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TV Remotes: The essential checks 

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The remote is important to getting full functionality from your TV. It allows you to change channels, access menus, and navigate smart features. Whilst most TVs will have a manual button, these buttons cannot operate all features. If the remote stops working, this can be quite frustrating. In this article, we highlight tips to get your remote working and identify where the problem is. 

Changing the batteries 

The first thing you should try if the remote is not working is changing the batteries. This is an easy resolution and simply requires removing the old batteries and replacing with new. We recommend avoiding rechargeable batteries where possible as they may drain quickly in the remote. Another thing to consider is any battery requirements of the remote. Refer to your user manual to ensure you insert the correct batteries. Once inserted, this should rectify the issue if it is battery related. 

Carrying out a camera test 

If changing the batteries does not resolve the issue, the next thing you should do is carry out a camera test. This is a test you can perform with your smart phone camera to check for an infrared signal, which is not visible with the naked eye. Open the camera app on your smartphone, then point the remote towards the camera and press any button. If you do not see any lights when pressing buttons, it would suggest that there is a problem with the remote. In this case, you would need to look at getting a replacement remote for your TV. If a light does show when performing the camera test, this would indicate that the issue is with the TV instead, as opposed to the remote. In this instance you may need to focus the support on the TV. 

Power resetting the TV 

Another thing you can try is a power reset on the TV. This can be done before delving into purchasing a replacement remote, or other options. To do this, simply unplug the TV from the wall, hold down the manual power button on the TV for about 30 seconds, and then plug back in. This essentially gives the TV a soft reboot, so if there is any minor software issue preventing the TV from recognising the remote signal, this should hopefully solve the issue. 

Re-establishing a Bluetooth connection 

If you own a smart TV, it is possible your remote has Bluetooth connectivity. This means that the TV may communicate with the TV via Bluetooth rather than the infrared signal. In these instances, we suggest trying to connect the remote to a smartphone via the phone’s Bluetooth menu, and then disconnecting it from the phone. Once this is done, try using the remote on the TV again. This is useful for re-establishing the Bluetooth connection. 

To conclude 

Overall, whilst remote issues can be very frustrating, you can perform simple support and checks to resolve or diagnose issues to get the best resolutions. If it appears the remote is the issue, a replacement remote should resolve. If the checks indicate an issue with the TV, you may need to look at repair options. If you are ever in doubt, we suggest contacting a relevant support team to assist with carrying out these checks.