I hope you didn’t smack your Insignia TV remote!
I know – some good old smacking may work on some remotes. I’ve been there and done that. But that’s only a short-term solution. In the long run, that may bring more issues to your remote.
I’ve been researching Insignia TV remotes just recently.
My aunt, who has an Insignia TV, messaged me saying her remote had gone bad. She said her Insignia TV didn’t respond no matter what button she pressed on the remote.
Since I haven’t owned an Insignia TV, I had to study up about Insignia TV remotes, the common reasons why they stopped working, and the possible fixes.
In the end, I was able to guide my aunt in fixing her Insignia TV remote.
Understanding that my aunt may not be the only one who has experienced this issue, I decided to create this guide.
Here I’ll explain the possible causes and proven fixes for an Insignia TV remote that is not working.
Contents show
Why is my Insignia TV remote not working?
Electronic glitches and bad batteries are the most common reasons an Insignia TV remote is not working.
But it can also be due to pairing issues, a stuck button, dust build-up, interference from other devices, signal obstructions, and external or internal damage.
How do I get my Insignia remote to work again?
1. Power cycle your remote
Power cycle your Insignia TV remote if it’s not working.
Remove your remote’s batteries for at least 2 to 3 minutes. While the batteries are out, press and hold your remote’s power button for at least 15 seconds to drain residual electrical charge.
After 2 to 3 minutes, put the batteries back in and see if your Insignia TV remote works.
An Insignia TV remote that isn’t working is often due to electronic glitches.
Believe it or not, you can actually power cycle your remote to fix those glitches. It doesn’t only work on computers or TVs, it works on remotes too.
Power cycling drains residual electrical charge and resets your remote. It’s a reboot that returns your remote to its original working state.
Your Insignia TV remote should work after the power cycle.
But if that didn’t do the trick, don’t worry. We’re just getting started. There are plenty more proven solutions you can try to fix the issue.
2. Replace your remote’s batteries
If you power cycled your Insignia TV remote and it still won’t work, your next best option is to replace its batteries.
Batteries degrade over time. If it has been a while since you last changed your Insignia TV remote batteries, it may be time to replace them.
If your remote’s old batteries are discharged completely, your remote won’t work, no matter how many times you power cycle it.
Before putting on fresh batteries, clean the compartment and metal contact points using a cloth. When putting on the batteries, make sure to match the polarities to the symbols in the battery compartment.
Once your Insignia TV remote has new batteries, check if it’s now working properly.
3. Re-pair your remote to your Insignia TV
If you have an Insignia Fire TV, it’s possible your remote has become unpaired with your TV for some reason.
An Insignia Fire TV remote, because it uses Bluetooth technology, needs to be paired with your TV to work.
Sometimes, it gets unpaired without you knowing due to bugs and glitches in your Insignia Fire TV’s system.
Fortunately, it’s easy to pair an Insignia Fire TV remote again.
To pair your Insignia Fire TV remote, press and hold your remote’s Home button for 10 seconds.
Your remote should be paired with your Insignia TV again within a minute. Once it’s paired successfully, check if it’s back in working condition.
4. Reset your Insignia TV remote
If re-pairing your Insignia Fire TV remote didn’t work the first time, try to reset the remote first before pairing it again.
To perform the reset, follow these steps:
- Unplug your Insignia Fire TV for at least one minute.
- Press and hold the Menu button, Back button, and the left side of the navigation ring for 12 seconds.
- Release the buttons and wait an additional 5 seconds.
- After 5 seconds, remove the batteries from your remote.
- Plug your Insignia Fire TV back in and wait for 60 seconds.
- After 60 seconds, put the batteries back in your remote.
- Press your remote’s Home button.
The LED indicator light should blink blue to confirm that your remote has been paired successfully.
If it’s still unpaired, press your remote’s Home button for 10 seconds again.
Your Insignia TV should be successfully paired after resetting and re-pairing it.
5. Press all the buttons on your remote at least once
A stuck button is another possible reason your Insignia TV remote is not working.
If one of your remote’s buttons is stuck, it will send a continuous signal to your TV, blocking all other signals.
Not only will pressing the other buttons not work, but a stuck button may drain your remote’s batteries faster.
For instance, if your remote’s Play button is stuck, no matter how many times you press the power button, it won’t turn on because the play signal is continuously transmitting.
To ensure no button is stuck, press all your remote buttons at least once.
6. Clean your remote
When was the last time you cleaned your Insignia TV remote?
Over time, dust and dirt build up in your remote, especially in the miniscule gaps around the buttons.
If dust accumulates and is not cleaned once in a while, it may result in unresponsive buttons or, worse, a remote completely not working.
To clean your remote, make sure to remove its batteries first.
If you have the time and basic tools, you may disassemble your remote to clean it thoroughly, like in this video:
But if you don’t want to disassemble it, you can use the following materials that I’m sure you can find at home:
- a microfiber cloth
- 70% isopropyl alcohol
- cotton swabs
- an old but clean toothbrush
Spray some alcohol on the surface of your Insignia TV remote. Use the toothbrush to remove any dust or dirt buildup. Using the cotton swabs, try to remove the gunk stuck around each of your remote’s buttons.
Once you’ve removed the dust, use the microfiber cloth to dry the remote.
Leave your Insignia TV remote to air dry for a few minutes before checking if it’s back to life.
7. Remove sources of interference
Insignia Roku TV remotes use infrared (IR) like other relatively old Insignia TV remotes.
On the other hand, Insignia Fire TV remotes only use IR for the power button and Bluetooth for the rest of the buttons.
Regardless, TV remotes can be prone to interference.
Interference happens when radio waves from other devices or appliances interfere with the remote’s IR or Bluetooth signal.
IR remotes are sensitive to light (from lamps or even direct sunlight). So if your Insignia TV is near any lighting fixture or sunlight, consider moving the light sources or your TV.
Bluetooth remotes, on the other hand, need to be away from sources of interference like Wi-Fi routers and microwave ovens. These devices emit radio waves with the same frequency, weakening Bluetooth signals.
Remove all sources of interference that may be affecting your Insignia TV remote.
Once removed, check if your remote is working properly.
8. Ensure there are no obstructions
If your Insignia TV remote is using infrared, you need to point it toward your TV’s infrared receiver to make it work (unlike a Bluetooth remote that you don’t need to point toward your TV).
However, the signal won’t be transmitted properly if there are obstructions between the remote and your Insignia TV’s infrared receiver.
Ensure that your Insignia TV receives your remote’s signal and no obstructions can block it. Move furniture or any objects that are obstructing the infrared signal.
You may think it’s a super obvious fix (it is!), but you’d be surprised how many people thought they had a broken remote, only to find out that it’s only because of the obstructions between the remote and the TV’s infrared receiver.
9. Buy a replacement remote
If obstructions were removed and your IR remote is still not working, check if it’s really sending an infrared signal.
While the infrared light may not be visible to the naked eye, you can use your smartphone’s camera or any digital camera to see it.
Turn your smartphone’s camera on and point the front tip of your Insignia TV remote to your smartphone camera’s lens.
Press any of your remote’s buttons and see if a flash or light is coming from your remote.
If there’s no flash or light, your Insignia TV remote may be broken. Your best option, in that situation, is to buy a replacement remote or use alternative remotes (more about that below).
What are the alternatives to an Insignia TV physical remote?
You don’t have to spend money to buy a new Insignia TV remote.
Instead of doing that, you can use your smartphone as your Insignia TV remote.
You simply need to download and install free mobile apps that allow you to control your TV using your smartphone.
Both Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV have mobile apps available on the App Store and Google Play. However, insignia’s Universal Remote app is only available for Android users.
Here are the links to the mobile apps:
To pair your Insignia Roku TV with your Roku app, follow these steps:
- Open the Roku app on your smartphone.
- Select your Insignia Roku TV from the list of devices.
- On the bottom menu, select Remote.
- You can now use your smartphone as a remote.
For Insignia Fire TV owners, you can pair the Amazon Fire TV app by following these:
- Open the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone.
- Select your Insignia Fire TV from the list.
- Follow the instructions on your smartphone screen.
- Use the keyboard and other button options to control your Insignia Fire TV.
Important: For these apps to work, your Insignia TV and smartphone should be on the same wireless network. If they are on different networks, pairing won’t work, and you can’t control your Insignia TV using the apps.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why Insignia TV remotes stop working. Fortunately, most of the reasons are just minor that can be quickly fixed at home.
Power cycle your Insignia TV remote if it’s not working. Take out its batteries for 2-3 minutes and drain the residual electrical charge by pressing its power button for at least 30 seconds.
You should do the following fixes if power cycling doesn’t work:
- Replace your remote’s batteries with fresh ones.
- Re-pair your remote to your Insignia TV.
- Reset your Insignia TV remote and pair your remote again.
- Press all the buttons of your remote at least once.
- Clean your remote.
- Remove sources of interference.
- Ensure there are no obstructions.
- Buy a replacement.
If you don’t want to buy a new remote, you can just download the Insignia, Roku TV, and Amazon Fire TV mobile apps so you can use your smartphone as a remote.
