TVs & players

[sucree01]

So, we ended up losing the original remote to the tv on our move to Alaska. We were gifted a Roku remote from a friend, we tried to use it but the tv light blinks yet nothing happens. Any help? Or good suggestions on a remote we can get that will work?

Its a Vizio Roku TV

[makaiguy]

@sucree01---

Roku TVs use a different set of infrared (IR) commands than Roku devices do.  Consequently an IR remote for a Roku device cannot control a Roku TV, and vice versa.

Your best bet is to procure a replacement remote that works with your TV.  You can either:

• Get a Roku TV replacement remote.  Remotes that come with Roku TVs are supplied by the TV manufacturers, not Roku.  Being IR remotes, Roku TV remotes "just work" without being paired to the Roku TV.  You may be able to find them locally at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc, or of course at online sources like Amazon and eBay, but not from Roku.  Roku TV remotes from any Roku TV manufacturer or from third party suppliers largely use the same standard set of IR commands and are interchangeable for use on Roku TVs from other manufacturers*, just be sure it is a remote for Roku TV, not for a Roku streaming device.
  
  * EXCEPTION: Remotes from HiSense and Sharp can only be used with HiSense and Sharp Roku TVs because they issue a different set of IR commands than the rest of the Roku TV manufacturers.  The Roku TVs from HiSense and Sharp themselves, though, support both sets of IR commands so they can be used with remotes from any Roku TV manufacturer.
  
  
• Get a Roku Voice Remote.  These work with Roku TVs as well as separate Roku devices.  You may be able to find them locally at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc, or of course at online sources like Amazon, eBay, and from Roku itself. These are point-anywhere remotes that connect to the TV via WiFi-direct, and must be paired to the TV to enable them to communicate.  There are two models, the Voice Remote ($20) and the Voice Remote Pro ($30).  The Pro has a rechargeable battery, an earphone jack for remote listening, and two programmable buttons.

One other possibility:

If the tv was no longer connecting to your former network when you shut it down, your only recourse is to use a remote to set the Roku network connection up.  But If it WAS still working to connect to your home WiFi when you shut it down, and if you have not cleared its network settings or perfoprmed a factory reset, it may still be trying to connect to your old network. 

If you know your old network's name (SSID) and password, see if you can configure your new router to use the same SSID and password.  Then when you power up your TV it should connect to your network.  You then could use the official Roku app on a phone or tablet connecting to your home network as a replacement remote.