In short, the remote still works but the right cursor "button" at times doesn't work. You have to press firmly to get it to work. Then it might OK for a little while. I finally decided to call Amazon to see if I could get a(nother) replacement. They couldn't find the record of the remote, but after a conferral with her supervisor (or something), they decided to give me a courtesy credit of $29.99 which I could use to buy another remote.
I decided to buy instead the new Roku Stick since it was discounted to $39.99 so it effectively cost me $10. Meanwhile, I'll struggle along with the less-than-perfect but still mostly functional voice remote. If it gets worse, I could use the non-voice remote from my Fire TV Stick (my Black Friday purchase which turned out to cost less me less than the price of a new voice remote).
[9/2/15] Remote still working, but got a low battery alert on the screen with the recommendation to replace them as soon as possible. Tested them with my battery tester and they still tested good, though near the low line.
[9/1/15] After unplugging the Fire TV yesterday, I plugged it back in today. Started right up with no problems. I left the batteries in the remote. That tells me the Fire TV is OK, but that the remote might have problems if the battery is out and later put back in. But I had problems before when the battery was left in, so who knows?
[8/31/15] Oh well, I thought the problems were solved.
[I did get my refund, but they took out like $5 for shipping. They take it out when it's not "their fault". Well is it my fault that the equipment is defective?? Anyway, I wasn't going to complain because "I thought the problems were solved" and leave well enough alone. Actually I might have made out because I'm not sure if I get a new warranty on the replacement controller or not. Probably not, it wouldn't make sense.]
But now problems again. The controller seemed to work fine when I first got it, but then occasionally it would lag, not responding for a few seconds, then started working again.
I thought maybe it was because I installed Kodi (see separate post), so I cleared the data to reset Kodi and it seemed to work. But then later it didn't. Then later the controller wouldn't respond at all.
I changed to fresh batteries. Then it worked. Switched back to the older batteries (which test OK on my battery tester but not as strong as the fresh batteries) and it worked. For a while. Then stopped working
Put back the fresh batteries. Still not working.
At least my iPad app still works and I decided to reset the Fire TV to factory default.
Booted up. Searching for your remote. Can't find it. And since it's reset to factory default, it's not connected to my network, so the iPad app can't control it either. So a useless Fire TV.
This all happened a few days ago. Now to contact tech support again.
Amazon.com. Help. Need More Help? Contact Us. Sign in. Fire and Kindle. Fire TV. Remote or Game Controller.
Wait. Was just about to start a chat, when the Fire TV apparently found the remote.
OK, let's see how long it lasts this time. I won't install Kodi, leave in the fresh batteries, and see if I get the problem again.
well, I see a problem already. Games and Apps have a blank screen. When I go to them, it says Loading Games or Loading Apps. It's been a while, so I think something is wrong. I know the network is working, because I was playing the NCIS: Los Angeles pilot I bought recently.
I guess I could unplug and try again. But let's try restart from the System menu.
Ugh. Just when I was starting to like the Fire TV. I guess it's OK, if it works.
OK, it restarted pretty fast. Controller still working. OK, Games and Apps now show up.
I see the CBS app spotlighted! OK, I got a little ahead of myself. It's just the CBS news app. But the logo just has a big CBS on it.
OK, load in Hulu Plus. Surprised it still says Hulu Plus, which might mean it's an old app. Adjust your display. I guess it does this before you play your first video app.
Turn on captions. They're yellow. Adjust caption formatting from the settings menu. I guess the settings must be stored on the Fire TV. Let's do proportion sans serif, white, window opacity transparent (if both background and window opacity are semi-transparent, the background becomes opaque).
I notice though that when I come back from adjusting the captions, the captions seem to lag the audio. And at one point, when playing the Daily Show (the Amy Shumer episode at the end when they were showing Fox News reporting that people seemed disappointed that Trump wasn't at the Koch GOP conference) the video was blank after the commercial for a number of seconds. Replaying showed that the video was there.
Netflix seems OK. They take the caption settings from the website.
Hours later, working fine. I can't leave well enough along. Take out the fresh batteries, put in the other batteries. Not working. Wait working again. OK let's update the software for the remote. It's now on version 352. AFTV News reported 352 a year ago, so it hasn't been updated in over a year.
Playing NCIS Los Angeles s1e01. The next episode automatically played. The setting was on here. Turned it off.
Played The Goldbergs s2e16: The Lost Boy.
Still working. I'm thinking the controller will work as long as it powered in this state. But if I take out the batteries, it'll die again. Well, now that the Fire TV is on the network, it should work with the app. So let's see if my theory is correct and maybe I'll get the replacement tomorrow.
Take out batteries at 6:07 PM.
And while I'm at it, I'll remove the app and re-install it and see if the invisible buttons appear. (They are visible in this picture, but not on my iPad.)
Nope, still no visible back button (until I tap it). And now I have two instances of the Amazon Fire TV remote app showing up in settings.
OK, waited 15 minutes. Put back batteries. Waited about 8 seconds and it went from offline to OK.
Reset it. Now the app has disappeared from the settings. Access the app from the iPad. Automatically connected and now just one instance.
OK unplug the Fire TV and plug in my Roku and I guess I'll try the Fire TV again tomorrow. Leaving the batteries in for now.
[8/13/15] The replacement Fire TV with controller arrived really fast. I chatted with Amazon on Friday (7/31) and the replacement arrived on Monday (8/3). Didn't get around to actually hooking it up until Saturday (8/8).
It turned out the old controller didn't work on new Fire TV. But the replacement controller worked on my original Fire TV. So apparently it's a controller problem.
At one point, I made the Fire TV forget the controller, but couldn't add it back. So I reset the Fire TV to default settings and let it boot back up and it recognized the controller. Leave well enough alone.
OK, let's see if I can get credit for the Fire TV. I'd be willing to pay for the remote replacement which is currently selling for only $14.99 ($19.99 new).
Head to chat. Varun answers.
At first he said I got the replacement for free, but I told him I got charged $58. Actually I paid a little less since I used some Amazon gift card credits courtesy of bing rewards. Then apparently he got what I was trying to say. So he's going to send me a link to print out a replacement label, then supposedly I'll get a refund for my $58 after that. Didn't even bother to charge me for the controller. Or maybe he didn't understand the situation. Stay tuned to see if I get my refund.
[7/31/15] Wanted to take my Fire TV to my sister's house today for possibly playing Fibbage. So set up the Fire TV. As feared, the remote doesn't work again. Using the iPad app, says batteries offline.
This time it didn't go online after waiting. So I went to amazon support chat. The guy seemed to be ready to send me a new remote, but I told him I had already gotten the remote replaced a few months back. So I guess he didn't know what to do so he arranged a call back (where somebody from Amazon calls me).
This guy was nice enough too. Had me try taking out the batteries and putting it back. Unplugging the unit and plugging it back it. Nope.
So we figured it was the unit. He was going to send me a free replacement but saw it was out of the 1-year warranty. So he offered the option to send a replacement for $58. I guess that's a good deal because the price of a new one is $99. The only problem it won't come in time for the party at my sister's house.
Plus I saw I had some "gift cards" I had from Bing Rewards plus some unused credits. So knock off $19.45. And actually I have more unused Bing credits so I could get the price down even more.
I guess I could take over my router to my sister's house then use the iPad app to connect the Fire TV to their routers. I'm thinking I wouldn't even to hook up the router to the internet. Maybe I'll try that, but what a pain.
[6/26/15] Wanted to test out Amazon Prime, so hooked up the Fire TV again and it's asking me to log in or create an Amazon account. It doesn't respond to the remote. Install the Fire TV app again on my iPad. OK that works, so now I know that my Fire TV is setup on the CyberHiNet network.
Navigate to Settings, Amazon TV Remotes, Amazon Fire TV Remotes. Says battery offline.
Test battery. Batteries OK. Change batteries. Still offline.
Then the screen changed to sleep mode or something. And somehow the remote is working!
OK, change the batteries. Not working. Put in the new batteries again. Still not working.
Waiting for the sleep screen again. Put in old batteries which test strong. Hey, online again. Says batteries OK. Beats me. Maybe I'll just leave the batteries in.
OK played around the Fire TV for a while. Everything worked OK.
To test the remote, I went to the Amazon Fire TV Remote screen. Took out the batteries. After a few seconds, the battery said offline. Put the batteries back in, still offline :)
Go to my computer to write this. The Fire TV went to screensaver. For the heck of it I pressed the home button on the remote and the Fire TV responded, exiting the screensaver. Beats me. But now it's working again. I gotta think the Fire TV is flaky since this is my second remote.
Well, I assume this will be a continuing problem since I don't use the Fire TV that much. So I better remember that the FireTV is setup for my CyberHiNet router since I probably will have to use the iPad app to control it the next time I use it.
It's been just over one year since I bought the Fire TV, so I shouldn't be able to return it.
Tried it a couple more times. Took out the batteries, goes offline. Put back the batteries. Offline at first. But after a few minutes it finally goes online. Beats me.
OK put the thing away.
Now for my AppleTV. This is a comparable test. I was using my Oceanic DVR remote control to control the AppleTV, but the DVR crashed and I returned it. Actually the guy didn't ask for the remote control back, so maybe I could have kept it. They didn't ask for the HDMI cable back, so at least I kept that.
Anyway, now I want to program the One For All remote for the Apple TV. I'm using the AUDIO function for the Roku. So I guess I'll use the STB function for the Apple TV. But since it's not set up yet, I'll have to first use the AppleTV remote.
This is a comparable situation to the Amazon Fire TV remote because I had stored away the Apple TV remote and took out the battery. OK, hook up the Apple TV. Retrieve the remote. Put in the battery (+ faces up). Works right away. Maybe it's because it's IR vs. BlueTooth?
Trying to get the Apple TV to recognize the One For All remote. For some reason, it's not getting any signal when I use the STB button, but the AUDIO button works. So I'll use that for the Apple TV as well as the Roku!
The standard buttons worked, but it doesn't recognize the playback buttons. But if I use the DVD button, it recognizes most of them.
Wait, isn't there a setting for the Apple TV? I think I have it somewhere in this blog...
Splitting this off to a separate Apple TV remote replacement post..
[4/24/15] OK trying out the remote. Was playing Deadliest Catch on Hulu Plus. Let it play for a little while, but when I came back to stop it, nothing happened. So went to my ipad app and pressed Home. Checked the remote and the battery said OK. So it seems to be OK. Hmm...
And now I can't get back into the ESPN app. The spinning wheel keeps spinning. It was working earlier. I guess this isn't a problem with the controller though. I'm becoming less and less enchanted with this FireTV. Checking. WatchESPN works on my computer and my iPad. [Got it to work by removing it and reinstalling it.]
[4/24/15] Yep, sure enough, FedEx delivers the replacement remote. Now to see if it works.
OK, plug in the Fire TV. The menu comes up. Open up the mailer. The remote comes in a nice black box. The problem is that I don't see how to open it without tearing it. Funny, I see that it's Certified Frustration Free Packaging.
Well, I guess I got to pull the tab and tear open the box. OK, there you go. Even comes with batteries.
I see this remote costs $29.99 and got 53 one star reviews out of 414, 247 five star.
OK, put in the batteries from the original remote as I think they're still good. Plus then I'll see if the problem is with the batteries.
Nothing is happening. "Press and hold the home button for 5-10 seconds to enter discovery mode."
Nope, nothing. Maybe it's not the remote?
OK, run the Fire TV app on my iPad.
Battery says offline. Put the new batteries in. Still says offline.
Let's try add new remote. OK, there you go! I don't know how I would have done this without the app.
Well reading the instructions that came with the remote, apparently you have to pair it soon after you plug in the Fire TV. Here's the instructions for a replacement remote.
"1. Restart your Amazon FireTV by unplugging the power cable from the power outlet and plugging it back in. After the Amazon FireTV Home screen completes loading, the white LED on the front of your Amazon FireTV will go from solid to pulsing when it is ready for pairing. This could take up to a minute.
2. Press and hold the Home button on the new remote for 5-10 seconds to enter discoverable mode. Your new remote should automatically pair with your Amazon FireTV. You will see an on-screen message when it has successfully paired."
OK, remove the old remote since it's not working anyway.
Update remote software to 3.52 (it was on 3.49).
OK, let's try this for a few days to make sure everything is OK.
***
[transplanted and excerpted from Amazon Fire TV audition (vs. Apple TV vs. Roku) {and caption battle}]
[4/22/15] Contacted Amazon with this link and chatted with a rep. He said he's going to send a replacement. Never even asked me if I changed the batteries. Emailed me a link to print out a return label to return the defective item. The only thing is that I have to return it via UPS. I'll wait until the replacement arrives first. Stay tuned.
[4/6/15] Hooked up the Fire TV, but the remote didn't work again. And no amount of fiddling got it to work this time. The IOS app still works, but notice there's no "back" button. But discovered it's actually there, but not visible. Whose bright idea was that? [I think the app is screwy.]
Hmm. I think the button is supposed to be there according to the screen shot. Dunno where mine went. And apparently it's supposed to say Tap anywhere to select in the main screen. But mine is completely blank. Maybe my colors are off.
Anyway I think I'll take back the Fire TV to Best Buy and see what they say. [They said I have to return it to Amazon.]
[3/25/15] OK, before putting away the Fire TV, decided to hook it up. Once again the the remote didn't work. And it was asking for a system update. It did it automatically since I couldn't turn it off in time. Then after the update, I went to the Roku app and checked the remote. It said it was offline. Fiddling with the battery. Trying to clean the contact. And after a while, it connnected.
... So now debating whether to return the Fire TV or not. Well, maybe I'll take out the batteries again and try again later.
***
OK, took it to CCOH. It connected to the network, but the remote still wouldn't work. Installed the Amazon Fire TV app for the iPad, connected to the same network and got it to work.
Navigated to system, pair remote, nothing. Said battery was missing or dead or something. Was fiddling around with the batteries and all of a sudden the batteries were found and the controller was working.
What I noticed before is that if I shook the controller I could feel rattling like the batteries were loose. But now when I shook it, there was no rattling. Took out the batteries, put it back. Remote not working. Fiddle around, no rattling. Remote working. Quite odd. And I'd say this is a design issue. Or maybe I got oddball batteries? And now the app isn't working (can't find the Fire TV). Dunno. Maybe it's the network? I had it on Tsunami and switched to CCOH. Oh well. I guess I'll fool around some more with the batteries (probably leading to more frustration.)
[3/24/15] ... OK, I think I might now know what the problem is with the battery. The contact "platform button" where the bottom battery contacts on the bottom has some spring action which portrudes it up from the bottom. It seems it was a little stuck and wasn't protruding all the way up. And now (I think) I notice it's sticking up more. Spray some silicone to prevent it from getting stuck (don't know if that helped or hurt). Hopefully that was the problem.
[3/23/15] OK, I see that the Amazon Fire TV remote is bluetooth. So the One For All remote wouldn't be able to learn it since it's IR. Here's more things to try.
If your remote isn’t discovered, press the Home button for 5 - 10 seconds.
Still having trouble?
Disconnect the power cord from your Amazon Fire TV devuce for three seconds, and then plug the power cord back in. Or, on your remote press and hold the Select button and the Play button at the same time until the device restarts (about five seconds).
Shucks, didn't work. At least it's still displaying some nice background pictures...
Before taking it back to Best Buy, I think I'll take it back to CCOH which has the network which the Fire TV is currently set up with. Then I'll see what happens. Maybe I'll try out the IOS app too.
[3/22/15] Took my Amazon Fire TV home to check out the captions for youtube (and Netflix and hulu). It couldn't connect to my network. Which made sense since I had changed back to my old router in the meantime. But when I tried to connect to my current network, I got no response. Looks like the remote isn't working now. Changed the batteries. Still not working. Test if remote is working by seeing if my One For All remote could learn any buttons from the Amazon Fire TV remote. Apparently not. Ugh.
Well, I believe it may have one-year warranty. I think I'll take it back to Best Buy and see what they say.
