[SOLVED] Hisense TV Remove Not Working? Read This!

Are you sitting there, ready to watch some TV, wondering “Why is my Hisense TV not responding to the remote?”

This is a common problem, in fact thousands of people every single month are running into the same issue, so there’s plenty of documentation and information on how to fix it. And you’ve just stumbled upon the most helpful, no-nonsense guide to making your Hisense remote work with your TV again.

How we like to do things is that we start off with the easiest and most common fixes, since those will work for most people. Next, we dive into some of the less-common issues (they still crop up plenty often, so make sure you keep reading!)

Finally, if none of that works, we guide you to the next steps (in this case, that might mean finding a universal remote or re-programming an existing remote that you use for your cable box or other devices).

In any case, we’re going to help you diagnose why your Hisense TV remote is not working, and more importantly, how to fix your Hisense TV remote.

Fixing a Hisense TV Remote

Let’s get right into it. Let’s determine what’s wrong with your remote, let’s try the fastest and easiest fixes and if none of those work, we’ll dig into things and get this sorted out for you either way.

If resetting the remote didn’t work, don’t worry, there’s plenty of more things to troubleshoot on your Hisense TV and remote – we just wanted to get the number 1 culprit out of the way first, since it only takes a few minutes.

Check Your Remote’s Sensor

In order to send signals to your TV, your remote control uses a very special beam of light called infrared. The device in your remote that controls this is called the IR sensor. If something is wrong with your IR sensor, then the remote isn’t going to be able to transmit it’s commands to your television set.

1. Ensure your remote is pointing directly at the TV, unobstructed.
2. Use your cellphone camera to test if your remote is even sending a signal.

Make sure that there’s a clear path between the remote and the television. If the front of your TV is blocked by a decoration, a gaming console, books, or something else – this could be blocking the path of the infrared. If there’s nothing in the way, try moving closer to the TV and controlling it with the remote from just a couple feet away. Still no luck? Let’s make sure the sensor is even working…

A creative and clever way to test the IR (infrared) output of your TV remote is actually by using your phone’s camera. Point your phone’s camera at the remote (as if your phone was the TV that the remote is trying to control), and look at your phone screen as you press buttons on the remote. You should be using the rear camera on your phone, so that you see what’s in front of the phone and not your beautiful face (in other words, don’t have your phone on selfie mode).

If you can see some red light coming through and showing up on your phone’s screen when you press buttons on the remote, that means that the remote is capable of transmitting the infrared beam and the sensor itself probably isn’t the problem, so we move on and try something else!

Don’t worry, this is part of the troubleshooting process. Not everything is going to work because there’s only one thing causing the problem (most likely), so we put in the effort to pinpoint the exact cause of these issues. By troubleshooting everything, we can ensure that no stone is left upturned, and that we’re getting to the root of all possible issues with your Hisense remote not working.

Now, it’s possible that the sensor is lighting up and trying to transmit data to your TV but there’s something wrong with the data and that’s why it isn’t working, or it could be that your TV’s IR sensor isn’t working, so even if the remote is sending the signal properly, the TV can’t receive it.

The way to test this is by getting a different remote that you know works with the TV, for example if you have a satellite TV, a cable box, a Hulu device, or something else that’s connected to your TV and is typically able to turn the TV on and off. If that remote is working, then we’ve pinpointed the issue to the Hisense remote itself.

Note that certain devices connected to the TV don’t actually interface with the TV through IR, instead they’re able to turn the TV on with their own remote because the remote turns the device on, which triggers the TV to turn on via HDMI, so a Hulu or Roku box aren’t always the best indicator, but a standard universal remote will do the job.)

Try Fresh Batteries in Your Hisense Remote

This might seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook since TV remotes can work for years at a time on one set of batteries. It’s possible your remote’s batteries are dead, or are not quite strong enough to send a consistent signal, which could cause the remote to start working sometimes, but less and less frequently, until the batteries are finally fully depleted.

1. Remove the batteries from your Hisense remote.
2. Press the power button on the remote a few times, then press and hold it for a minute or so.
3. Add new batteries into the remote.
4. Check if it’s working.

If you have a battery tester, you can test the old batteries from your remote, too, but remember it’s possible for them to still have a small charge but for it to not be enough to allow the remote to work effectively – so getting a new pair of batteries in there is crucial.

Tip: While you’re doing this, after taking out the old batteries, you may as well perform the very first task mentioned on this page (in the green box), which is to reset your remote by removing the batteries and pressing down the power button a few times to fully drain the remote before putting the new batteries back in.

Try Restarting Your Hisense TV (Soft-Reset)

It could be a software issue with your TV. Even older TV’s have various forms of hardware and software that work together to get them to perform all of the various tasks they do. If your TV has a menu, that’s essentially a form of software (or firmware). In any case, let’s give this a try.

1. Turn off your Hisense TV and unplug it from the wall outlet.
2. Unplug any other cables that are plugged into the TV, such as HDMI and other connectors.
3. Remove the batteries from your remote, press the power button on the remote to discharge the capacitors in the remote, too.
4. Press and hold the power button on the TV for about 30 seconds to discharge the capacitors in your Hisense television.
5. Wait 15-20 minutes (This is probably overkill, but we want to be sure).
6. Plug your devices and cables back in to the TV, plug your TV back into the power source, put the batteries back into the remote and see if it works now.

Clean Your Remote

Sometimes, when all else fails, you could try opening up your remote control and cleaning it. Before doing this, make sure you remove the batteries and press the power button a few times, since you’re going to be working with the internal electronics, so you’ll want to drain the capacitors just in case. We’re working with a very low voltage inside the remote, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry.

1. Remove the batteries from your remote and press the power button a few times.
2. Look for all of the screw locations on the back of the remote.
3. Remove the screws, making sure to keep them in order (they may not all be identical sizes or lengths, so you’ll want to ensure each screw goes back into the same hole it came from).
4. Carefully take the back off the remote’s plastic casing.
5. Check if it’s dirty or dusty looking. Canned air can help you easily clean it out.
6. You can use a bit of isopropyl and a Q-tip to clean other parts that look dirty.
7. Also, do a visual inspection. Check if there are any capacitors that are starting to bulge or have burst open. If so, get rid of the remote right away and get a new one.
8. Carefully put the remote back together and check if it works.

Move Your Other Devices

Bluetooth and other wireless devices could potentially be interfering with your remote, so if you have a number of other wireless devices (including wireless phones, headsets, lots of other remotes, etc) this could be causing enough interference to prevent your TV remote from working.

The solution here is simply to move your TV to another location to test the remote again, or to move the other devices. Turn off your other wireless devices, put them in another room ,take out their batteries, and so on – do whatever it takes to ensure there are minimal wireless signals in your room, then try your remote again.

This is just for the purpose of troubleshooting to see if the remote works or not. If it still doesn’t work, then we’ll assume it’s not an issue with interference.

Final Thoughts on Hisense TV Remote Not Working

At a certain point when you’ve exhausted all of your options, it’s time to accept that you may just need a new remote.

Universal remotes are affordable and easy to set-up, and will work with nearly any television. Alternatively, you can reach out to Hisense to see if your TV or remote are still under warranty. They may just send you a replacement remote.

If the issue is with the TV rather than the remote, that can be a bit of a bigger deal, and in that case you might want to explore different set top boxes that have their own remotes, where the remote connects to the device instead of the TV directly (assuming the remote receiver on your TV is fault).

The good news is that when your Hisense TV remote is not working, one of these fixes outlined above will almost always take care of it. It’s rare that one of these more common fixes won’t get your remote working again, and then we’ve offered solutions to try when those things aren’t working.