ok.
4. You can then move your button around on the screen to place it where you want it.
5. Tap the title bar and click Save remote.
6. You can now click the power button while aimed at the TV and see if your TV turns off/on. If so congrats! Now repeat this procedure to add as many buttons as you want. Also keep in mind that you can create a button like “Food Network” and add the command for 7 and then add another after it like 4 to get to channel 74 with one button (Food Network is channel 74 where I am) 
Enjoy!
Reported Issues:
Issue: It worked the first time but now when I open Irreco it says Can Not Open Socket or some type of error and it won’t work!
Solution: For some reason Lirc stops running when the phone is restarted, so once per reboot before you use the Irreco program do Step 3 in Section II:
3. Open X Terminal under Menu > More… then click X Terminal. Once open type the following, hitting an enter after each line:
sudo gainroot
/etc/init.d/lirc start
It should say that Lirc is started or that it was already running, either way were done in Terminal, you can close it out now and restart Irreco.
Ive followed this process very easily, but it only allows me to download two remote sets, no matter which i download i only see the first two original remotes i downloaded……
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Bill,
Dont download a remote, you have to create your own. Follow the video.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I have always the same Problem, there are no button with power ,1,2,3 or something like this…
just wait 0,1s wait0,6s previous Remote …whats my problem…
THX for Help
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Menju,
You need to do step 9 and download the control for your TV. Make sure then when you select the TV you hit download and it says Download Successful if it doesnt and it just goes away then go back and redownload it until it says successful.
Then once you have downloaded it you can continue with the next step and it will show the options in the button.
Good luck!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hanks for your quick answere, but the download is already sucsessfull….but there are just special command buttons like next remote ….maybe i did something wrong with the linc
(you wrote: download it from linc , is there a diffrent beetween linc and linkDB?)
THX
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Menju,
That means it didn’t download correctly.
Close and open the Irreco app and does it come up with an error when the app starts, like Cannot Open Socket?
If so read the reported issues and follow the solution.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hi.
no there is no can not open or any other foult…
i tried zhe installation 3 times and all poinnt from your tut are ok but here are no buttns…
i don´t have an icon after installation like you in menue…just this blue cube…maybe there is the first problm…
i think i have to waitfor offizial release…
THX for help
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hello
as far as i can guess, i have the same problem as Menju has… i have correctly installed irreco step-by-step, wrote the code in the xTerminal so it doesnt say ‘cannot open socket’.
i can succesfuly download buttons from lircDB…BUT i encounter a problem, when installing a new button and adding its purpose.
so, when im supposed to choose what will my button do, i can only choose things as: ‘next remote’, ‘previous remote’, ‘wait 0,3s’, ‘wait 0,6s’;…and this doesnt change even if i press refresh, or download a new set of buttons frem lircDB.
nice regards, filip
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
whenever i download rootsh……the screen sayz cant download….i noticed its only
1 kb…???
as a result cannot open socket..???
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Nasr,
Read the reported issues to get rid of the cannot open socket issue (you might have to do it after every reboot.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
any helpful tips for my problem?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you for breaking it down. Your demo was clear and concise. I am more blown away by the limitlessness the n900 offers. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hey I have the error: can not open socket.
I didt everything that u writen.
En when i do steps 2 and 3 it only works one time.
When I close irreco en start it again the error is back.
Can you help me ?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Piet,
Its an error with Irreco. So long as you don’t turn the phone off it stays. If the error comes back you need to do steps 2 and 3 again.
Eventually Irreco will fix it, but for now thats how it has to be done.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i am having the same problem i installed everything properly step by step but still the bottons such as power, 1, 2, or 3 dont show up. i tried turning of the phone and doing steps 2 and 3 again but still didnt work.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Anonymous,
What do you mean they wont show up exactly? Did you click new button and then Add and you should see the commands you downloaded. Some of the downloads are not for TVs so make sure you download the right one for your TV.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
yes i dowmloaded the exact model for my tv. i have sony rmt v266 and still when i click add new button, only commands such as wait 1s, next remote and etc show up.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Anonynmous,
That means the app isn’t seeing the config files you downloaded. Go into the file manager and make sure the config files were downloaded appropriately. Also try going in there, deleting them, and reinstalling them. This happened to me once or twice and messing around with it fixed it eventually. It seems to be a bug in the Irrecco program where it doesnt find the config files, they will update at some point Im sure.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
in x terminal when i put /etc/init.d/lirc start it comes up wit error saying failed to read config file. what do i do and i downloaded and followed all instructions. i put sudo gainroot first then /etc/init.d/lirc start but i got the error
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Annonynmous,
The error is fine in the terminal usually does that. So long as when you open irreco it doesnt say anything about cannot open socket then you are fine.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i went in file manager and saw a irreco folder. i went in it an there was a folder called internallircdevices and i went in that. there was the file for the remote i downloaded from lircdb, the name was the model number of my tv. wat do you mean by checking if the config files were downloaded properly. do you want me to delete the folder and reinstall irreco.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Annonynmous,
That file in there is the config file. Irreco sometimes has issues with thinking that it isnt there. So what I did we delete that file (the TV file, NOT the whole folder). Then go back into the Irreco and download the config file again (Download from LircDB option).
Good luck!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
were am i suppose to download the config file.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i tried that but still no succes. the commands dont show up for tv. i dont what is going on. i give up thanks for the help anyways.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Annonynmous,
Ya, its an issue with Irreco, might just have to wait for an update from them. Sorry.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i tried redownloading the config file like you said but it didnt help. i dont know whats going on i give up. thanks for the help anyway.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I was having the same issue with the missing commands: when attempting to add a new command in the chain for a button the options shown after selecting “add” were only those listed under “special commands” such as “next remote”, “show remote xxxx” and the like.
Upon trying again, I found I had added more than one remote config to the same device controller. Adding a seperate device controller for each device seems to be the way forward. Which, in retrospect, seems bleeding obvious but I was doing my nut with it.
Now I think I’ve done this properly, but the next hurdle is that both device controllers (“internal lirc 1 – localhost” and “internal lirc 2 – localhost”) seem to have the same device assigned. I downloaded two separate device configs and created each device controller entry as I was doing this so they should be separate (I think) but they aren’t.
Now if I attempt to add a command to the chain for any one button, both lirc 1 & 2 appear but they both show the same device name above the list of commands and issue the same commands as each other. “1″ should be the TV and “2″ the DVD player, but both show the TV model number and both only control the TV.
Looks like I’ll be stuck to controlling only one device with it for the moment, unlesss I get any flashes of inspiration.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Excellent… It works perfectly.. Thank you very much
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Have a quick questoin, i have a Toshiba TV CT-90255 i tired the other remotes loaded on lirc but didn’t quite work i was wondering if there is any way i can get around that my inputing my own codes or from downloading from somewhere else. thx
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hi i downloaded and installed everything correctly but there is no remote for my tv i have tried all the ones in the list and none of them work it took ages too. is there a way to get more choices ?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Also there are no codes for my second tv either are they all american models or something.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hey for all those with the same problem as I. I have found a solution, i used the ct-90047 config for all the complex buttons ex: input, picsize, etc.. and i have used the CT-90287 for the #’s. Goodluck.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Is there any way I can control my sky box using this method?? If so couls someone please help, thank you in advance
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
after i put the first line in x terminal i get /home/user #
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hello!
I trying to make the irreco work. When i adding new button the add I only se special commands new remote, previous remote, show remote nothing that sys like yours power ,1,2,3. What iam doing wrong? In the download from lirc that isent so many options for samsung i have samsung le40a336 and nothing is close everything os different. Please help me
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
cant find anything there
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I have an Element T.V, which is one of those housebrands but I can’t seem to find it on the list. Can anyone help me find it or the closest one to it? Really appreciated.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The sanyo TV’s all start with model numbers of “DPXXXXXX”
does anyone know which device to download for the universal remote? I cant figure out which device to download for it. i have a sanyo DP42849. if anyone figures this out, please post!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
For those of you with the socket issue on the N900 there is a way to make the socket issue much more tolerable.
When I checked my /etc/sudoers file the /etc/init.d/lirc start command was listed as a command useable without root password.
So you can make a little script file with the following and just run the script each time before starting irreco:
#!/bin/sh
echo `sudo /etc/init.d/lirc start`
I have even made the script an app in my app manger on the n900 and added it as a shortcut on my desktop. So now when I start my phone I press two buttons and irreco works!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Kd_Alex,
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hey, ive installed the app successfully. i used it once, and the xbox switched on. i couldnt configure the rest. so i closed the app. now everytime i open the app it closes within 1 second. HELP!
ive tried uninstalling and installing a fresh copy of the app, but it still doesnt work.
ive followed all the procedures.
please advise.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you Unlockr, i followed the steps and mine works perfectly apart from the volume button changing the moving up and down through the channels instead of the volume lol..however i must say that i only came across this site today and i am totally impressed. Your instructions are so clear and concise and i am very thankful.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i have the smae prob as it was working perfect then after i restarted my phone it wasnt working so i unistalled it and reinstalled it now when i open it it closes in less than a second plz help.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Rex,
This is an issue with the app, contact Irreco.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
when i start irreco this message pops up (cannot resolve hostname local host) what do i do
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I get the same thing. Everything works fine, when I download a new tv it say successfully but then when I add the button and I look for the command that it should do, there are just special commands such as wait 0.3 sec previous command, next command etc.. Thanks for sharing your knowledge anyways. I’ll give up. I’ll wait for when it come out.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hey,
same crashing problem again.
seems to just keep crashing when i open the app.
i had deleted the WHOLE folder a while ago. didnt work after that.
ive even reflashed my phone, and still no success with the app.
can some one help me download the irreco FOLDER so i can get manually put it in my phone?
or is there any other way to get irreco running??
ive tried
sudo gainroot
apt-get purge lirc
apt-get purge qtirreco
and manually uninstalled irreco-for-n900 through the
!
application manager and reinstalled.
no luck again
please help someone, im dying to show this off to my iphone friends!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I’m getting a unique error not mentioned so far, after reaching till point 9> Download from Lric, i get error message Cannot resolve hostname
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I can’t find my tv model
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
All the Tv models that are in Irreco are not even close to my one.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Like or Dislike:
0 
0