How to use an Apple remote with KODI on Ubuntu on an Intel NUC

I use an Intel NUC i5 as my desktop computer. With Ubuntu 16.04 and KODI (formerly XBMC) it also doubles as a home theatre PC. To make this media centre really usable, I was plannig to use an infrared remote to control KODI. It’s much more practical when sitting at a distance than using a wireless keyboard or trackpad. Most (if not all) of the Intel NUCs have an infrared sensor.

I happen to have a white Apple remote that I got with my white MacBook in 2006. It’s a really minimalist infrared remote control that originally was meant for use with FrontRow before Apple discontinued it when they launched the Apple TV and Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”. It is literally made for controlling media playback.

I found an excellent guide on how to set it up that worked very well for me, so I wanted to share it and write it down here to remember where I found it for later reference. It’s not too hard to follow and after setting it up with the correct addresses for each key, I am now able to remote control KODI. 🙂

2 Comments on How to use an Apple remote with KODI on Ubuntu on an Intel NUC

Carlos Santos 3rd August 2016 at 12:35 pm

Thanks for the reference 😉

Reply Einar 3rd August 2016 at 2:21 pm

Thank you for finding the information in the first place! It’s easy to follow your guide, but it must have taken a lot of time to figure it all out. 🙂