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SIRI Remote IR range

I programmed my SIRI remote to adjust the volume on my soundbar using the IR function. The programming went well but the functionality is spotty at best. I have direct line of sight to both the Apple TV 4 and the soundbar. The distance from the sofa is about 9 ft. The remote will sometimes trigger the volume adjustment and sometimes not. I noticed today that moving closer to the soundbar (4 ft) improves the IR reception. Is this lack of range normal or do I have a defective SIRI remote.

Apple TV, tvOS 9.1.1

Posted on Feb 6, 2016 6:19 PM

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12 replies

Feb 8, 2016 4:56 AM in response to Marc Sievers1

You are correct. The ATV4 uses Bluetooth to communicate with the Siri remote. To prove it, cover the front of the ATV and the remote and it works fine.

Apple included the IR reciever to allow backward compatibility with older remotes which use IR: http://help.apple.com/appletv/#/atvb0410f604

Also the IR output of the Siri remote allows you to control IR equipment with it such as your reciever which may not have HDMI ports.

Assuming you tested your sound bar with its remote and range is not an issue, the problem is with the Siri remote and I would return it and get a good one. 9 feet is very close.

Feb 8, 2016 8:13 AM in response to Marc Sievers1

The inference in Mr. Associates comments is incorrect, your Apple TV does indeed receive and understand IR commands from the Siri remote. You can even use Mr. Associates own suggestion of holding your hand in front of the remote to verify this to be the case.

I'm not normally willing to justify my answers to others like Mr. Associate who regularly intervene in an ongoing thread in order to disagree with me, however explaining how I verified that my Siri IR works over 35' with my Apple TV, will likely help you, in that you can use the same procedure to determine whether your issue is with the remote or the device you are trying to use with it, so on this occasion I will.

Navigate to settings > remotes & devices > home theatre control > volume control > learn device and use the + and - on the siri remote to test your range. (This is where you can hold your hand over the remote to ensure it is using IR)

Feb 8, 2016 9:21 AM in response to Winston Churchill

One more question. If you go through the procedure in Settings to teach the Apple TV the signals on your device remote for volume up and down (As I have done), how does that information get sent to the SIRI remote when it tries to use those IR commands to communicate with my soundbar. Normal practice for trainable remotes has been for the trainer and the trainee to communicate directly with each other via IR. That is not the case here is it?

Feb 8, 2016 10:27 AM in response to Marc Sievers1

I wasn't suggesting that you actually try to teach your Apple TV the commands from the siri remote. The purpose was to go through the motions so you can see how far from your Apple TV the siri remote can be before the Apple TV stops seeing the IR signal. If it's 9' you have a duff remote, if it's (say) 20', you have a duff sound bar.

Feb 8, 2016 10:56 AM in response to Marc Sievers1

On a universal remote it has both a IR transmitter and receiver. You put the universal in learn mode, make them face each other, and press the dedicated remote to send the signal directly to the universal to remember. Then the universal mimics the dedicated one from then on.

With the siri remote it does not have a receiver as you observed. The ATV has the receiver and learns the IR signal then simply relays the signal to the siri remote via it's Bluetooth channel. From then on, the siri remote mimics the dedicated one which is detected directly by the soundbar. The only exception would be a device control via the HDMI connection but that is a different feature.

Feb 8, 2016 12:01 PM in response to Marc Sievers1

Not really. Keep in mind the communication between the ATV and the Siri remote is via Bluetooth. The IR function is just there to support a universal remote or to use the Siri remote as universal. Adding the IR receiver to the remote takes up space and adds cost. Using the IR receiver in the ATV and the Bluetooth is free since both are there for other reasons. While it does not follow conventional methods, it actually is the cheaper and simpler engineering solution. That is what Apple does great - They don't let convention dictate the design.

Getting back to your original problem, if the remote does not transmit 9 feet but works at 4 you have a bad remote...

Feb 8, 2016 12:26 PM in response to Marc Sievers1

Mr. Associate is talking about a different “learn” feature. Don't let yourself be confused by concerning yourself about things that have no relevance to your problem.


Your remote clearly already controls the volume of your 3rd party device, you don't need to teach the remote anything nor do you need to teach the Apple TV anything. Your only issue is that you aren't getting a good range when you are using the remote with your 3rd party speaker. My suggestion is to use the Siri IR with the Apple TV to see if you have the same problem with range or not.


To do this you need to do something on the Apple TV that you know uses IR rather than Bluetooth, settings > remotes & devices > home theatre control > volume control > learn device does.


Stand 5' from the Apple TV and press either the + or - briefly (just until you see the bar move), move a further 5' away from the Apple TV and repeat, continue until pressing the + or - doesn't move the bar.

SIRI Remote IR range

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