This question came from one of our customers. They really like the Gemini remote… and why wouldn’t they? It’s easy to old and has all the physical buttons that manufacturers have been removing for years. If you’re tired of a tiny remote with 4 buttons, the Gemini remote seems like a breath of fresh air. Why wouldn’t you want to use it on a Fire stick, Apple TV, Roku, or some other device with a Bluetooth connection?
I mean, think about it. You have Bluetooth in everything from your car to your computer. So, if that’s true, you should be able to pair a Bluetooth remote to virtually anything else. There are several different classifications of Bluetooth devices. For example there are keyboards, mice, headphones, and even cars. Classifying the device helps it connect properly the way it should connect. But, it also means that things don’t always work the way you want.
I took a stock Gemini remote and tried to pair it to a whole bunch of things. I tried a PC, a Mac, a phone, an Apple TV box, a TV, and a Roku. I could not get it to actually pair in most cases. It just… didn’t. It should have, but it didn’t.
With the Apple TV box, it seemed like it did maybe connect. But then I couldn’t use the remote. I also couldn’t use the Apple TV remote, and since that device has no front panel controls, that meant I couldn’t use it at all. I ended up factory resetting the Apple TV box. Luckily I had access to a Mac to do it, since that’s the only way you can.
Given that, I guess I should consider myself lucky that it didn’t pair at all on any of the other devices.
You would think that maybe the Gemini remote is something akin to a Bluetooth keyboard. But, it’s not. Its codes are completely unique to the Gemini. It’s possible that the Gemini remote could potentially work with a stock Android TV install. Gemini devices do run the Android TV operating system so it’s possible that the remote could be used with other Android TVs. If anyone out there has tested it, leave a comment below.
If I had to guess, though, I would guess that it wouldn’t work. The Gemini boxes are heavily customized. They do run Android TV as a base operating system, but everything that the user actually interacts with is custom-made for DIRECTV.
I’ve spent some time looking. There are a few devices out there that claim to be Bluetooth remotes that can work with several different models of streaming device. None of them have the custom buttons that the Gemini remote has. I tend to think these devices are more like multiple Bluetooth remotes in one box, and you use one set of codes or another depending on the device. This is similar to the way you would program a traditional universal remote.
It seems to me that if some manufacturer wanted to update one of those “universal” remotes to support the Gemini, they could. But the one thing they couldn’t do is to add the Gemini’s custom buttons to something like a Roku or Fire stick and that’s sort of the point. If you love the Gemini remote, you want to use those same buttons on another device. You want to be able to use the number buttons and the LIST button. And, that’s the one thing you can’t do. Those other devices just don’t have the ability to accept those commands.
The post The Gemini Air uses a Bluetooth remote. Does that mean you can use it with something besides a Gemini Air? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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All Bluetooth is Bluetooth, right?
I mean, think about it. You have Bluetooth in everything from your car to your computer. So, if that’s true, you should be able to pair a Bluetooth remote to virtually anything else. There are several different classifications of Bluetooth devices. For example there are keyboards, mice, headphones, and even cars. Classifying the device helps it connect properly the way it should connect. But, it also means that things don’t always work the way you want.
Short answer: no it doesn’t work and you’ll probably regret trying it. I did.
I took a stock Gemini remote and tried to pair it to a whole bunch of things. I tried a PC, a Mac, a phone, an Apple TV box, a TV, and a Roku. I could not get it to actually pair in most cases. It just… didn’t. It should have, but it didn’t.
With the Apple TV box, it seemed like it did maybe connect. But then I couldn’t use the remote. I also couldn’t use the Apple TV remote, and since that device has no front panel controls, that meant I couldn’t use it at all. I ended up factory resetting the Apple TV box. Luckily I had access to a Mac to do it, since that’s the only way you can.
Given that, I guess I should consider myself lucky that it didn’t pair at all on any of the other devices.
Why doesn’t it work?
You would think that maybe the Gemini remote is something akin to a Bluetooth keyboard. But, it’s not. Its codes are completely unique to the Gemini. It’s possible that the Gemini remote could potentially work with a stock Android TV install. Gemini devices do run the Android TV operating system so it’s possible that the remote could be used with other Android TVs. If anyone out there has tested it, leave a comment below.
If I had to guess, though, I would guess that it wouldn’t work. The Gemini boxes are heavily customized. They do run Android TV as a base operating system, but everything that the user actually interacts with is custom-made for DIRECTV.
OK, so is there a “generic” Bluetooth remote?
I’ve spent some time looking. There are a few devices out there that claim to be Bluetooth remotes that can work with several different models of streaming device. None of them have the custom buttons that the Gemini remote has. I tend to think these devices are more like multiple Bluetooth remotes in one box, and you use one set of codes or another depending on the device. This is similar to the way you would program a traditional universal remote.
It seems to me that if some manufacturer wanted to update one of those “universal” remotes to support the Gemini, they could. But the one thing they couldn’t do is to add the Gemini’s custom buttons to something like a Roku or Fire stick and that’s sort of the point. If you love the Gemini remote, you want to use those same buttons on another device. You want to be able to use the number buttons and the LIST button. And, that’s the one thing you can’t do. Those other devices just don’t have the ability to accept those commands.
The post The Gemini Air uses a Bluetooth remote. Does that mean you can use it with something besides a Gemini Air? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
