Is your remote control defective? Or are the batteries just dead? Your smartphone can help answer these questions.
We have all been there. You lazily surf the channels while lying on the couch. Then all of a sudden the remote starts misbehaving. You start to notice slow response times, and sometimes the remote may even stop working. Out of frustration, you press buttons harder, lift the remote higher, or maybe even bite the batteries (I tried that one).
At this point, you can't help but wonder if there's a problem with the remote, the TV, or the batteries. But there's a powerful, but lesser-known trick you can use to determine if your remote is out of steam. And this trick is hidden in the camera of your smartphone. Here's how.
Testing your remote's batteries with your smartphone is an easy task and should only take a minute or two of your time. Here's how.
1. Take out your smartphone and launch its camera app. Next, tap to switch to the selfie camera (front facing). Now point your remote at the front camera. Then press and hold a button, any button on the remote while pointing it at the camera.
This trick does not only work with smartphone cameras. It can also work with any other digital camera. So if all you have is a laptop, try using the built-in webcam, and that should do the trick.
Note :Not all smartphone cameras will work. Some camera apps have built-in technologies that could prevent this trick from working. So before concluding that your remote is faulty, it's wise to try using a different smartphone camera to see if you'll get the same result.
A standard remote typically sends signals to your home theater or TV using a beam of infrared light. This beam is picked up by a sensor in your home theater or television. The problem with infrared light is that, like ultraviolet light, it lies outside the color spectrum visible to the naked eye.
Once the remote emits infrared pulse flashes at the sensor on the TV, the sensor will interpret by telling your TV which channel to tune to.
A smartphone's camera has a lens that acts more or less like the TV's sensor when a beam of infrared rays is projected at it. Unlike the human eye which is unable to see these rays, your smartphone camera can easily detect these infrared rays, and that is why a flickering light appears on the smartphone camera.
Smartphones have come a long way to become the most versatile devices on the market today. They can perform multiple tasks, some of which are lesser known, such as the ability to test the functionality of the batteries in a remote control. Also check out our article on 10 ways to make good use of your smartphone camera.
Now that you know that it is possible to test the battery of your remote control with a simple smartphone, why not try it at home. Don't forget to share your experiences with us in the comments section below.
