Losing or breaking a remote is a common problem that faces modern TV watchers. In fact, the average TV viewer will spend at least two weeks of their lifetime searching for lost TV remotes. Fortunately, you can buy the original remote controls over again from third party sellers, often at a fairly low cost.

When you buy replacement remotes, you get an exact copy of the remote you lost. This means that you’ll have access to all the functions of your device and you won’t have to compromise with a universal remote that just has most of them.

Of course, like all remotes, your new replacement remote is unlikely to work with your device right out of the box. It needs to identify it before it can connect to it. Programming a remote isn’t too hard, especially since the TV remote codes you need are usually contained in remote manuals. If you’ve lost your manual, you can usually find the codes for programming a remote online.

In many cases, you’ll get a few different codes to try with your device. Though programming a remote is different for every device, you’ll usually have to type these codes into the number pad until the flashing light on your remote indicates that a code has worked. At this point, you should be able to control the device again.

If you have trouble with remote programming, check for batteries and make sure you’re following the instructions in the manual. Often if you’re having trouble with the codes, you can run a scan for the codes through your device. This often takes a little longer, since the device will have to cycle through a long list of codes, but you may get a match.

Usually you won’t have to resort to this, though. Just follow the programming instructions and you should have an easy time getting your remote functionality back! To see more, read this.