Not at all. I'm sitting at least 8 feet away from my TV and Ultra. But it uses the WiFi Direct remote, so there's no problem with it being inside my equipment cabinet. My AVR remote is IR only, and I have to aim it just right to hit it inside the cabinet, otherwise it won't work. But even through the glass door I can control it at 8+ feet away. A standard IR remote should work just fine for 10-15 feet, assuming there's nothing interfering with the infrared light coming from the remote. If there's bright sunlight in the room, it can interfere with the IR light. As I said, IR remotes require a clear line of sight between the remote and the receiver.
You can test your IR remote by looking at the emitter end (the end you point at the Roku, which is the top of the remote) through a digital camera (such as a phone camera). While looking through the camera, press different buttons on the remote. You should see a blinking light coming from the end of the remote. If you don't see a light, or it's extremely faint, either the batteries are bad or there's something wrong with the remote. IR remotes are really simple, so if it's misbehaving it's likely not working correctly.
Dan
Roku Community Streaming Expert
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