Remotes

[nmrn]

Prior to buying a Roku, my cable/DVR setup worked just fine.  I just purchased and setup a Roku Ultra (2020 version).  The Charter/Spectrum universal remote that controls my Motorola combo cable box/DVR is now activating the Roku, which I don't want to happen.

When the TV is set for input from the cable/DVR, pressing buttons on the cable/DVR remote control (like navigation arrows, page up, page down, MY DVR, etc) results in the Roku receiving a command and the Roku wakes up and tells the TV to switch to the Roku's input.  Cable/DVR is unusable without covering the IR input for the Roku or unplugging the Roku, because otherwise any button press on the cable/DVR remote switches the TV to Roku's input.

I have tried a solution suggested in other threads:

Roku settings> system> Control other Devices(CEC)> unclick 1-Touch Play box

This does prevent the Roku from stealing the TV's focus from the cable/DVR input.  However the Roku is still receiving and trying to act on the button presses from the cable/DVR remote.  So while I'm operating cable/DVR, the Roku's light is flashing away with every button press as the Roku tries to respond to the buttons on the cable/DVR remote.  The Roku is just doing it in hiding now, because the TV input is staying on cable/DVR.  This is bad for two reasons, 1) it means the Roku can never sleep while I'm operating the cable/DVR, since any button push on the cable/DVR remote wakes it up; and 2) the Roku is still responding to the button presses and moving through Roku menus and selecting/deselecting options as I press buttons, I just can't see it because the TV isn't displaying the Roku input.  I don't have a credit card saved, but just imagine all the accidental purchases that could happen in this scenario, where the Roku is still responding to the cable/DVR remote and you can't see what it's doing because the TV's displaying the cable/DVR input.  A PIN could prevent purchases, but not unintentional streaming wasting power and bandwidth.

I have tried setting different cable/DVR codes in the Charter/Spectrum remote, but all of the codes I have found which operate the cable/DVR will also trigger the Roku.  Those include 01376, 01245, 00810, 00476, 00276.

Seems like I need a Motorola cable/DVR code for the Charter/Spectrum remote that the Roku will not interpret as being intended for the Roku.  Or else I need some way to make the Roku ignore signals not coming from the Roku remote.

Thank you for any help or code suggestions to try

[nmrn]

Simple may be best -- solved it for now by just physically moving the Roku box behind the TV so no IR signal from the remote can reach it.

Still interested if anyone has any alternative remote codes to try.

[atc98092]

Unfortunately, if some other device is using some of the same IR codes as the Roku, there's not much you can do beyond what you already did. You could place a piece of tape across the front of the Roku to hide the IR windows.

[Anibal]

You have to switch of tv and cable box and turn on again with system remote control.

When is turn back on Roku device light still without changing.

[Frustrated14]

I have Verizon and use their remotes (Motorola I believe). I have the same problem. This is ridiculous! It must be common. There is nothing special about my setup. Is there no solution??? Why does Roku sell devices with this problem???

[atc98092]

If you are using a remote that uses the same IR codes as Roku, there's nothing Roku can do about it. They can't "fix" anything. Depending on the model Roku you have, you could get a WiFi Direct remote, pair it to the Roku, then put the Roku somewhere that it can't see the IR signals from the other remote. I had a similar issue with a Sharp Roku TV. It used the same IR codes as a Vizio TV that I use as a computer monitor. Turning the Roku TV on/off, or using other remote buttons would cause the Vizio set to respond as well. All I could do is cover the IR receiver window on the Vizio TV so it couldn't see the Roku remote. Since it was only used as a computer monitor and always powered on, I didn't need regular access to the Vizio remote. 

If your Roku and some other device are interacting through CEC, then you need to disable that function in  both your Roku and the other device. For the Roku, it's labeled One-Touch Play. I have no idea what it might be labeled in your other device. 

No, it's not a particularly common issue. But there simply are some devices that interact with a different device's remote. And there's nothing that either company could do except change the IR codes they use. But since they have untold thousands of devices that already use those codes, they aren't going to change anything.