Turn off via remote

The Turn off via remote action sends the turn off command through a remote entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more]. Use it when an automation or script should power off a device controlled by a remote, such as a TV, receiver, or media system.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To turn something off from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create to start a new one.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. Select what you want to control. Under By target (see Targets), pick the remote entity, device, area, floor, or label that should send the command.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Turn off via remote.
7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

This action has no additional UI options.

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as remote.turn_off. A basic example looks like this:

action: remote.turn_off
target:
  entity_id: remote.living_room

This sends the turn off command through remote.living_room.

Options in YAML

This action has no additional YAML options.

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching remote entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific remote entity, such as remote.living_room.
• Device: every remote entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every remote entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every remote entity on a floor.
• Label: every remote entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

Good to know

• The action targets remote entities.
• If the remote is unavailable, Home Assistant cannot send the command.
• To turn the remote on, use Turn on via remote. To switch between on and off with one action, use Toggle via remote.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: turn off the media system at bedtime

At 23:00, turn off the living room remote.

• Trigger: Time
  • At: 23:00
• Action: Turn off via remote
  • Target: Living room remote

alias: "Turn off living room remote at bedtime"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "23:00:00"
actions:
  - action: remote.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: remote.living_room

Automation: turn off the remote when everyone leaves

When a person leaves home, turn off the media remote.

• Trigger: State
  • Entity: Paulus (person.paulus)
  • To: Not home
• Action: Turn off via remote
  • Target: Living room remote

alias: "Turn off living room remote when Paulus leaves"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: person.paulus
    to: not_home
actions:
  - action: remote.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: remote.living_room

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

• Turn on via remote: Sends the turn on command through a remote entity. Some remotes can also start a specific activity.

• Toggle via remote: Sends the toggle command through a remote entity.

• Send remote command: Sends one or more commands through a remote entity.