Best answer by Airgetlam
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Beam IR sensor stopped recognizing remotes
I have a beam connected to optical on TV. Remote was paired and everything was working fine. One day remote volume control stopped working. I tried to set up the remote again but the IR sensor did not recognize when buttons were pushed. Tried a different remote and it didn't recognize that either. I can still control volume with the app but IR sensor does not seem to receive any signal. Any suggestions?
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This is definitely a Sonos issue and only Sonos will be able to fix it with an update. Judging by this thread along with a dozen or so other forums I have come across regarding this issue, this is by no means isolated or rare. I love my Sonos system! I hope they move quickly on this or the Beam’s reputation may be put on the line
Right. And the reboot of the beam does work, but only temporarily as others have experienced.
My Sonos beam hast started doing this now. It has been fine for a couple of years but now it won’t respond to volume over IR. I’ve tried with the Sony TV remote and the Apple TV one. Both used to work perfectly with it.
A power cycle has fixed it for now but I really think Sonos need to fix the bug.
It has been like a year and the issue was not fixed - for my case the IR used to work perfectly for a few year before the last fw update. I am sure it would not be an isolated case as you see a lot of us file the same report on the issue.
To my disappointment neither the official support nor this forum can really listen to us and give us a solution. I think it would be my last sonos and you messed up a brand which was once great.
Userlevel 1
Hi:
I am having the same problem where the Beam works fine and then stops responding to the volume buttons on my remote. If I reboot the Beam then it will work again for a couple of days and then stop. This is very frustrating. My remote is new, my batteries are new, the sensor is not blocked so it must be a Sonos issue as rebooting resolves the problem for awhile. Sonos, Please help as I have many of your products and this is the first one that has not functioned properly.
Here’s a little to add, which i have figured out by trial and error. This problem definitely seems like a weird software/firmware bug.
1) Starting with music, either by Alexa or by the app, volume control works fine.
2) switch to TV by whatever method, in my case I just start Apple TV and the audio is replaced by the TV source sounds. Volume won’t work from the same remote used in step 1 above.
3) out of frustration to lower the volume because the TV show is too loud, start the Sonos app and lower the volume using the app.
4) forget the remote isn’t supposed to work and try to change volume with the remote — and be super surprised that the IR remote now works!
so bottom line, if you use the app to change volume when the IR control isn’t working, the IR will start working. YMMV, but this consistently works for me.
I can confirm the same issue of loss of IR Control and that a hard reboot of the beam returns the IR control to normal. Sounds like firmware bugs or some other issue...
please us give us a fix!
please us give us a fix!
Just wanted to update - I was able to identify the problem in my case.
My Sonos Beam was placed right in front of my plasma Samsung TV. It seems that the IR radiation from the plasma, blinds the IR sensor of the Beam. Nothing to do about it. If the TV is off, everything works fine.
I would suggest for people who still struggle with these issues, to place the Beam in another room, just to make sure it is not an issue similar to mine.
It appears to be the last Sonos Beam update that is causing the issue. Hopefully they put out a hotfix update but likely we won’t see it until next year.
Very disappointing. Device is otherwise great.
I updated my Beam last week - now running 13.1.1 (build 63289260) and no longer have ths issue that has plagued me for nearly six months. Works flawlessly now. Nervous to say so in case I jinx it but I was all about ready to get rid of the damn thing so hope this is indeed a permanent fix.
My Beam is version v13.0 build 62186220 and the IR issue is as annoying as ever.
Just wanted to report I have the same issue, only a hard reboot fixes.
very frustrating
My Sonos Beam has the same symptoms it works sometimes after a reset. After reading all post in this thread seems like calling support is a waste of time, has been more than a year and still not a firmware update that fixes the problem. Waste $400 on a “good” soundbar that can’t control with a remote, Sonos I thought you were a better brand, I guess I was wrong. We will have to continue with Bose or something else.
I had the same issue. Called support about a half dozen times. The sent me a new beam and the new one has the same problem. I mention this threat to the guy at support and he said he had never heard anything like this. I hope the help us soon. Is this only a problem for those connected with the optical port or is the hdmi connection also a problem?
Have done.
There are some cases where an IR remote sensor gets overwhelmed by the light coming from the TV. You may want to try putting a 3x5 card tenting the location of the sensor, to ‘shade’ it from the TV’s light, and see if that makes a difference. If it does, then you can experiment further to find a solution. If it doesn’t work, then you’ve at least tried.
My 2 year old Beam just started loosing control by IR remote (but come back after restart) - I have read the 65 different reply - what is status after two years discussion?
Is there a fix - are newer BEAM fixed - or should I look for 3rd Sound options?
It’s still broken in 13.0.5. Worked for a couple of days and then it stopped responding again, requiring restarting the Beam. With me, usually after playing something via Spotify and then turning on the TV.
Very annoying as my Sony Bravia also has issues when using the CEC/HDMI connection instead of optical (it doesn’t activate the sound system output on the tv sometimes, forcing me to manually switch from tv speakers to sound system).
Wow. First time Sonos user here. Bought for 450 euro and had this problem after a couple of hours. A hard reset is an unacceptable solution. I am returning this product and will switch to another brand.
I'm having all the exact same problems as described here but with a twist. After factory resting the Beam, volume down commands are recognized from two different remotes. Volume up commands are not. So I can raise the volume using the Beam’s touch buttons and the Sonos app but the remotes only work for lowering the volume. What a *** show!
After power cycling, it works for a couple minutes, then back to busted.
Firmware 13.1
Sony TV connected via HDMI ARC
*Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*
I think it's pretty clear by now that SONOS have no intention of fixing this issue.
That suggests the two remotes are using similar, but not the same IR codes. Sonos can work with any single set, you’d need to reprogram the second remote to use the same IR codes that the first is.
Once you have reprogrammed both remotes, then use the Sonos software to retrain the Beam. It might also be worth checking the batteries in both remotes, and that there is nothing potentially obstructing the Beam’s IR receiver.
Any luck. I just bought a beam this weekend and I’m having a similar problem. Worked previously but I had to unplug and move it. Since restarting, no remote control via ir.
That suggests the two remotes are using similar, but not the same IR codes. Sonos can work with any single set, you’d need to reprogram the second remote to use the same IR codes that the first is.
Once you have reprogrammed both remotes, then use the Sonos software to retrain the Beam. It might also be worth checking the batteries in both remotes, and that there is nothing potentially obstructing the Beam’s IR receiver.
Are you a shill for Sonos? If you're not getting paid, then you're working for free.
How do you explain everything working correctly immediately after a power sync?
Yeh that’s what I’m finding too. I’ll try it again tonight now that I’ve got it in a good spot and wasn’t planning on moving it anymore.
I really like the beam (and sonos) so this is a bit frustrating.
I really like the beam (and sonos) so this is a bit frustrating.
Userlevel 4
+11
Hi
For testing purposes, can you try using another TV remote to your Beam temporarily? If the issue occurs using another TV remote, try factory resetting the Beam to default and set it up again as new product. Let me know if the issue still continues after trying these steps.
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