The remote works perfectly for my setup - Vizio TV, Vizio soundbar, and FireTV Ultra 4K Pendant. I don't have cable nor an AV receiver, so it is about as simple as you can get. I have the soundbar plugged into the HDMI ARC so the TV itself controls the volume.
In that configuration, the mute and volume controls control the TV volume, which in turn controls the soundbar volume. If you have the same kind of setup, once you have paired the remote with the TV, you are all done. In fact, pairing with the soundbar will NOT work and will remove your ability to control the volume.
The setup directions are very sparse because it is supposed to be self-guided by software once you pair to your FireTV. However, if you make a mistake ( I did by accidentally choosing the wrong TV brand) and don't get your TV choice done, there is no way, at least no obvious way in the guided setup, to re-choose your TV. So you end up with what you think is a 'bricked' remote.
Take heart, there is help, albeit obscure. You just need to go online to Amazon's Help section, for Amazon Devices, then choose the new remote. It's at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G47P2QLV6DKLKA6P
In the help section you will see how you can go to the Settings of your FireTV device and choose Equipment Control which will let you manage your equipment setup. What was really frustrating is, if Amazon had just added an extra section on the fold up directions, they could have put those helpful tips right in the box. Instead, the entire back of the directions were taken up with useless disclaimers and legalese. So the remote is very slick once paired, but the directions, if you make a mistake, are not worth the paper they are printed on. I do have to say, that the online help is really excellent AND it includes a video. Why they didn't put something more helpful in the directions, something as simple as "If you have any trouble, visit the HELP section on Amazon.com", is beyond me.
Now, with the remote correctly paired to my TV, I have the perfect single remote to turn my TV on and off, control the volume up or down, mute, and control everything on my FireTV. I previously used a Harmony 1100 to control my whole AV stack, but since I simplified my setup, this remote makes it a single remote solution to give me control but reduce clutter. Highly recommend.
Ahora puedes controlar tu televisor compatible, tu barra de sonido y
receptor con botones de encendido, volumen y silencio.
Simplemente presiona y pregunta para encontrar, reproducir y controlar películas y programas de televisión fácilmente.
Alexa Voice Remote (2nd Gen) technical details
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Size |
38 mm x 142 mm x 16 mm |
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Weight |
43.4 g (without batteries) |
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Batteries |
2 AAA (included) |
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Technology |
Bluetooth and infrared |
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Compatibility |
Fire TV Cube (2nd Cube), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube (1st Gen), Fire TV (3rd Gen Pendant Design), Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen) |
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Warranty and Service |
90-Day Limited Warranty and service included. Use of Fire TV is subject to the terms found here. |
Remote did not detect/pair at first, but learned how it auto-configures the new buttons.
EIGHT MONTH UPDATE: Bad Luck had me with a "replacement" Fire TV Pendant (3rd Gen, etc) and out of the box the Pendant was a "brick" since it would not detect/operate using the Nov 2018 2nd Gen remote. Hold Home Key till thumb went numb, un-pair, factory reset, power off/take out batteries/stand on head - no dice. Re-read the part of the review that mentioned the Odd Little Update that appeared JUST AFTER the 2nd remote was hooked up in Nov 2018.. ...Yes. Did need a 1st Gen remote to get past the Fire TV's First Run Screens.. ...then an update was downloaded/installed to make the Pendant compatible with the 2nd Gen remote. Once that was done - pressing down the Home Key on the 2nd Gen remote took seconds. To Confirm This: Removed the 1st Gen remote from settings and then took the batteries out of the 1st Gen remote - it has earned it's rest! Then factory-reset the Pendant and (to be extra annoying) un-paired the 2nd Gen remote (left/back/menu). The Un-paired 2nd Gen remote was still able to be re-detected by the factory-reset Pendant at the First Run Screens. So looks like it is confirmed that a 1st Gen remote is needed INITIALLY to allow the download/installation of Some File that only becomes available when a 2nd Gen remote is detected. Suggestion: Perhaps the Fire TV Reps should possibly test/configure/refurb Pendants using the 2nd Gen remote before shipping them out to customers. That way the Pendants might have support for the 2nd Gen remotes Out Of The Box?(useless 2018) UPDATE: Looks like Luck is with me. The fourth person I spoke with said that the issue with the activity lights and "Battery Offline" is normal. I also figured out for myself that an *inactive remote* ALWAYS reports itself as "Battery Offline", which just means that my new remote is actually OK, it just took a few tries (?) to get it to "pair" properly. (?) << 2019 Edit - it was that file that was installed. Hindsight is 2020! >>Many thanks to nice (and patient) person at Amazon Fire TV Support for her help with this issue!! :) :) :) :)Update to the Update: :( See bottom of this boring review for Extra Trivia (software updates/etc)For those wondering how to "program" the new buttons on this version of the remote with TVs and Other Devices==================================================================================For Information's sake, while beating my head against the floor over "Battery Offline" issues, I was able to see how the remote "auto-detects" with devices like my TV to configure the new buttons such as Power On/Off, Volume, etc. After setting up the new remote, another setup screen kicked in and auto-detected my television ("we see you have a Sony TV") and I was asked to try On/Off and then select whether or not the TV did as it was told. Similar for volume - was asked to press "up/down" and then select whether or not it worked. So looks like the IR setup for the new buttons is done by auto-detection of devices rather than manual programming, entering codes, copying from an existing remote, and so forth.- You can fine-tune this under "Settings" by selecting the "Equipment Control" category.- Under Equipment Control//Manage Equipment//Add Equipment, you can add/configure support for additional devices such as a Sound Bar, an Xbox, AV Receivers, etc.. If no "Equipment Control" - update Fire Software?- Some devices may also require the use of Alexa: Etc: "Alexa.. switch to...X", etc..Some Troubleshooting Tips: (which come in handy when your new remote remains inert.)...all this stuff takes place under Settings, Controllers and Bluetooth Devices, then Amazon Fire TV Remotes...1) To RESET the remote, hold down THREE BUTTONS SIMULTANEOUSLY: "Back", "Menu", and "Left" (aka: Left side of the Circle). After 5, 10, etc seconds, the remote now should be unpaired/inactive AND IT WILL NO LONGER FUNCTION. However, it will *still show* under available remotes, but will show as "Battery Offline". this has NOTHING to do with the status of the battery, it just means this particular remote is now inactive/not currently paired. You cannot delete a remote that is active/in-use, so resetting a remote is one way to make it possible to be removed. Or cheat by taking the batteries out and rebooting your Fire Device, etc. To use the remote again you will need to add it back/re-pair it from the Amazon Fire TV Remotes Menu or patiently via it's Home button. Or just reboot and cross your fingers..2) To delete a remote, it must be considered inactive first. If it's already inactive (like mine likes to be) just select it and use the "menu" button to delete it.3) If you are stuck with an inactive remote that you WANT to actually use.. one that for some reason did not detect/pair properly (like mine), then try rebooting your Fire device and perhaps also holding down it's Home Button. Maybe delete the troublesome remote from the list and try re-detecting it from the Amazon Fire TV Remotes Menu. Deleting/re-detecting may save your thumb, as it took a looooong time to work just holding down it's Home Button4) If your remote/s are not paired with your Fire Device, trying holding down that remote's HOME key (for a while) to "force detection/pairing". Rebooting the Fire Device wouldn't hurt. Remove batteries, reboot the Fire Device, re-insert..5) I was told that.. ..uhm.. Using multiple Fire TV Remotes with the SAME Fire TV Device is.. uhm.. Not Supported... IT WORKED (I had one in each hand, and both were going fine..), but it was suggested that I remove one of the two remotes and just have a single remote "active" at any one time.Trivia: Looks like this updated version of the remote is about 1/4" shorter than the original/previous version.EXTRA Trivia (1):No clue if this is Myth or FactYou *might* need a "software update" for this to work correctly... who can say?- I know (for the Pendant at least) that there was a "Software Update" around October 25th or so- I also know that I *checked* for "updates" the *Morning* of November 14th - None Available.- I also know that when I spoke with an Amazon rep after connecting the new remote on the *Evening* of November 14, I was told to "check for an update" and there was a "New Update" that was *not* available only a few hours before. (coincidence?)- I could have sworn that "Equipment Control" did not appear till I attached the new remote, but am not 100% sure.--> To check for Updates: Settings, My Fire TV, About, Check For Software Update (Try this at least TWICE).--> So far as the Pendant goes, I believe the software rev is NS6255 / 1628 as of Nov 15 2018.Extra Trivia (2): Was reading some of the other reviews and comments, and one item popped up a bit.. ..a suggestion to use the supplied AC power adapter rather than get power via the TV. I was already using AC power (Pendant) and still ended up with a Phantom Remote for a while, but never hurts to pass on info - just in case.Extra Trivia (3): Although I think this is listed, the new remote is not compatible with 1st Gen Fire Stick Stuff.Extra Trivia (4): It was "suggested" that I have only one Fire TV Remote "paired" at any one time, although I was also told that having multiple remotes would not result in the newer one dropping away. ???Useless Info: Oddly enough, my regular remote was Rev 137 but the new/upgraded remote was 124. ???Semi-Disclaimer: I ended up with this remote as it would seem that my original remote is going through batteries at an accelerated rate and I was allowed to get this one as a replacement and only pay the various shipping charges there and back. When this recent one began displaying "Battery Offline" and not detecting properly - Fun Times For Me.
