Infrared sensors are used everywhere for remote operation. We can add an IR sensor to our Raspberry Pi to be able to control it remotely.
Note
The latest Raspbian version supports infrared receivers, though it was a little tricky to get working perfectly. I'll cover all of the steps it took, though it is possible future versions of Raspbian will make it a little easier to get going quickly.
I used the infrared sensor available in the Elego Kit. This includes both the sensor and a remote control. There are a lot of infrared sensors available online, and you can really use any remote control, including one you are already using, such as your TV remote. That can be a lot of fun: if your TV and Raspberry Pi both see the remote signal, your TV's power button can both turn on the TV and turn off the lights!
You'll also want to make sure that the infrared service is installed and up to date:
sudo apt...