My parents are addicted to their Harmony remote and their bedroom Roku 2 finally just gave up on them. I'd love to get them on AndroidTV (they've got a 1st gen SHIELD in the living room) but IR capability is a requirement. Any boxes running legit AndroidTV have an IR port? I know some new ones have been popping up. Barring that, any IR dongles that people know actually work?
I suppose worst case I can get them a Roku Ultra, that'll work with IR, but that's a last resort.
flirc usb
Mi Box has IR and it's database is on Harmony, so it's fully compatible (actually a few more buttons than on the included remote).
Just buy a FLIRC and use it with any Android TV box.
My harmony hub connects to my shield wirelessly its in the bt devices as harmony keyboard
Amazon just released the FireTV Cube, which comes with an ext IR dongle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBTFNVA
Its basically last years FireTV, but with MicroUSB, IR Port and comes with Alexa.
Why would the Ultra be the last resort? Sounds like the answer to you question. Are they asking to learn a whole new platform?
The Channel Master Stream+ is an Android TV box that uses IR. It's brand new and you can't get Netflix or Prime yet without side loading them, but otherwise it's pretty good. It would be worth consideration if you also have local OTA / antenna channels to incorporate. Add a hard drive and you can DVR the OTA shows. No monthly fees for the guide.
Id convince them to move to a hub based harmony. Bluetooth, Wifi, and IR connectivity handle pretty much most devices out there. I have a Harmony Smart Control, and since it doesnt have any kind of screen on the remote it lasts FOREVER on a single coin cell battery.
Old SHIELD 16GB and old/new SHIELD 500GB have IR - and the Mi Box as well IIRC. Others will work with FLIRC (how I use my Harmony with my Nexus Players), but you can't use Gboard if on Oreo (default keyboard), you'll have to sideload and always use the old leanback keyboard if using FLIRC (for text input using the Harmony, keyboard won't show up on screen for you to select characters with the Harmony if using Oreo + Gboard).