That rotation point just being two hex bolts through those brackets makes me cringe a bit. There should at least be a bushing in there to help with the wear.
OP said only one device was infrared and you don't know how their other devices behave when just turned off and on. Also, smart plugs can only turn things off and on., whereas OP cloned the whole remote.
I used to mow the grass at an active radio station. I occasionally had to DR a path to each tower so they could do maintenance. They don't regularly mow the fields where the towers are, though Toro did occasionally come out and mow the whole thing as a test site for new mowers, which was neat.