Find a Lost Television Remote
You've lost your television remote. There's a good chance that it hasn't gone far from your couch or television! Look everywhere you can think of, and ask the other people in your household to see if they have any leads. Have you checked between the couch cushions?
Contents
Steps
Searching for the Remote
- Check the obvious places. There's a good chance that you lost the remote in the room where you watch television. Many people tend to leave their remote near the television set, or near where they sit when they're watching T.V. It is very common to lose a remote in the couch.
- Try looking in hidden places. Check underneath books, magazines, blankets, and coats – anything that might be resting on top of the remote. Check between the cushions of couches and chairs. Look underneath and behind furniture.
- Check beside the kettle, the shelf in the hall, the bathroom cabinet, and anywhere else you might have brought it with you.
- Think about where you've been. Perhaps you carried the remote out of the room, set it down while your mind was on something else, and accidentally left the remote in a strange place. Consider whether you might have left the remote somewhere en route to the bathroom, your bedroom, the kitchen, or the front door.
- Check the fridge. If you had something to eat or drink during the past few hours, you might have left the remote in the fridge while grabbing your food.
- Maybe you took a phone call recently, while you were watching television, and you set the remote down while you were on the phone. Perhaps you answered the door during your favorite show, carried the remote out of the room, and set it down in your entryway.
- Bang on the bed covers. This is useful if you watch TV in bed. The remote will often get buried under the sheets or covers and the best way to find it is to just run your hands along the bedspread until you feel something boxlike in shape. If this does not work, look under the bed, and then check the area at the foot of the bed.
Asking Around
- Ask other members of your household. If anyone else has used the remote recently, he or she might be able to give you a lead as to its location. Perhaps this person placed the remote in a spot where you don't normally leave it. Perhaps he or she absentmindedly left the device in a part of the house that you do not often visit. Even if you don't find the remote right away, asking someone else can help you decide where not to look.
- Find out if anyone has taken it. Your teenager might have brought the remote to his or her room and forgotten to bring it back. Your toddler might have hidden the remote as a prank. Your dog might have carried the device off to chew on it! Think about who might have done such a thing, and why.
- Check the kid's toy box. You never know when your son or daughter might have taken off with the remote!
- Get help. You don't need to find the remote alone! Ask your friends or family members to help you look for the missing device. It might help if you can give them an engaging reason to find the remote. If you find the remote, then you can all watch a movie together, or you can catch the program that's coming on in twenty minutes.
Preventing the Problem
- Be more mindful about your remote. If you keep a closer eye on your remote in the future, you may be less likely to lose it. Try to be engaged and aware each time that you set your remote down. Take a mental snapshot of the device so that you remember where it is.
- Try designating a specific place to put the remote. Don't ever put the remote anywhere other than this place. It might be the coffee table, or next to the television, or in a dedicated "remote control holder" that is attached to your couch or table.
- If you regularly lose the remote, consider buying a remote control holder so that you have a set place to put it.
- Apply a Velcro strip to the back of the remote, then attach the matching "opposite" Velcro strip to the TV. Keep the remote firmly attached to the Velcro strip on the TV when not in use.
- Make the remote more visible. Attach a strip of brightly-colored tape, or a reflector, or a long, fuzzy tail. Tie a ribbon to the device, or give it wings, or glue plastic legs onto it. Add anything that you think will make it easier for you to notice and remember your remote! Try not to add anything that will impair the function of the device.
- Consider buying a universal remote. These devices work with most brands of television, and they will free you from the need to keep a small fleet of easy-to-confuse remotes. It's easy to find yourself using separate remotes for your television, your DVD player, your sound system, and other devices. You may find that it is easier to keep track of one remote than it is to keep track of, say, four.
- Attach a GPS tracker to your remote. Several companies now sell small, relatively inexpensive tracking devices that link up to a smartphone app. Clip the tracker to your television remote in case you ever lose it again. You can set your smartphone to beep when the remote is close. Some apps will even try to find your remote when it is far from you.
Tips
- If you have a sister or brother, they might have taken the remote control. Ask your sibling about the remote.
- Certain brands—such as DISH—offer a "Locate Remote" feature. Find the "Locate Remote" action on your console or Hopper, and then follow the beeping sound until you find your remote!
- You won't always find your remote the first time looking. Keep trying! Try to remember the last place you saw it or used it. Look behind your television.
- It may also help if you buy a cheap "universal remote control": a device which can operate most television device brands. This way, you can cut down on the number of remotes that you use. Keep the universal remote in a safe place as a backup.
- Consider sewing or buying a remote holder for your couch arm to prevent this from happening again.
- Get other people to find the remote. The more people that help to find the remote, the quicker it will be found.
- Some television-providing companies, such as Dish Network include a button on the receiver that causes the remote to beep and flash to help you find it.
Warnings
- You may have to buy a new one if you can't find it. Look for one that matches any TV, or buy a universal remote until you find your lost one.
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