Want 2 people to control Ignite TV

[MargB_Etobicoke]

What universal remotes work with Ignite TV so 2 people can control the TV?  one person with Rogers Ignite remote and one person with a universal remote.

[-G-]

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@MargB_Etobicoke wrote:

What universal remotes work with Ignite TV so 2 people can control the TV?  one person with Rogers Ignite remote and one person with a universal remote.

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Any universal remote that can control a Comcast Xfinity set-top box should be able to control the Ignite set-top box.

You can also pair multiple Ignite Voice Remotes to a single STB so if you can acquire another XR11 or XR15 remote, that is another option.

[MargB_Etobicoke]

Thank you.  That's disturbing since just yesterday I chatted with Rogers Technical Support online and they told me in writing "It is not possible to program 2 remotes to the same Ignite TV box.". The tech that installed Ignite for me also told me this.  Have you personally been able to have 2 Rogers XR11 or XR15 remotes paired to the same Ignite TV box working batch and forth?

[Biollw · Accepted solution]

Well I can safely say the rogers support person on the phone was wrong. 

I have 2 XR11 programmed to my XiOne and before that the Xi6, one for me and one for my wife. XR15 also works.

Just take the second remote and follow the normal programming instructions.

[btoss]

Can you please post some universal remotes that work with Rogers ignite. My elderly mother is having a hard time with the ignite converter. 

[-G-]

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@btoss wrote:

Can you please post some universal remotes that work with Rogers ignite. My elderly mother is having a hard time with the ignite converter. 

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Hard time in what way?  Is she having difficulty pressing buttons on the remote control or does she find it difficult to navigate the user interface?  Rogers offers a Large Button Voice Remote that she might find easier to use,  However, if you are hoping to automate some functions to make Ignite TV easier for her to use, I'm not sure that to recommend.  Any remote that can control a Comcast Xfinity X1 set-top box can control an Ignite TV set-top box.  The challenge with IR remotes is that you need to point them directly at the set-top box.  My mum had a hard time using the older big button IR remote because when she pointed the remote toward the ceiling so that she could see the buttons, it couldn't control the set-top box.  RF-capable universal remotes tend to be aimed at home theatre custom installers and are not the sort of thing that you can buy at your local big-box store.

A number of people here use Logitech Harmony remotes to automate their home theatres but those remotes are not available for sale anymore.  (IR repeaters/blasters can also be installed to avoid needing to be mindful of where and how you point an IR remote.)

[btoss]

Thanks for the reply. She has bad arthritis and early dementia. The issue is it's hard for her to press the buttons and the buttons being to small. The other issue is the fact that you have to press the enter button after pressing a number channel. For example if she wants to put it on channel 3, she just wants to press the 3 button and have the channel change. She's getting confused about having to press the enter button after pressing a number button to change the channel. It confuses her. She doesn't need any bells or whistles or navigate any interface. The perfect remote would just have large number buttons, large volume up and down and an on/off button. Just a simple remote without a bunch of confusing buttons. And she's pretty good about pointing the remote so an IR remote would be fine. GE has a good big button universal remote that is simple but I don't know if it would be compatible with the Rogers ignite box. 

[-G-]

@btoss The buttons on the Ignite Large Button Voice Remote are very easy to press.

Unfortunately, there is no way on Ignite TV to have the channels change just by pressing the number buttons.

Would also be nice if there was some way that we could set up favourite channels and cycle through them using the channel up/down buttons.  Unfortunately, this is not possible either.  They tune to all channels, including unsubscribed channels.  Even being able to skip unsubscribed channels would be a HUGE improvement.

[btoss]

Frustrating. Do you know of any universal remotes that work with the ignite box?

[57]

@btoss : I have the following comments, also reinforcing what @-G- already said:

Any universal remotes are going to be a step backwards since they are IR and the Ignite Box is not good at picking up IR signals.

2. The Big Button Remote may be a good alternative and Rogers will send one for free if you contact them about your elderly mother.

3. Can she speak?  If so, press the mic button and say "Channel 3" and you'll be taken directly to it.  Or she can say "Global" and be taken directly to it. Same for ABC, NBC, City, CP24, etc.  The voice command functionality is very powerful.

[btoss]

English is her second language so the voice command is not an option. I'm stuck 😞

[57]

Voice selection options are English, French or Spanish.  If she's none of those, many people still know their numbers in one of these languages... ?  You have to select the language under Rogers - Settings.

(I do realize she's dealing with other issues as you mentioned.)