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smartandee
Contributor I
July 18, 2018
Answered

Sonos Beam short IR range with TV remote

same here. I tried 2 remotes. they do work but I have to point super close. hopefully a software update will help. I am using alexa now for volume control
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    Ryan S
    Ryan SAnswer
    Retired Sonos Staff
    August 16, 2018
    Hi everyone, to keep things clean, I've moved the posts from the duplicate thread for this issue over here. Pardon the dust as a few comments might not make sense. In short, this is the main thread.

    The IR sensor on the Beam is pretty low on the device, so if there's a lip on your table or something that could be blocking the bottom part of the Beam, make sure to move that. If you'd tried out a few locations and still have trouble with the IR range, I'd suggest that you give us a call on our support line and a technician can help out. Though it's possible an individual unit could have a bad sensor, it's always best not to make that assumption right away as it could be a number of other environmental concerns.
    Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
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    melvimbe
    melvimbe
    July 20, 2018
    I have a Beam connected to a Samsung TV (don't know the model off hand) through the optical connection and didn't run across the issue. I wasn't really testing for it though, so perhaps I missed it. I was mostly looking at music and tested the tv with a firetv input, so didn't use the remote much. I'll take a look at it this afternoon.
    Danny
    Dynamike
    Trending Lyricist I
    July 20, 2018
    @melvimbe thanks alot, me, the other people on this page and Sonos would appreciate your feedback enormously. I talked to Sonos in the Netherlands and they did not encounter that issue.
    Support said it's to early to jump to conclusions, but it can also be certain batches of Beam's that have this problem.
    I'll just patiently wait for other users or Sonos to report on this matter. Their costumer support has been great so far i must say.
    stempy
    Lyricist I
    July 20, 2018
    Hi @Dynamike. Actually, I did have the same issue with ARC. Maybe I got an extra foot of range (4ft instead of 3). Original planned room for the Beam has an LG plasma with optical. I also moved it to another room with a newer TCL Roku LED that has ARC. The Beam remote issue was the same in this room with ARC or with optical. I normally have a Playbar connected to this other room (with the TCL tv). I've tried the Playbar in both locations and it's worked fine. I've given Sonos Support model #s of everything involved. I love the products, so hoping to help find a potential fix for everyone affected.
    melvimbe
    melvimbe
    July 20, 2018
    I'm not able to reproduce the issue. The Beam is responding to volume up, volume down, and mute commands. Other commands do not cause the light on the Beam to flash in recognition, which is what I expected. My Beam is not blocking the IR receiver for the TV.

    The TV is model UN55EH6000 and the remote model is AA59-00600A. Both are different from your situation.

    I did watch @Dynamike's video and I noticed a significant difference. The light on my beam is white. Volume up/down commands will cause the light to blink. Mute will turn the color to a solid green. In the video, your Beam has a solid green light (it was solid, not blinking, correct?). According the document below. a solid green does in fact mean that the unit is on mute.

    https://support.sonos.com/s/article/226#Solid_Green

    Given that, I would take a look at the current volume setting in the Sonos app, and see what happens with the LED colors when you change volume/mute from with the app. Is it already on mute? Is it operating as it should?

    It's hard to tell what the issue is. It could hardware, but perhaps firmware or an issue occurring during setup. It could be some sort of messed up configuration with the remote IR codes. It's best to have Sonos staff come to a conclusion, but I think the LED colors are probably an important clue.
    Danny
    Dynamike
    Trending Lyricist I
    July 20, 2018
    @Danny, thanks alot for your feedback. My light is solid green because i turned down my volume to the absolute minimum.
    I did this so you guys could clearly see a response ( blinking from green to white ) when i push volume down again.
    It's a very strange issue, and i really hope this is a software issue.
    I used 4 remotes and 2 of these add some extra centimetres to the range.
    Sonos is also aware of my YouTube video and are gonna study it.
    I'll keep reporting here if i know more. Thanks alot again!
    melvimbe
    melvimbe
    July 20, 2018
    Well then, I guess that lights aren't really telling us anything. Nevermind.
    Danny
    Ugariello
    Lyricist I
    July 24, 2018
    Same issue here. Brand new Sonos Beam: bought on Saturday, installed on Sunday. And today is Monday...
    mroizo85
    Lyricist I
    July 28, 2018
    hey guys,

    Just bought Sonos Beam and having the same issues.

    Tested two remote controls (IR) both don’t work from a distance.
    Pierre O
    Lyricist II
    July 29, 2018
    Same issue here. Got new beam today. Tried using Apple TV remote, sansumg remote and Logitech harmony. All have very limited range. Tv is a plasma. Samsung PN51F5300
    Pierre O
    Lyricist II
    August 1, 2018
    Able to setup remote, several actually, but can’t get them to work past 5 feet.

    PS: I recreated the topic as it was deleted from the community yesterday.
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