The remote is not working properly

Modified on Fri, 7 Aug at 6:56 AM

This article helps when your ADTH remote is not doing what you expect, whether that is one button, several buttons, or the whole remote. It also covers pairing problems and the remote-related reasons your TV might turn on by itself.

First, try the basic reset

This is worth trying first for almost any remote problem, including the case where the OK button works most of the time but occasionally does nothing.

Remove the batteries from the remote.
Unplug the box from power.
Plug the box back in. Wait for it to power on and boot all the way to the channel guide screen. You should see the on-screen program guide, not a black screen or a spinner.
Put the batteries back into the remote.

This clears a stuck connection between the remote and the box without erasing your channels or settings. If the box does not reach the guide screen in step 3, or the remote still is not working properly afterward, find your situation below.

If that did not work

The remote does not respond at all, to any button

Check that the batteries are fresh and inserted the right way round first. If you press a button and the remote's red LED does not light up at all, the batteries are the likely cause, so replace them. If the LED does light up but the box still does not react, the remote has most likely lost its connection to the box, so go to Pairing never finishes below and re-pair it.

One button works most of the time but occasionally does nothing (for example, OK)

Use the basic reset above. If it keeps happening afterward, re-pair the remote using the steps in Pairing never finishes below, which resets the connection more fully than the basic reset does.

A specific button never works, not just occasionally

First try the basic reset above, then re-pair the remote. If a specific button still never responds after re-pairing, that is a fault we need to look at directly, so please contact support.

The remote behaves differently depending on distance or where you point it

If the remote only works when pointed precisely at the box, or only from certain distances, this usually means it is not connected over Bluetooth and is working over infrared instead. Infrared needs a clear, direct line of sight and is more sensitive to distance and angle. Re-pair the remote using the steps below. If you have deliberately chosen not to pair it (see below), then needing a clear line of sight is expected, because infrared always works that way.

Pairing never finishes: it keeps searching, or goes from "connecting" back to "searching"

Before you keep trying, check whether you need to pair at all: see Do you even need to pair the remote? below.

If you do want Bluetooth paired, here is the correct sequence:

On the remote, press the Settings button. A Settings panel opens on the right of the screen.
Look for Repair Bluetooth Remote, usually the last item in the list, and select it to start automatic re-pairing.
If that does not work, open Remote and Accessories in Settings instead.
If your remote is already listed there, select it and choose Unpair first.
Select Add Accessory. The screen shows Searching for Accessories.
Hold the remote close to the box, within about 7 inches, and pointed away from it. Press and hold Back and Home together until the red LED on the remote starts flashing.
Only once the LED is flashing, point the remote toward the box. When the box detects it, the remote's name appears on screen.
Select that name and wait for pairing to finish.
Check that the remote now appears in the Remote and Accessories list, and test a few buttons.

Why step 6 says to point it away. Back and Home also send infrared commands. If your box already responds to the remote over infrared, aiming it at the box while you hold those buttons navigates the menus and closes the pairing screen before Bluetooth pairing can finish. Pointing it away avoids that, while staying close keeps you inside Bluetooth range.

If you are setting the box up for the first time and it does not respond to the remote at all yet, there is no infrared to interfere, so you only need to keep the remote close to the box.

If it still will not get past "connecting", repeat the process and keep the remote close to the box during step 7, since detection is where a weak signal usually causes it to drop back to "searching".

The red TV power button does not turn the TV on or off

This is a different button from the one that turns the box on and off, and it works differently: it does not pair, it has to be taught your TV's power signal. Until it has been taught, it will not do anything. Follow the TV Power Button Infrared Learning Guide. If you already taught it and it stopped working, the taught code may have been cleared, so teach it again the same way.

The box or TV turns on by itself

This is a separate issue related to an HDMI setting called CEC, not to the remote, and it has its own article: "My TV is turning on by itself (HDMI CEC)".

Do you even need to pair the remote?

If your box is on software version 1.0.101 or later, Bluetooth pairing is optional. The remote also works over infrared without being paired at all. Check your version on the About page in Settings. If you are on 1.0.101 or later and stuck trying to get pairing to finish, you may not need to finish it: point the remote directly at the box and try the buttons you need.

Still stuck?

Contact support and include:

Your serial number, from the About page in Settings, or printed on the bottom of the box. It has two parts joined by a hyphen, for example DGIA3L13318079E-GZ24070063600640. Please send the full thing, not just one half.
Your software version, also on the About page.
What the remote does and does not do (for example "OK stops working after about ten minutes", or "pairing goes to connecting, then back to searching, every time"), and whether it happens with fresh batteries.

Last reviewed: 7 August 2026.