Remotes

[sound_guy_Bill]

It is very frustrating to learn that Roku remotes (even the ones for my Roku sticks that primarily use Wi-fi, but also have infrared output for TV power and volume control), are not capable of providing an infrared signal that can simply adjust the volume of a Sonos Playbar. I recently bought a Roku TV (TCL 65R625) which I like very much. I haven't been able to confirm whether the remote for it has both wi-fi and infrared output that can be used simultaneously, but I found a statement that no Roku remote can control an IR controlled soundbar. If anyone has discovered differently, please post it here. This is a problem because a friend gave me his Sonos Playbar and Sub system that he wasn't using! It's a bit obsolete, in that it only connects to the TV with optical digital, but It sounds amazing, and I may add two rear speakers to it for 5.1 surround. BUT I have to use the Sonos phone app to control the volume. The only upside to this is that with the phone app, you can also control the subwoofer level and overall low and high frequency EQ. But it is still too much of a hassle for my wife and grandkids to deal with. I may have to go back to my small powered studio monitors that I connected to the analog (headphone) audio output, (which was also complicated in that I had to use a converter box to get to pro level XLR connections on the speakers), but I could adjust volume and mute with the remote.

[sound_guy_Bill]

Was one of the three setups a Roku TV? Specifically one that has a wi-fi (point anywhere) remote?

[sound_guy_Bill]

The Sonos Playbar ONLY recognizes infrared, at least the one that is a few years old, if that is the Sonos model you are describing.

[Tivoburkee]

There are many TCL Roku tv IR only remotes on ebay for less then $10. If your tv came with a wifi voice remote it only communicates by wifi to the roku tv. But your tv still accepts IR, so get IR only TCL roku tv remote on ebay. You know it's a roku tv IR remote by the tv power key and the crescent moon key where the microphone key is on a voice remote. TCL Roku tv respond these other roku tv brand's remote, insignia, onn, magnavox, westinghouse, rca, philips, jvc, haier, element, hitachi, and sanyo. Stay away from Hisense & Sharp roku tv remotes. 

[Steve_Br]

I'm controlling my Sonos Playbar with the IR function of my Roku Ultra remote. I even posted a recipe earlier in this thread for how to set up. I'm down to one remote to control me Vizio TV, Sonos Playbar, and Roku Ultra 4k. Works great for day to day viewing. If I need to configure TV, then I pull out the TV remote and make a change and put it back away. 

[sound_guy_Bill]

@Steve_Br wrote:

I'm controlling my Sonos Playbar with the IR function of my Roku Ultra remote. I even posted a recipe earlier in this thread for how to set up. I'm down to one remote to control me Vizio TV, Sonos Playbar, and Roku Ultra 4k. Works great for day to day viewing. If I need to configure TV, then I pull out the TV remote and make a change and put it back away. 

Thanks for the reply. Roku does not state whether my TCL series 6 Roku TV can be fully controlled with an  IR only signal. I wish TCL or Roku would publish this info, or if it's out there somewhere, that I could find it. Is the Roku Ultra remote that you are using switchable between IR and wi-fi? Or does it use both wi-fi and IR simultaneously? Is it a voice remote? I don't particularly want to buy an Ultra, because the Roku TV I have already has all of the functionality of the Ultra built in, (along with a voice remote which is obviously Wi-fi only). But I would like to know the model # of the remote you have that works with the Sonos Playbar. (as you no-doubt already know, the model number is under one of the batteries).

I also saw a product that I'm considering, called the "Side Click" that snaps onto the left side of a Roku wi-fi remote to give it IR capability to control IR devices. It's a learning remote, so hopefully its default IR signal can be read by the Sonos system, since I don't have a remote for it to learn from.

Thanks again.

[Tivoburkee]

@sound_guy_Bill

First of all yes your Roku tv will respond to TCL IR Roku only remote, there are many of them on ebay for under $10.

Owners of Roku Ultra's have wifi remotes too, with headphone jacks through. but their roku aren't connected to roku tv, so it isn't controlling the tv by wifi like yours is, its controlling them by IR. Its wifi for the roku commands but IR for the tv controls. So the IR can be taught to sonos playbar. Your Wifi Roku tv remote is probably RC-AL5, no tv IR on board. You mentioned yesterday you had two RC-AL7 remotes, it can do wifi for roku commands and IR for non-Roku tv brands. Thats if you have non-Roku tv to program it for. 

You might try taking your wifi roku tv remote and keep pairing it to the same roku tv, after about the fourth remote it usually forgets them all. And since there's no roku paired to your Roku tv remote it will switch to IR too. I have 43" TCL 5 series roku tv that I test alot of remotes on, if a certain number remotes its paired with it loses them all. 

[sound_guy_Bill]

Thanks for the great reply. My Roku TV did come with a RC-AL5. so I will try your idea to get it to revert to IR, which I didn't think was possible. That might actually be the best option, as I decided to hardwire the Roku tv with an ethernet connection as wi-fi in that room was fairly weak. Especially if the remote has to connect directly to the wi-fi router and not to some sort of repeater signal from the tv. 

I discovered last night that the RC-AL7 remotes that came with my Roku Streaming Stick+ units will pair via IR with the Sonos Playbar, but I haven't yet tried pairing it with my TCL series 6 Roku TV, since I use it for a small Samsung tv in my office, and my wife uses hers on a separate Samsung tv.

[sound_guy_Bill]

I gave up on trying all the other "solutions." I have a Roku (series 6) TCL TV and a Sonos Playbar and Sub. I bought a device called the "Sideclick" which clips on to the left side of the Roku remote and gives the necessary IR signal to control the volume of the Sonos stuff. The TV remote is wi-fi (only-it seems).I still need the phone app (Android in my case) to adjust sub level, EQ, compression, etc.). To program the sideclick, I used a Samsung remote's volume buttons, which is learnable (or maybe the default) of the Sonos Playbar.

[g8orscott]

My situation might even be more odd.  Same Roku IR setup and same soundbar.  I had a Vizio TV and it all worked.  Got a new TCL Android TV and now it won't.  If I press the pairing button on the remote and start the setup process it works for vol up, vol down, but the roku remote has no mute.  I even tried a work around I saw somewhere to use a second remote for the mute (which sonos picks up).  But near the end of this the Roku box and remote auto-pair, and the sonos soundbar doesn't pick up the roku remote signal (no light flashing when the remote button is pushed).  I'm flummoxed.  Sidekick it is, I guess.