The AXA Remote is a rigid chain actuator driven electronic window opener that is mounted in the window frame. It comes with an infrared remote control but can also be controlled using serial commands.
This ESPHome External Component uses these serial commands to control the AXA Remote window opener.
The component features:
- Open/Stop/Close the window
- Move window to a given position
- Calibrate the open/close timings
- Use remote control simultaneously*
The original AXA Remote what was introduced in 2008 (or earlier?). It has a plastic frame and casing. It is unknow if it can be controlled by wire. If you have more information on this device let me know!
The successor to the original AXA Remote introduced in 2011(?). It has increased burglar resistance. The frame is made of zamac, a zinc aluminium alloy while the casing remains plastic. It uses two motors, one to unlock and an other to open the window. This is the model that I used to develop this ESPHome External Component.
A synchronised version AXA Remote 2.0 that keeps a second window opener in sync with a master window operen. The intended use are large windows that need more power to open. The synchronisation is done by sending synchronisation messages back and forth between the window openers. This ESPHome External Component uses the same wired bus these synchronisation messages use and interferes with these messages.
- ESP32 or other ESPHome supported micro controller
- LIN-bus controller or any other kind of level converter
- External power supply
The AXA Remote component depends on the ESPHome UART component. The ESP8266 has a software emulated UART which has shown to be quite flaky. It is recomended to use a micro controller with a hardware UART, like the ESP32, for increased accuracy.
The AXA Remote has two identical RJ25 (6P6C) connectors, a pin on one connector is connected with the same pin on the other connector. The pinout is as follows:
| Pin | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vin |
| 2 | GND |
| 3 | RX/TX |
| 4 | RX/TX |
| 5 | GND |
| 6 | Vin |
Wiring a LIN-bus controller as level converter goes as follows:
The AXA Remote can be powered using 4 AA batteries or an external power supply which connects to the RJ25 plug on the window opener. The outer pins of the RJ25 are the + voltage input and pin 2/5 are ground. The official AXA Remote power supply delivers 7.5 Volt, however the device also seems to work fine on 9 Volt. The voltage does influence the speed and noise of the device, a lower voltage runs the device slower and less noisy while a higher voltage faster and noisier.
While this ESPHome External Component should work with a battery powered AXA Remote when the ESP is powered externally it makes more sense to power the AXA Remote using an external power supply and power the ESP directly from the AXA Remote using a voltage regulator. Some voltage regulators on ESP boards are actually quite tolerant regarding the input voltage and could be powered directly from the AXA Remote input voltage. Your mileage may vary and do this at your own risk.
A custom PCB is developed that fits in the battery compartment of the AXA Remote and can control up to two window openers. Only minor modifications to the battery compartment are needed.
The PCB is powered from the AXA Remote power supply and uses an ESP32 which is pre-loaded with the required ESPHome firmware. The firmware supports the open Improv Wi-Fi standard via BLE and a captive portal to easily setup your local Wi-Fi network credentials.
Additionally a Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR) can be installed to add a light sensor to the board.
This are the protocol details:
Serial port settings: 19200 baud 8N2
Device command: DEVICE, returns the device type, AXA RV2900 2.0 on my AXA Remote 2.0 device.
Version command: VERSION, returns the firmware version of the AXA Remote, Firmware V1.20 2012
on my AXA Remote 2.0 device.
Status command: STATUS, returns the current lock state.
Open command: OPEN, opens the window opener.
Stop command: STOP, stops the window opener.
Close command: CLOSE, closes the window opener.
Help command: HELP, shows the available commands.
Each command is ended with a carriage return and newline \r\n.
- Unlocked
- Strong Locked
- Weak Locked
I don't know what makes the difference between Strong Locked and Weak Locked. During the
development of this component I somewhat randomly got these different states back from the STATUS
command.
The AXA Remote only reports back if the device is locked or unlocked. When using the remote control to open the window from a closed position the integration can detect this and report the state accordingly. The same applies for closing the window with the remote control till a fully closed position. However stopping the window or partially opening/closing the window with the remote control can not be detected and the exact position the window is opened at will not correspond with the real position.
The AXA Remote firmware has some nasty quirks.
After a power outage the AXA Remote always reports the lock state as unlocked even when the window is closed and locked. Only opening and then closing the window will reset the lock state.
After a power outage the AXA Remote will only close if first the open command is given even when the window is fully open.
esphome:
name: axaremote
friendly_name: AXA Remote
external_components:
- source: github://rrooggiieerr/esphome-axaremote
refresh: 0s
esp32:
board: esp32dev
framework:
type: esp-idf
# Enable logging
logger:
level: INFO
# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
encryption:
key: ...
ota:
- platform: esphome
password: ...
wifi:
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
password: !secret wifi_password
uart:
tx_pin: ... # To pin 4 of the MCP2003
rx_pin: ... # To pin 1 of the MCP2003
baud_rate: 19200
stop_bits: 2
cover:
- platform: axaremote
name: "AXA Remote"
close_duration: 50s
auto_calibrate: True
- close_duration (Optional): The close duration from fully open to fully locked. From this time the unlock, open, close and lock durations are derived.
- auto_calibrate (Optional): Enable/disable auto calibration of the unlock, open, close and lock durations.
- polling_interval (Optional): The time between status update requests from the AXA Remote. Defaults to 0s (continuous polling). auto_calibrate will not be accurate with a reduced polling interval.
To reduce the interference of this ESPHome External Component with the synchronisation messages of the AXA Remote 2.0S it is recommended to use a reduced polling interval of 5 seconds or more.
cover:
- platform: axaremote
name: "AXA Remote 2.0S"
close_duration: 50s
polling_interval: 5s
This AXA Remote component for ESPHome can automatically calibrate the unlock, open, close and lock durations. To do this open the window fully and close the window from the ESPHome device. The component will measure the time it takes until the lock is in one of the locked states. By default the close duration is logged as info message to the ESPHome logging console. You can then use this value to set the close_duration of your ESPHome configuration YAML. You can also enable auto_calibrate which will automatically update the unlock, open, close and lock durations every time the window is closed from fully open to fully closed and locked.
You can contribute to this component, or show your appreciation, in the following ways.
Help other ESPHome and AXA Remote users find this external component by starring this GitHub page. Click ⭐ Star on the top right of the GitHub page.
Do you enjoy using this ESPHome component? Please consider supporting my work through one of the following platforms, your donation is greatly appreciated and keeps me motivated:
Book a one-hour ESPHome support session. I’ll help you troubleshoot your ESPHome setup or answer your ESPHome-related questions.
What can be done in one hour:
- ESPHome walktrough, I explain to you how ESPHome works
- Assistance in setting up your ESP device
- Install and configure an ESPHome (External) Component
What takes more time:
- Support for ESPHome Component developers
If you would like to have an ESPHome component developed for your product or are in need for a freelance ESP developer for your project please contact me, you can find my email address on my GitHub profile.
