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Diagnose it in minutes
The camera test tells us most of what we need to know.
Home/TV repair services/Remote setup & pairing
Remote setup & pairing
Remote not responding? Start here before you panic
A remote that has stopped working is the cheapest fault in television repair — and the one most likely to be mistaken for something far more serious.
Cheapest fix there is
We supply remotes
DStv remotes too
Test the remote with your phone camera. It takes fifteen seconds.
Point the remote at your phone’s camera and press a button while watching the screen. On an infrared remote, you should see a faint purple or white flicker from the LED on the front of the remote. Your eyes cannot see infrared; your phone camera can.
If you see the flicker, the remote is transmitting and the fault is at the television end — the IR receiver, or a settings problem. If you see nothing, the remote itself is dead, and that is the easiest and cheapest thing in this entire trade to put right.
Bluetooth and RF remotes — the voice-control ones that come with newer smart TVs — will not show anything on a camera, because they do not use infrared. Those need re-pairing rather than testing, and we can do that too.
The detail
What is actually wrong with it
In rough order of likelihood.
Flat or corroded batteries
Yes, really, and there is no shame in it. Batteries that look fine can be too flat to drive an IR LED. Corrosion in the battery compartment is also extremely common and it prevents contact entirely.
The remote has lost its pairing
Bluetooth and RF remotes need to be paired to the television. A firmware update, a power cut or a battery change can break the pairing, and the remote simply stops working. Re-pairing takes minutes.
Worn or sticking buttons
The conductive pad under each button wears out. If some buttons work and others do not, or if you have to press hard, that is button wear. It can be cleaned and, in many cases, restored.
The IR receiver on the TV has failed
If a known-good remote also does not work, the receiver on the television is the suspect. It is a small component and it is replaceable.
The remote is physically damaged
Dropped, sat on, or introduced to a cup of tea. Sometimes repairable, often more sensibly replaced — and we can supply the replacement.
You need one remote for everything
TV, decoder, soundbar. A properly programmed universal remote is a genuine quality-of-life improvement, and we will set it up so it actually works rather than half-works.
What you get
What we can do
From the free fix to a full replacement.
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Re-pair Bluetooth and voice remotes
Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, TCL and more.
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Supply original replacements
Where the original is available and worth having.
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Programme universal remotes
Set up properly, for the TV, the decoder and the soundbar.
05
Replace failed IR receivers
When the fault is the television, not the remote.
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DStv remote pairing
Explora, Ultra and HD decoders, paired and tested.
Included
What a remote callout includes
Small job, done properly.
Remote transmission testIR output verified, not assumed
Battery and contact inspectionCorrosion is far more common than people realise
Pairing and re-pairingFor Bluetooth, RF and voice remotes
TV-side IR receiver testTo rule the television in or out
Universal remote programmingConfigured for every device you actually use
A full function testEvery button you care about, tested
Our process
Getting control back
01
Try the camera test
Fifteen seconds, and it tells us which end the fault is at.
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Tell us what you found
Flicker or no flicker? Some buttons or none? Which brand?
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We fix or replace on site
Re-pair, repair, or supply a replacement remote.
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We test everything you use
TV, decoder, soundbar — all working from the remote you have.
FAQ
Remote setup & pairing — your questions answered
The things people actually ask us on the phone, answered straight.
Not sure what is wrong?
WhatsApp us the make, the screen size and a short video of what the TV is doing. We can usually narrow the fault down before a technician is even dispatched.
WhatsApp 063 866 0971How do I test if my TV remote is working?
Point it at your phone’s camera and press a button. If it is an infrared remote, you should see a faint flicker on the phone screen from the LED. If you see the flicker, the remote is transmitting and the problem is elsewhere. If you do not, the remote is the fault.
My remote worked yesterday and now it does not.
Start with the batteries, even if they seem new, and check the battery compartment for corrosion. If that is clean, and it is a Bluetooth or voice remote, it has most likely lost its pairing with the television. Re-pairing usually solves it.
Can you supply a replacement remote?
Yes. We can supply original remotes where they are available, and good-quality universal remotes where they are not or where the original is poor value. We programme and test it before we leave.
My DStv remote stopped working with the decoder.
DStv remotes need to be paired to the decoder, and that pairing can be lost. It is usually a quick re-pair. If the remote is physically failing, we can supply a replacement and pair it on site.
Some buttons work and others do not. Is the remote finished?
Not necessarily. That is classic button-contact wear, and it can often be cleaned and restored. If the remote is old and several buttons are failing, replacing it is usually the more sensible spend.
Can one remote control my TV, decoder and soundbar?
Yes, with a properly programmed universal remote. The key word is properly — a half-configured universal remote is more frustrating than three separate ones. We set it up and test every function you use.
Book a TV technician
Get control of your television back
It is usually the cheapest call you will make to us all year. Tell us the brand and what the remote is doing.
Remote setup, pairing and replacement · TV and DStv
Contact
Speak to a TV technician, not a call centre
- Call us
- 0861 995 085Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
- 063 866 0971Send a short video of the fault — it speeds everything up.
- Where we work
- Johannesburg, Pretoria, Sandton, Centurion, Midrand, the East Rand and the West RandSee every area we cover →