Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro (newest model) with remote finder, TV controls, and backlit buttons

So one of my crazy cats knocked my remote off the counter and was throwing it all over the place playing with it. Somehow the internal microphone must have broken as it no longer responded to voice commands (everything else worked fine). I picked up one of those super cheap ($6) no name remotes that supposedly works with my fire cube (the pop-up message stated that it works with all my fire devices). It did technically work for simple commands but none of the multi-button press shortcuts worked. I use “voice view” amazons built in screen reader for the blind. There are many times when that feature needs to be toggled on or off and the easiest way is by pressing and holding down the “back” and “menu” buttons simultaneously for a few seconds. Anyway, it seems that only the legit Amazon branded remotes can perform these tasks. So I had to order up this one as it was n sale for less than the basic version at the time (still pricy considering that for a few dollars more you can get a fire stick and remote). This remote pairs instantly, much faster and easier than with the no name remotes. As soon as it paired, it immediately asked to update the remotes software so I did. It also immediately generated an Alexa app message on my phone that a new device was found. I’ve never had that happen with a remote before. Ends up that’s part of the “find remote” feature that this remote has. It’s also backlit which is nice. With an Amazon branded remote everything, including the multi-button shortcuts work flawlessly. The only thing that I miss (having low vision) was the colored app buttons as those were easily identifiable. These buttons have the app name printed over a standard black button. At least the microphone button is still colored blue so I know which way is up at a glance.

I like this remote because all the buttons are back lit so it’s perfect at night time when you’re trying to find the right button. It does have a one and two button that can be used as speed dial for your favorite app. It does have an option for Bluetooth headphones that connect to this remote as well. With this being said, I don’t know what this remote frequency is because every time I use microphone button, it changes my HDMI input every time. Not sure if it’s the remote or the TV but it runs on a certain frequency and it changes my HDMI input. For reference I use the 86 inch LG. Keep this in mind.

This remote is even better than I expected! Even though I already have perfectly fine Fire Stick remotes as soon as it popped up on my TV screen I immediately ordered one (not something I usually do!) for the backlit feature alone. While waiting for delivery I started reading more about it and got more and more excited because of other features, a couple of which I already had on my previous remote but still worth mentioning. Can turn on TV AND/OR receiver when you press power! This is easily set up during the simple remote setup process. You just have to select the brand of each; you do not even have to fool with model number or other info. Keep in mind that when using these buttons you need to have the remote pointed toward the system because these controls us IR like a regular remote, while most controls between the Fire Stick and remote are WIFI so not directional. There is a caveat about this feature if you have a little more involved "theater" system and also use a multifunction remote like a Logitech Harmony that automatically changes source and input ports depending on what you are doing. For example, if you press "Watch a Movie" on the Logitech to watch a blu-ray disc the Logitech changes the HDMI ports as necessary. The next time you press the power button on the Fire Stick remote the system input and source will still be set for watching a DVD. The Fire Stick remote will turn on the TV and receiver, but the TV will say not connected because ports are wrong. You have to then use the Logitech remote to turn the system All Off then press Watch TV to get the ports set properly. This is a minor nuisance. A more common issue is that sometimes when you turn the system off with the Fire Stick remote and maybe do not have the remote pointed correctly the receiver may not turn off, which you may not realize if the receiver is behind a fabric door like mine. The next time you try to power on the system you actually toggle the receiver off so you will again get a not connected message. Again you have to grab the Logitech to All Off then Watch TV to get everything in sync. There may be a fix for some of this. I recently realized that in Settings for either the Fire Stick or the remote there are a number of settings you can change to modify how the devices interact such as the length of the signal the remote sends, the kind of thing more advanced users might want to explore. TV channel and volume controls are now located and look more like most remotes which, to me, also makes them more convenient to use. Two programmable streaming service buttons are great and pretty simple to set up. We watch a lot of stuff on Paramount+ so it is nice to just be able to jump to that service after watching a different one. I wish more of them were programmable. The backlighting is great! When you pick up the remote the backlight automatically comes on. So I am super happy with this new remote!