At this point, pretty much everyone in the US is at least aware of Dish as a brand. This is quite impressive, when you think about it, especially considering just how many companies there are to choose from when it comes to your internet.
As a satellite internet company, they have secured one of the best reputations out there, not only for their service, but for the high quality of their equipment too.
It is for that reason that we were quite surprised to hear that there are so many of you having an issue with your Dish remotes at the moment. Given as this is such a simple part of the setup, we had thought that they would be practically indestructible.
Having trawled the boards and forums to gauge what the issue actually was, it seems as though most of the complaints revolved around the remote just stopping working entirely. With that, there are no signs of life at all – no lights, no response.
So, to get this issue straightened out, we decided to look into it and put together a quick list of troubleshooting tips to help you out. This is what we found to be most effective.
How To Fix Dish Remote Not Working No Lights
Unfortunately, with this issue, there are only a few possible fixes out there that don’t involve getting up close and personal with the device and taking things apart. Seeing as we don’t know what kind of skills each reader has; we are not really allowed to advise that people do that sort of thing.
So, these fixes are really just the basic things that can be done. No tech skills or expertise required, and there’s no risk here of damaging the remote more.
1. Try Changing the Batteries
Before we begin, we do realise that quite a few of you will have already tried this – so if you have, feel free to skip this step and move onto the next.
For the rest of you, the simple fact of the matter is that these sorts of remotes do put a bit of demand on the batteries. If you are not using decent branded ones, they can run out pretty quick.
Though you will generally notice signs that the battery is low before it runs out – the remote will be less responsive – it can occasionally happen that it just goes dead. When that happens suddenly, it can be a cause for alarm, but may not be anything more than this.
So, before you try anything else or assume that anything is seriously wrong here, the first step to do is to get yourself some decent branded batteries and replace the ones in the remote. Make sure they are brand new as opposed to just from a random drawer too, as batteries can lose their charge when left idle for long periods.
After that, there is a decent chance that you’ll have full service back. If not, let’s try out our main troubleshooting tip for this issue.
2. Try Resetting the Remote
If there wasn’t any issue with the batteries or the above fix didn’t work, the chances are good that the solution will be to reset the remote. On occasion, issues can crop up with remotes that are used to control more than one device. They will latch onto one and end up doing nothing for the other.
Sure, setting up one remote to control multiple devices cuts down on clutter, but there can be downsides. Sometimes, when the remote is switching over from controlling one device to controlling another, the remote can get stuck in a loop or in the function mode.
To ‘reset’ it, or to free it from this endless loop, all you will need to do is simply press down and hold in the function button for a prolonged period of time.
After a while, this should be enough to make the remote switch its focus from the DVR and back to the TV. For most of you, this should be all it takes to get everything up and running again. If not, we are afraid that the matter may be a little more serious in your case.
3. Get in touch with Customer Support
At this point, there is a decent chance that the issue that is stopping your remote from working is likely a hardware issue of some kind. Now, if you re in any way techy, you can always take the remote apart and have a look by yourself to make sure everything is how it should be.
However, without the necessary skills and experience, you are more likely to do damage if you try this.
So, the only logical course of action from here is to hand over the issue to Dish themselves. After all, seeing as there seems to be quite a few people having this same issue, they should be more than able to deal with it effectively by now.
In some cases, they will refer you to a technician who will be able to come over and diagnose your full setup and make sure that there is nothing too serious at play here. After that, they will make a call on whether the issue calls for a repair or a replacement. In either case, they should eb able to get it done pretty quickly.