A user activates switches comprising a keypad of a telephone to produce a dual-tone, multi-frequency (DTMF) signal that controls the characteristics of a wireless control signal that is transmitted to control another device. The DTMF tones produced by the keypad are scanned by a microcontroller or by the processor of a personal computer that is coupled to the telephone. In response to detecting predefined DTMF tones from the keypad, an infrared or radio frequency wireless control signal is transmitted to the other device to affect a corresponding control function. For example, when a telephone call is received, the "*" key followed by another predefined key on the keypad can be activated to produce a wireless control signal that causes an audio/video component to be muted. The remote control functionality of the telephone keypad can also be used for other purposes, such as controlling a cursor on a display or making a selection.