OpenMote
An Arduino-compatible controller for makers
Back this project to help bring it into existence.
Funding ends on Oct 29, 2026 at 05:00 PM PDT.
Back this project to help bring it into existence.
Funding ends on Oct 29, 2026 at 05:00 PM PDT.
OpenMote is a programmable universal remote in a nostalgic form factor. The same remote runs your TV, your smart home, or your games over Bluetooth. You do not buy a different remote for each one. You change what it is.
It comes two ways. Ready To Go is a finished remote, charged and flashed. Mod Your Own is the bare board for a Wiimote shell you already have. Same board either way, an ESP32-S3 with WiFi, Bluetooth LE, motion sensing, a speaker, a mic, and infrared in both directions.
We watched it happen all weekend at Open Sauce 2026: people picked up a remote they had not touched in fifteen years and immediately knew what to do with it. You already know how to hold this thing.
OpenMote works with Home Assistant. Every button, the LEDs and the motion sensor become things your automations can use, all local, no cloud. We are making setup as painless as we can, and full YAML control is still there for the people who want it.
One button dims the lights and starts the movie. A double press runs the goodnight scene: lights off, TV off, thermostat down.
OpenMote also pairs directly with Apple Home and Amazon Alexa over WiFi, so a button press fires a scene or a routine there too.
OpenMote runs on your own network. No cloud, no account, no subscription, and it keeps working with the internet unplugged. Before units ship, we will open-source the complete schematics, PCB layouts, BOM, the Arduino library and the Home Assistant firmware.
The room is not one protocol. The TV and the AC want infrared. The lights and the thermostat live in Home Assistant over WiFi. The phone, the laptop and the streaming box want a Bluetooth remote or controller. OpenMote handles each of these from the same remote, and because it is an ESP32 running code you can change, anything with an open local API is fair game too, like WLED light strips.
The infrared part is a receiver and an emitter, so your old remote teaches OpenMote its codes and OpenMote sends them back out, from a button or an automation. That covers the gear that will never be smart: old TVs, the receiver in the cabinet, the LED strip behind the couch. No bridge, no code database needed. Clone any remote, or be one.
OpenMote pairs as a standard Bluetooth LE gamepad. A PC, an Android phone or tablet, or a Steam Deck just sees a controller: no drivers, nothing extra to buy. Buttons and motion both work, including in the Dolphin emulator. The same radio makes it a Bluetooth keyboard and media remote for Android TV, Google TV and Fire TV boxes.
It pairs with emulators and modern hardware, not the original console, which only speaks the older Bluetooth Classic.
If you write code, it is a normal ESP32-S3: Arduino IDE, PlatformIO and ESP-IDF all work, and flashing happens over the same USB-C port you charge with. There is no programmer to buy.
Our Arduino library ships a working example for every peripheral, from buttons and motion to infrared and audio. The documentation will include the full pinout and the board settings that actually matter, like PSRAM and flash mode, every one of which cost us an evening at some point.
A Qwiic / STEMMA QT connector takes hundreds of off-the-shelf Adafruit and SparkFun breakouts with one cable and no level shifting, and it is how the Nunchuk-compatible breakouts work today. ESP-NOW talks straight to other ESP32 boards with no router in between, which is how you drive a robot or an RC car from the couch.
Every broken-out GPIO is labeled on the silkscreen, front and back. Wiring something new does not mean cross-referencing a pinout PDF.
There is a real speaker on a MAX98357A 3.2 W class-D amplifier, not a buzzer. A PDM microphone listens for claps, commands, or chaos. The rumble motor tells your hand what happened, and four indicator LEDs give you status you can read across the room. Projects can play sound, listen, and buzz back.
You do not need to know how to code. OpenMote Studio is our companion app: plug in over USB-C, pick what you want the remote to be from a list, press one button. Done.
The fully assembled OpenMote arrives charged, flashed, and on your WiFi in minutes. In the box: a finished remote with the 1200 mAh battery in and firmware flashed, plus a screwdriver and a USB-C cable.
The OpenMote Board drops into the shell of a Wiimote, the original or one of the many third-party ones. In the box: the board with the battery installed and the same firmware flashed, screwdriver and cable included. The donor controller is not included; everything from it gets reused except its original board. The shell, the buttons, the membrane and the battery cover all stay, so the buttons keep their original feel. Four screws, one connector, nothing soldered or cut.
One is for using it. The other is for building it.
| 1. IR emitter and receiver | 2. Rumble motor | 3. ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module |
|---|---|---|
| 4. Qwiic / STEMMA QT connector | 5. EN / SYNC button | 6. USB-C, charging and flashing |
| 7. Button contacts, all twelve | 8. 4 indicator LEDs | 9. Microphone |
Against the things you would buy instead:
| Feature | OpenMote | Unfolded Circle Remote 3 | Broadlink RM4 Pro | M5StickS3 | 8BitDo Pro 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant | Yes, local | Built in, local | Official integration, local polling | ESPHome if you build it | None |
| Infrared | Learns and transmits | Learns and transmits | Learns IR and RF | Learns and transmits | None |
| Buttons in your hand | 12, eleven programmable | Full remote keypad | No control buttons | 2, plus reset | Full gamepad layout |
| Motion sensing | 6-axis IMU, programmable | Accelerometer and gyro | None | 6-axis IMU | Switch and Steam only |
| Speaker, mic, haptics | All three | All three | None | Speaker and mic, no haptics | Vibration only |
| Bluetooth gamepad | Yes, BLE HID | Keyboard and mouse only | No | Only if you code it | Yes |
| Run your own code | Yes, Arduino and more | Integrations only, closed OS | App config only | Yes, Arduino and more | Remaps and macros only |
| Expansion | Qwiic and GPIO | None | None | Grove and HAT bus | None |
| Works without a cloud account | Yes | Yes | Local control, cloud app to set up | Yes, once flashed | No network |
The full pinout, setup guides, and a working example for every peripheral will live on GitHub. Community lives on our Discord, where fit reports, builds and questions go.
We are past prototypes. Three full board generations have been through fabrication and real-world use, and beta units are in the hands of independent creators now. Elecrow handles PCB fabrication, assembly and packaging through Project Aviary, their manufacturing partnership with Crowd Supply. Battery transport docs and the EU/UK Declaration of Conformity are already filed.
Crowd Supply fulfills worldwide through Mouser Electronics. Free US shipping; international calculated at checkout. After the campaign, OpenMote stays available through the Crowd Supply store, so this is not a one-time run.
Donor shells: Wiimote shells vary, including some official special editions with different internals, so fit is not guaranteed for every donor. The board is designed around the standard remote and fits the ones we have tested; if yours is unusual, the fully assembled OpenMote comes in one we have tested. Fit reports for specific variants live on our Discord.
Software: the firmware and the Studio app are still in development, and the hardware does not depend on Studio to be useful.
Schedule and supply: our primary risk is parts availability. We buffer with multi-source parts and a pre-certified radio module, and if a date moves, you will hear it from us in the weekly updates.
OpenMote is part of Elecrow Project Aviary
"With 12 programmable buttons, an IR transmitter, and a mono speaker, OpenMote offers a unique way to interact with smart home devices, media systems, and DIY electronics projects."
"OpenMote takes that familiar form factor and replaces the electronics inside with modern, fully programmable hardware that can control everything from games and smart home devices to custom electronics projects."
"The Best Wii Remote EVER!"
Produced by Hat & Hammer in Los Angeles, CA.
Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.
Fully assembled OpenMote remote with the Gen 3.3 board installed, battery installed, and firmware flashed, plus a 3 ft USB-C to USB-C cable, assembly tools, and stickers, in a printed box with the CE safety insert
OpenMote PCB with battery installed and firmware flashed, in an ESD bag, plus a 3 ft USB-C to USB-C cable, assembly tools and stickers, in a printed box with the CE safety insert. (Requires a Wiimote shell, which is not included)
· openmote.io · openmote.io · ezrabird
We are a passionate team of makers and designers focused on creating innovative tools that merge nostalgia with modern technology. Our mission is to empower creators by providing accessible, open-source hardware that inspires creativity and innovation.
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