For the house full of slow smart TVs

One remote for every TV in the house.

Hearth finds the LG, Samsung, Roku and Google TV devices on your Wi-Fi and turns every phone into a fast, ad-free remote. No codes. No accounts. No cloud. It lives in your house.

Try the live demo Get the iPhone app
  • LG
  • Samsung
  • Roku
  • Google TV
  • Apple TV
  • No computer needed
  • Free for one TV

Setup

So easy a caveman could do it.

Three steps. No app store, no account, no IP addresses, no codes.

  1. 1

    Turn your TVs on.

    Make sure your phone is on the same Wi-Fi. Already added a TV that’s off? Hearth can wake it for you.

  2. 2

    Tap Find my TVs.

    Hearth listens on your network and every LG, Samsung, Roku and Google TV answers. Names, models, all of it.

  3. 3

    Say yes once, if it asks.

    Roku and Google TV just connect. So do 2016–17 Samsungs. Newer Samsungs ask for Allow once. An LG shows a number you type into your phone, so a TV mounted up high is fine.

  4. ✓

    That’s it. Sit down.

    Swipe to move, hold to repeat, one tap to turn the whole house off at bedtime.

Play with it

The real app, right here.

This is Hearth itself, driving a house of pretend TVs. Swipe the pad, hold the volume, launch an app, turn everything off.

Three looks: Aurora (a living particle orb you steer like a joystick), Classic hi-fi, and 8-bit, a pocket game console. Same buttons, same haptics.

Open the demo Open in 8-bit

Opens full-screen. Pretend TVs, real app.

What you get

A remote that feels like a remote.

Swipe or tap the pad

Use it like a touchpad or press the arrows. Every press clicks back with a tiny buzz (on iPhone it lands as your finger lifts).

Hold to repeat

Hold volume or an arrow and it keeps going, faster the longer you hold.

Your apps, one tap

Netflix, YouTube, whatever the TV or Roku has, on a shelf under your thumb.

Everything off

One button. Every screen in the house goes dark.

Say it on screen

“Dinner’s ready” pops up on the TV. LG only.

See what’s on

Every phone shows which TVs are on and what’s playing, live.

Works with

LG webOS · 2014+

  • Connect: a number on screen, or Allow
  • Pad, back, home, media keys
  • Volume with live level
  • Off, and on via Wake-on-LAN
  • App shelf with icons
  • Named HDMI inputs
  • Messages on screen

Samsung Tizen · 2016+

  • Connect: Allow once (2016–17: nothing)
  • Pad, back, home, media keys
  • Volume up/down (no level)
  • Off, and on via Wake-on-LAN
  • App shelf
  • Source button (no named inputs)
  • Messages on screen

Roku players & TVs

  • Connect: nothing to press
  • Pad and keys, with real press-and-hold
  • Volume up/down (no level)
  • Off, and on from standby (sticks can’t wake from Wi-Fi)
  • App shelf with icons
  • Inputs (Roku TVs only)
  • Messages on screen

Google TV + Android TV

  • Connect: nothing to press, no code
  • Volume with live level, mute
  • Apps: YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, Plex
  • See what’s on (apps opened by cast)
  • Arrow keys (need Google’s one-time code)
  • Power (needs Google’s one-time code)
  • Messages on screen

Get it

An app. Three taps. No homework.

Download Hearth on your iPhone, open it on your home Wi-Fi and tap your TV. That’s the whole setup: no computer, no cables, no accounts, nothing to type into a terminal.

Like to tinker? Hearth is open source, and you can also run it on your own computer so every phone and browser in the house shares it.

setup, start to finish
  1. 1Get Hearth on the App Store
  2. 2Open it on your Wi-Fi and tap Allow
  3. 3Tap your TV. You’re the remote now.
Coming soon to theApp Store Free for one TV · more from $1.99, once

Questions

Good questions.

Do I need a computer?

No. The iPhone app talks to your TVs straight over your Wi-Fi, so your TVs, pairing keys and viewing habits never leave your house. (A website can’t do that, rightly, which is why the demo on this page uses pretend TVs.)

Will it work with my TV?

If it’s an LG smart TV from 2014 on (webOS), a Samsung smart TV from 2016 on (Tizen), any Roku player or Roku TV, an Apple TV, or a Google TV / Android TV, almost certainly. Google TVs get volume, mute and apps without any code; arrow keys there need Google’s one-time code, which is coming as an optional unlock. Apple TVs work too: you type a 4-digit code once. Vizio and Sony are on the roadmap.

Do I need codes or accounts?

No accounts, ever. Roku and Google TV connect with nothing to press. Samsungs from 2016–17 too; newer ones ask for Allow once. An LG either shows a number you type into your phone (no reaching for the TV’s remote) or asks for Allow.

Can it break my TV?

No. Hearth only uses the network remote control each TV already ships with, the same one the brand’s own phone app uses. It doesn’t install anything on the TV or change its software.

Can it turn a TV on?

Yes, with Wake-on-LAN, once you switch on “Turn on via Wi-Fi” (LG) or “Power On with Mobile” (Samsung) in the TV’s settings. It works even for a TV you haven’t connected yet, and setup wakes an off TV for you. Rokus turn on from standby; a stick that’s fully unpowered can’t be woken over Wi-Fi. Google TVs need Google’s code for power, so not yet.

My TVs are slow and full of ads. Can it fix that?

Hearth makes controlling them fast. To make the TVs themselves fast, follow the tune-up guide: about 20 minutes per TV covers settings, whole-house ad blocking, a proper reset, LG homebrew, or a cheap box that turns the TV into a plain screen.

What does it cost?

Your first TV is free, forever. More TVs are a one-time purchase: $1.99 a TV, $5.99 for up to 10, or $9.99 for every TV you’ll ever own. No subscriptions, no ads, no accounts, and Family Sharing covers the whole house. The code is open source under the MIT license.

Bring the house back to one remote.

Try the live demo View the source

Hearth

Hearth is an open-source universal TV remote that finds the LG, Samsung, Roku, Google TV and Apple TV devices on your home Wi-Fi and gives every phone in the house a fast remote. It runs on an always-on computer in your home (such as a Mac mini, an old laptop or a Raspberry Pi) with Node.js, and any phone or browser on the same Wi-Fi opens it, with no accounts, codes or cloud in between. Features include a swipe pad, volume, an app shelf, inputs, messages on screen, opening an app on every TV at once, and one button that turns every TV off. A public demo with pretend TVs runs at mutaafaziz.com/hearth/demo/, and an iPhone app is described as coming soon to the App Store. It is MIT-licensed and made by Mutaaf Aziz.

Features

Questions

Is Hearth free?
Yes. Hearth is open source (MIT) and free to run on your own computer. An iPhone app is described as coming soon to the App Store, with the first TV free.
Which TVs does it work with?
LG webOS (2014+), Samsung Tizen (2016+), Roku players and TVs, Google TV / Android TV (over Cast, with a limited set of controls), and Apple TV (tvOS 15+). The README has a full table of what works on each.
How do I set it up?
Install Node.js 20.19 or newer on a computer that's usually on, run npm run up in the hearth folder, then open the link it prints on a phone on the same Wi-Fi and follow the setup screens.
Does Hearth send my data to the cloud?
Your TVs, pairing keys and settings stay on your home network. Hearth talks to TVs directly on your Wi-Fi with no account. Optional features such as connection help or reading a power bill send only limited, scrubbed details, and you see them first.
Does Hearth show ads?
The Hearth on your home network and the Hearth app never show ads. Only the public demo on mutaafaziz.com, with pretend TVs, shows a small banner under it.
Can I try it without installing anything?
Yes. The demo at mutaafaziz.com/hearth/demo/ runs the real interface against pretend TVs.
Do I need an account to use Hearth?
No. Hearth runs on your home network with no accounts, codes or cloud in between. Any phone or browser on the same Wi-Fi opens it.
What do I need to run Hearth?
An always-on computer in your home, such as a Mac mini, an old laptop or a Raspberry Pi, running macOS or Linux with Node.js 20.19 or newer, and a supported TV on the same Wi-Fi.
Is Hearth a free alternative to a Logitech Harmony remote?
For the TVs and streamers on your Wi-Fi, yes: Hearth is free and open source, runs on a computer already in your home, and turns any phone on the same network into a remote for LG, Samsung, Roku, Google TV and Apple TV devices. It works over the network, so devices without a network connection are not covered.

Made by Mutaaf Aziz. Source: github.com/mutaaf/hearth.

Also from the same collection: Chalk Talk, The Leadership Library.