Sunday, March 10, 2013

Roku Remote Stopped Working - Easy Solution


So maybe you're been using your Roku for a while and everything is hunky-dory.  Then one day you're stabbing at the buttons on your remote and nothing happens.  Damn!!!  My Roku remote stopped working - WHY????

This is an easy fix that you can do in just 3 minutes.  There are a lot of blogs and forums that will give you bad advice on how to fix the 'Roku remote stopped working' situation - please, DO NOT do either of the following:
  • Perform a factory reset on the Roku box.
  • Swap out your remote and buy a new one.
A factory reset of the Roku box won't make a difference.  Buying a new remote, well, that will work but it's not necessary and it's a little extreme.

Here's what you need to do if your Roku remote stopped working:
  1. Remove the batteries from the remote.
  2. Look carefully into the battery compartment of the remote and locate the purple button shown circled in red, below:

  3. Unplug the power from the Roku.
  4. Wait for 5 seconds.
  5. Connect the power back to the Roku.
  6. Wait for Roku banner to bounce around on the screen.
  7. Put the batteries back in the remote.
  8. Press and hold the purple button in the battery compartment of the remote for 5 seconds.
  9. Wait for the Roku to finish booting up.
Now you should be good to go.  I'll bet you're glad you didn't do a factory reset, yes?  Better still, you've got to be delighted you didn't spend any more cash on a new remote, too.

Before we gloat maybe this didn't work for you.  If you've tried this a couple times with no success, now you're REALLY pissed and I don't blame you.  I'll tell you how to get this straightened out in just another 5 minutes, my friend. 

Take a cleaning breath, grab your smart phone and go get the Roku Remote Control App from here or just go to the App Store on your phone and search for "Roku Remote Control".  They have both an Android version and an iPhone version.

The fact is that the Roku Remote Control App is superior to the Roku remote control - period.  If for no other reason, it's a great backup when the Roku Remote gets lost in the cushions or after Fido stimulates his gums with it.

I hope you're watching your program by now.  If neither of the above suggestions work, keep looking around on the web.  Maybe there's another post that will get you back on track.