First off, I am giving the HoneyPi Brand GPIO IR Receiver Module for the Raspberry PI from RaspTools.com a Five Star Rating! I was extremely impressed by the modules high quality, ease of installation and the fact that it worked right out of the box!

The back story:

A while back I was looking for a way to run my Raspberry Pi XBMC Media Center with an old MCE Remote. I had the matching USB receiver, but I didn't have a free USB port on the Pi, as I had a WiFi dongle and a 500GB external USB drive attached. So I decided to try my luck with a GPIO IR Receiver.

 

After searching around the forums on RaspBMC, OpenELEC, and a few others, the only solutions I found involved soldering a tiny TSOP IR unit directly to the GPIO header, or soldering wires to the TSOP unit, then connecting the wires to the GPIO header. Now, I'm no electronic whiz, and didn't feel the least bit comfortable with either of these solutions.

 

Then I happened to run across the HoneyPi GPIO IR Receiver Module for Raspberry Pi from RaspTools.com! It was just what I was looking for. The IR module is a completely assembled daughter board that connects directly to the GPIO header via a 26 pin connector.  There was absolutely no soldering required,  relieving me of my number one worry. It came with an easy step by step guide that walked me through installing the module, and setting it up on both RaspBMC and OpenELEC. They even have custom configuration files for your basic MCE remotes.

For me, it literally worked right out of the box. Though I have to admit, before I purchased the unit, I contacted Rasptools.com just to be sure it would meet my needs. I wanted to make sure it would work with my case (I have a red opaque one). They responded the same day and assured me that  it would work with my case. 

Also, this IR module seems to be highly sensitive. I have the unit halfway behind the TV and way across the room, and it still picks up the signal!

I am extremely impressed by the modules high quality, ease of installation and the fact that it worked right out of the box!

Why I like the HoneyPi brand IR Receiver module: High Quality construction. Easy Installation. Plugs into the GPIO header on the mother board No soldering - Fully assembled daughter board Worked right out of the box. Step by step installation guide included Custom configuration files available for download. Great customer support. Prompt response to my questions Fits inside my case. Picks up signal from across large room.