There are times where our TV remote gets damaged due to wear and tear or because it just fell on the ground or got wet. And if it is not so easy to find the correct remote from the manufacturer, then what you should do is buy a universal remote , this should work perfectly with your TV, but for this you must enter the correct code.
It also depends on the universal remote that you get, sometimes you will get one of the most popular on the market that have wide compatibility not only with televisions but also with DVD, Bluray and more, in this article we will teach you how to program a universal remote in a simple way.
Programming through code
All the devices with which a universal remote control can be paired have a specific code, in fact each brand of television has at least 3 or 4 different codes , but it is not strange that you find brands with up to 10 codes.
When you buy the control you should always make sure that it has the complete list with all the codes for televisions, DVDs, Blu-Ray, etc. If it does not bring the list, it may be possible that you get it on the website of the manufacturer of the universal remote , you should search well because sometimes it is not so obvious.
Once you have the complete list you must search for the brand of your television or the device where you are going to use it, after you have located the brand you must enter each code one by one until you find the one that is correct for the device in question.
You must press and hold the device button on the remote , if it is a TV you must press the TV button, doing this you should see that the LEDs of the power and device buttons turn on. While continuing to hold TV enter the code using the number buttons on the remote.
Well, once the above is done, you should notice that the power LEDs of the universal remote turned off, once the code has been entered, you must keep the device button pressed, in this case TV. If you have done everything correctly and the code is correct, you will see that the power LED remains lit.
Some universal remotes work differently, you need to press and hold the Set button for 5 seconds , then press the button that corresponds to the device, enter the code and press the Ent button for it to save the code.
Programming via computer
We will use the Logitech Harmony universal remote as an example , this particular model must be programmed by a specific website. In order to program it, all you have to do is follow some instructions, the first thing is to connect the controller to the PC with the USB cable that is included in the package.
This will allow you to access a database that has more than 250 thousand devices. You can program the universal remote for all the devices you want to use, customize it and even create quick access buttons, if you later want to make more changes you just have to connect the remote to the PC and do the same process.
Use your smartphone as universal remote
There is an option to use it with the infrared of the mobile phone, but since the vast majority do not have this element, then we will go another way. Certainly this means that you are exposed to the specification that each manufacturer has established for its device.
The most recommended thing is that you download the official application of the brand or device , there are brands that do not finish releasing applications that manage to establish themselves over time, as is the case of Samsung that started with Quick Connect and currently the ideal is SmartThings.
If your television is Samsung, you must use the SmartThings application, it is the ideal one for that ecosystem that the company is creating , where with a single application you can control different smart devices.
In the event that the television is Sony Bravia , use the SideView application and you can turn your Android smartphone into a remote control, in the event that it is a recent model with Android TV, below I will leave you a list with applications for that operating system .
In the event that the television is LG, you have three different applications depending on the model, if the television you have was launched in 2011 you must download the LG TV Remote 2011 app , if it was launched in 2012 or later you must install the LG TV Remote application , TVs with the WebOS system need the LG TV Plus app .
If, on the other hand, you have a Philips television, you need the Philips TV Remote app, which is the brand’s own and with some advanced functions such as the programming guide or voice control. This application is compatible with televisions from 2014 onwards, if this is not the case, the app to use is Philips My Remote .
And now more generally, with televisions that have Android TV you can use the remote control that is available in the Android settings, you can also do it from the Google Home app.