Remotes

[3DoubleD]

Hi,

I have a TCL 65R613-CA Roku TV with a RC-AL5 Roku Voice remote.

This TV was refusing to connect wifi. It could see networks, but would never join. I tried multiple routers, reboots, etc.

Frustrated, I factory reset from the Roku menu (using the remote, which was working fine).

After the reset, the TV asked to pair the remote. I removed the cover and held the pair button for 5 sec as prompted. The green light began to flash, but nothing happened.

I have tried everything I could find online (changed batteries, power set off and remove batteries (short time or a day, no difference), reset button on back of tv, hold different buttons down, nothing gets me past the pairing screen.

The remote does still work in the sense that the power button turns the TV on and off. Using a smartphone camera, I can see the IR LED works when other buttons are pressed.

A possibly weird thing is that even if I remove the remote batteries, when I reinsert them, the pairing mode light flashes without me pressing the remote. This is not the behaviour described on any of the guides.

This is essentially bricking my TV, so I’m very unhappy. How can I fix this and even if I fix it, will I still have the wifi connection issues? At least if I could get past the setup screen I could attach a peripheral hdmi device (another Roku???).

Thanks.

[RokuCarly]

Welcome to the Roku Community, @3DoubleD.

Thanks for reaching out and for providing us with precise details of your concern. Rest assured that we will help you find the best resolution.

Kindly try to manually reset your remote by pressing and holding the pairing button for 20 seconds. After doing so, pair it again by pressing and holding the pairing button for 5 seconds. 

If you still can't control your TCL Roku TV, kindly try to factory reset it again by pressing and holding the reset button for not more than 10 seconds. Then, pair your remote again. 

In the meantime, we appreciate the troubleshooting steps you've taken so far. We'll be looking forward to your update so we can continue assisting you from there. 

Best regards,
Carly

[3DoubleD]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried holding down the pair button on the remote for 20 s, but there was no change in the frequency of the green flashing light (stays flashing about 1 Hz). I tried this a couple times.

I also tried resetting the TV as well, but no change either, the remote still does not pair.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[RokuCarly]

Hi, @3DoubleD.

Thanks for trying to troubleshoot your physical remote as suggested. 

It may be possible that there may have been interference in pairing your Roku Voice Remote to your TV after factory resetting it. Do you have other physical Roku remotes we can try to see if this makes any difference? 

Looking forward to your confirmation.

Regards,
Carly

[3DoubleD]

Thanks for the additional suggestions.

I have an old Roku (4620X) and RC105 remote. The remote does not appear to work with this TV unit. I also tried connecting this older Roku unit via HDMI to the TV but the Setuo screen remains and it does not appear the TV will automatically switch to the HDMI input via CEC while in setup mode.

I also tried pairing the original remote again using the procedure you suggested, I even powered off all of my wifi equipment in case there was some weird interference, no success.

So I am still stuck and this TV is still completely non-functional.

What do you suggest next?

[3DoubleD · Accepted solution]

I wanted to follow up as I’ve managed to resolve my issues (sort of).

I purchased a 2nd Roku remote compatible with TCL Roku TVs on Amazon for $8. This is a non-voice remote, so it doesn’t use any fancy pairing or wireless radio to work.

With this new remote, I was able to get through the setup screens that I was stuck on when my old remote wouldn’t pair.

Unfortunately, my original issue remained, the WiFi wouldn’t connect. It could see some networks, but it refused to make a connection.

Another visit to Amazon and with a 50 ft CAT 6 Ethernet cable I have internet connectivity once again.

Long story short, I think the wireless card in the TV partially died. If you loose WiFi and your remote won’t pair, get a “simple”, non-voice remote and either wire the TV into your network or get a standalone box over HDMI (like another Roku or whatever). It sucks, but it is better than replacing the TV.