Amazon includes an Alexa-enabled remote with every Fire TV Stick, but what if you want to use a different remote? Whether you never had it, broke it, or you just don’t like it, don’t stress. There are still ways to use your Fire Stick.
You can use your normal TV remote or a universal remote by enabling the HDMI-CEC setting. You can also use any universal remote that supports a Bluetooth connection. There are universal remote attachments that will help you use your Fire Stick with your TV. To use an IR remote, you will need a USB Y cable and an IR receiver.
Continue reading to find out how you can easily control your Fire TV with the regular TV remote.
Can You Use A Regular Remote For Fire Stick?
You can use the remote that came with your TV to control your Fire Stick, enable the HDMI-CEC setting and that is all you need.
Alternatively, you can use an IR receiver if your remote doesn’t support Bluetooth function.
Since a normal TV remote won’t have the same specialized buttons that the original remote does, there will be some things you can’t do.
You won’t be able to use Alexa as you would with the Amazon remote, but you will be able to rewind, pause, and fast-forward as well as navigate menus. At the end of the day, what else do you need anyway?
The process to enable you to use a regular remote is simple, but may be buried under different settings depending on your TV brand.
How To Use A Normal Remote With Fire Stick?
Before we get into how to use your remote with a Fire Stick, we need to figure out what a very important setting is called on your TV.
You need to enable HDMI-CEC or High Definition Multimedia Interface-Consumer Electronics Control (what a mouthful).
Problem is, your TV manufacturer has likely named it something else and buried it in the settings.
Below are some common alternate CEC names with their manufacturer. Your TV may be older and have different names, but if it has an HDMI port, chances are it has CEC capabilities.
- Hisense TV: HDMI Control
- LG: SIMPLINK
- Panasonic: VIERA Link
- Panasonic: HDMI Link
- Samsung: Anynet+
- Sony: Bravia Sync Control
If your TV manufacturer is not listed above, you can either explore your settings on your own or search the name of your TV manufacturer with CEC next to it on the search engine of your choice.
Alternatively, if you still have the user’s guide that came with your TV, you can read through that to find the CEC options.
It’s time to set up your remote once you know the name of your TV’s CEC setting.
Follow this step-by-step guide to enable your normal remote to control your Fire Stick:
- Turn on your TV and open the Menu. Your remote should have a menu button. If it does not, the controls on your TV should. These controls are located in various places depending on the manufacturer, but are often on one of the sides.
- Once the menu is open, find the tab for Settings or set up. Enter the settings or set up tab.
- Within that tab look for submenus that deal with HDMI or one of the above CEC names.
- Once you find the CEC name appropriate for your TV, turn the setting ON. Whether it is already on or not, continue to the next step.
- Some TVs allow you to control which HDMI ports are CEC enabled. Enable CEC for all ports or just the one that your Fire Stick is plugged into.
What Universal Remotes Work With Fire Stick?
You can find a universal remote that will work in a variety of signal methods, from infrared (IR) to Bluetooth.
The problem is that a stock Fire Stick only works with Bluetooth, not IR. To use an IR remote, you will need a USB Y cable and an IR receiver.
This will allow you to provide power to the Stick as well as enable it to recognize IR commands.
There are also some handy Fire Stick remote attachments that will allow you to use your regular remote to control your Fire Stick.
Without changing settings or adding adapters, your Fire Stick will only work with universal remotes that use Bluetooth.
Though, as I have implied, there are ways to make your Fire Stick work with IR universal remotes.
Here are the universal remotes and remote attachments that will work with your Fire Stick and TV:
- The Logitech Harmony Smart Control – fully-functional universal remote
- Philips Universal Companion Remote For Fire TV – fully-functional universal remote with the space to hold Fire Stick
- The SofaBaton F2 – universal remote attachment
- The Sideclick – universal remote attachment
All these options are pretty good, and you can choose the ones you like best.
Some options are pretty pricey, but in general, you can find a great universal remote control for under $50 or even less.
Universal remote attachments tend to be cheaper than fully functioning remotes.
Related Post: What To Do If You Lost Your Fire Stick Remote?(7 Tips)
How To Connect A Universal Remote To A Fire Stick?
You have 3 ways to connect a universal remote to a Fire Stick.
The first one will be for the Bluetooth remotes only since they are compatible with your Fire Stick as discussed earlier.
The other 2 can be applied to any universal remote.
Pair your Bluetooth remote
Since the devices are already compatible, the only thing we need to do is to pair them. Follow these steps:
- Go into the Settings of your Fire TV menu.
- Choose Controllers and Bluetooth Devices.
- Select and click Other Bluetooth Devices.
- Choose and click Add Bluetooth Devices.
- Your Amazon TV will then scan for your remote.
Enable CEC functions
The next is to connect it to your TV and enable CEC functions.
This way doesn’t require any additional purchases and is just like using your normal TV remote.
If you choose this option, follow the setup instructions provided by your universal remote to connect it to the TV.
After this, follow the instructions here or in the section up top. Here are the steps:
- On your TV, go to Fire Stick Settings with the Fire Stick remote.
- Go to Display & Sounds.
- Go down to HDMI CEC Device Control.
- Turn it ON.
- Go back to your TV’s Home Screen.
- On your TV remote, press Settings.
- Find the CEC Setting.
- Make sure CEC is ON.
- Go to Connect.
- Your TV will recognize your Fire Stick and connect to it.
Use the IR receiver
The third option is to directly connect your universal remote to your Fire Stick.
If your remote uses Bluetooth it will be just like you would normally set up a universal remote, we cover this variant already.
If it only works using IR, you will need to add an adapter.
In this case, you will need a USB Y cable and an IR receiver. This will allow you to provide power to the Stick as well as enable it to recognize IR commands. Here are the steps to follow.
For original Fire TV box:
- Plug the IR receiver into the USB port of the Fire TV.
- The other end is what will receive the signal from the remote.
- You need to place it where it can pick up the signal well.
For the Fire Stick:
Your Fire TV Stick only has one port that is designed for the power adapter, that is why we will need to use a USB Y cable to connect the IR receiver.
- Plug the USB Y cable into your Fire Stick port.
- You will have 2 additional ports now.
- Connect the IR receiver to one of them.
- Connect your Fire Stick power adapter through the USB cable to the other one.
Once your Fire Stick adapter is plugged into the wall outlet and the receiver is turned on, you can go ahead and pair your IR universal remote with the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Why Won’t My TV Remote Work With My Fire Stick?
Without knowing exactly what’s going on with your TV and Fire Stick, it will be hard to solve the problem.
However, there are some common issues and solutions we can share with you.
- Your TV remote is running out of battery. Batteries last so long these days, it is easy to push them out of your mind. Check if your remote works on the TV by itself. Ensure the batteries have a charge by switching them to a different battery-operated device.
- Your Fire Stick isn’t properly connected. Fire Sticks need their own power supply in addition to being plugged into the TV. Check that all plugs are fully plugged in. If this doesn’t fix the problem, try different power sockets and HDMI ports.
- CEC is turned on, but not for the HDMI port that the Fire Stick is on. Double-check all CEC settings.
Related Post:
How To Use Your Fire Stick Without The Remote?(4 Ways)
How To Easily Connect Firestick To WiFi Without Remote?
Final Words
With this guide, you should be able to control your Fire Stick with any remote. Good luck and enjoy your Fire Stick!
Hi there, technology lovers! My name is James, I am an admin and a frequent writer for this blog. I am a techno-geek, so this blog is the place where I want to share all my knowledge with you to make your life a little bit easier in terms of dealing with technology.
