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Beam IR sensor stops working

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I purchased a Beam a few weeks ago. I absolutely love it but twice now I’ve had to power cycle it to get the IR sensor working again. Randomly it will stop responding to Sky Q remote when streaming music. Tried all the usual - batteries in remote, making sure IR sensor isn’t blocked, re-pairing etc. A power cycle is the only thing that works instantly without having to alter any other settings. It’s so frustrating and annoying.
I have read other posts about this but they seem to be a few years old. Anyone else experiencing this still, any fixes etc?? I’ve got the latest software installed. TIA

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buzzAnswer

Grand Maestro

I’m not a SKY user. Most TV’s support using their remote’s Volume buttons to control an A/V receiver. In this mode most devices will send IR Volume commands regardless of how the remote communicates with its device.

In this case, select a model XYZ as your target A/V receiver, then train BEAM to respond to these IR commands.

Ken_Griffiths

You haven’t mentioned if you have tried setting up the remote again in ‘Settings/System/[Beam Room Name]/Remote Control Setup’ in the Sonos App? .. if you haven’t done that, I would perhaps give that a try - Also rather than rebooting the player, you can simply toggle off/on the IR sensor instead in the same room settings area.

M

Mark HuddlestonAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

You haven’t mentioned if you have tried setting up the remote again in ‘Settings/System/[Beam Room Name]/Remote Control Setup’ in the Sonos App? .. if you haven’t done that, I would perhaps give that a try - Also rather than rebooting the player, you can simply toggle off/on the IR sensor instead in the same room settings area.

Yeah thanks. I’ve tried all that. What leads me to believe it’s the IR sensor failing/jamming is that when I try to set up a new remote and it prompts you to press the volume up button it doesn’t recognise any remote, not just the one I was previously using. Toggling IR off then back on doesn’t do anything either.

T

Tarrantino

Contributor I

I had this when my beam was too close to my tv. I brought it forward a bit and then never had an issue.

M

Mark HuddlestonAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

I had this when my beam was too close to my tv. I brought it forward a bit and then never had an issue.

My TV and Beam are wall mounted so I can’t really alter it unless I lower it but that’s a last resort as I’ve just finished decorating 🤣

T

Tarrantino

Contributor I

I had this when my beam was too close to my tv. I brought it forward a bit and then never had an issue.

My TV and Beam are wall mounted so I can’t really alter it unless I lower it but that’s a last resort as I’ve just finished decorating 🤣

Ah right ok. Mine was parallel under my Panasonic and I think it was getting confused.

Ken_Griffiths

You haven’t mentioned if you have tried setting up the remote again in ‘Settings/System/[Beam Room Name]/Remote Control Setup’ in the Sonos App? .. if you haven’t done that, I would perhaps give that a try - Also rather than rebooting the player, you can simply toggle off/on the IR sensor instead in the same room settings area.

Yeah thanks. I’ve tried all that. What leads me to believe it’s the IR sensor failing/jamming is that when I try to set up a new remote and it prompts you to press the volume up button it doesn’t recognise any remote, not just the one I was previously using. Toggling IR off then back on doesn’t do anything either.

If you have the TV remote working ‘sometimes’ and you do also have other Sonos products in your system, have you tried/considered a factory-reset of the Beam and setting it up again?

buzz

Grand Maestro

How is BEAM connected to the TV? It is possible that BEAM’s Volume is being controlled by communication over the HDMI ARC connection to the TV, not IR. This communication scheme is known as CEC (Consumer Electronic Control) and it can be a pain in the neck. If BEAM is using HDMI ARC, rather than rebooting BEAM, try briefly disconnecting the HDMI cable. Both the TV and the SKY box could be part of this drama.

With respect to IR difficulties, I don’t expect that rebooting BEAM would have any effect. Some TV’s may pollute the IR environment -- sometimes. You can experiment with using a piece of cardboard to cast a shadow on BEAM’s IR sensor. Also, sunlight and some high technology lamps can interfere with IR communications. This can be tricky to diagnose because your body position might cast a constructive shadow from time to time. And, time of day can be in the mix.

M

Mark HuddlestonAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

So when I’m watching TV and everything is working when I adjust the volume it states on screen “audio system volume +\-“ but the white Sonos light also flashes so it looks like it’s operating the TV volume as well as the IR sensor on the Beam. Today when it’s not working properly the Sky remote will work and adjust the TV volume on the Beam as it IS connected via HDMI ARC but won’t work when TV is off and streaming music.
With regards to IR interference it is in a south facing room and it was very bright today….so my question is…once the IR sensor is overwhelmed/puzzled/stops working could it be due to a change in brightness/excess sun etc??
Maybe some clear tape over the IR sensor to limit any interference??

M

Mark HuddlestonAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

You haven’t mentioned if you have tried setting up the remote again in ‘Settings/System/[Beam Room Name]/Remote Control Setup’ in the Sonos App? .. if you haven’t done that, I would perhaps give that a try - Also rather than rebooting the player, you can simply toggle off/on the IR sensor instead in the same room settings area.

Yeah thanks. I’ve tried all that. What leads me to believe it’s the IR sensor failing/jamming is that when I try to set up a new remote and it prompts you to press the volume up button it doesn’t recognise any remote, not just the one I was previously using. Toggling IR off then back on doesn’t do anything either.

If you have the TV remote working ‘sometimes’ and you do also have other Sonos products in your system, have you tried/considered a factory-reset of the Beam and setting it up again?

It works perfectly for a week or so and then just stops responding I don’t have any other Sonos products but might consider a reset or maybe some tape over the IR sensor to limit interference

buzz

Grand Maestro

If BEAM is using IR for Volume adjustments, BEAM will always respond to IR commands. If BEAM is using CEC, BEAM will respond to the SKY and TV remotes only while watching TV.

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