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Amazon’sFire TVsystem gets an upgrade with theAlexa Voice Remote Pro, but is it worth the cost to switch? For now, smart remotes are still pretty basic gadgets—but Amazon has thrown in some handy features that could justify upgrading.
At $35, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro is cheap enough to grab any day, but it’s also more expensive than competitors. Cost aside, it might be worth replacing your oldAlexa remote—even if you aren’t a champion binge-watcher—just for the new auto backlight, a Bluetooth button to connect to your favorite headphones, and two customizable buttons to complete frequent tasks quicker.
New additions aside, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro isn’t perfect. There’s no way to bypass the Alexa Voice button for a hands-free experience, it doesn’t appear to be auniversal remotefor non-Fire TVs, and Amazon neglected important additions, such as an integrated rechargeable battery.
Look and Feel: Compact and Streamlined
Out of the box, I discovered the Alexa Voice Remote Pro, two AAA batteries, and a helpful Quick Start Guide that details the controls, how to set it up, and how to use its features, such as the remote finder andBluetooth connectivity.
The remote looks similar to past iterations, but its new additions—notably the Bluetooth headphone button in the top-right corner of the remote—are well integrated. In the top-center spot is the blue Alexa Voice button, and above that is an indicator light and microphone. Meanwhile, the programmable buttons (“1” and “2”) are located in the third row from the bottom, above the app shortcut buttons.
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro feels more solid than other Alexa remotes, which I appreciated. For context, the3rd Gen Alexa Voice Remoteweighs 0.4 ounces less.
The latest Alexa remote is still compact and easy to lose, but Amazon has somewhat remedied this common frustration with the remote’s built-in remote finder (whichI’ll detail later).
Setting Up: Simple or a Pain?
Setting up your Alexa Voice Remote Pro should be easy. Unfortunately, you might have some issues if you’re hooking it up with a smart TV via a Fire Stick device. The instructions in the Quick Start Guide provided me with the basics, but when I couldn’t get my TV to read the remote, I had to head to the forums.
Since I didn’t have asmart TV with Fire TV built-in, I had to install theFire TV Stick 4K, which comes with the 2nd Gen Alexa Voice Remote.
Because myRoku TV’sthree HDMI ports were occupied, I had to unplug my Xbox One—a reminder that I should graban HDMI switchto add more ports to my TV. It took a couple of tries to get the Fire TV Stick 4K to register.
I had to unplug it and power cycle my TV to get my Roku to list the second HDMI port as “Fire TV.” Then, my Fire TV app struggled to recognize the Alexa Voice Remote included in the Fire TV Stick bundle. I removed the batteries at least four times, restarted my TV twice, and finally gave up after wasting 20 minutes trying.
My Roku finally got with the program the next morning, and the first Alexa Voice Remote worked. Then I set up the Alexa Voice Remote Pro as an additional remote in the Fire TV app’s Settings.
Adding the Alexa Voice Remote Pro was the easiest, most painless part of the process, so if you already have Fire TV on your television, you shouldn’t struggle as much as I did. Again, I’m uncertain if the blame was on my Roku TV, but I have a suspicion that it was the culprit. Additionally, if you use asoundbar, Amazon has done an excellent job of making that part of your setup as painless as possible.
What the Pro Has That Old Remotes Don’t
Buying the latest Alexa remote makes sense if your house is full of Amazon devices; it makes everything more convenient. For example, you canuse Alexa Voice Remote to extend the reach of Amazon Echo devices.
I don’t have aFire TV, but with theFire TV Stick 4KAmazon sent with the remote, I got much of the same experience. Even if the company made itsAmazon Voice Remote Pro with Fire TVs in mind, you could upgrade your remote for your Fire TV Stick without a worry about performance; but make sure it’s on the compatible list. For instance, the 1st Gen Amazon Fire TV isn’ta compatible device. It’s also important to note the company will expand compatibility in the coming months.
The Programmable Buttons
Having two customizable buttons can make your streaming experience easier—so I appreciate the thought Amazon put into this feature. I watched way too many Discovery+ shows over the holiday season, so I programmed button “1” to launchDiscovery+. This made it easier to continue my marathon of Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge”—don’t judge me.
Instead of pushing the Alexa Voice button and asking Alexa to launch Discovery+ every time, a single push of a button was all I needed to get to the app.
I also frequently enjoyAmazon Music, so I set button “2” to “Go to Amazon Music.”
The process was easy. I held down one of the two buttons for three seconds. Then, I followed the prompt and selected an action from my list of previous Alexa commands. From there, I chose one from the list or went to the pre-programmed suggestions. If you have a specific order you haven’t asked Alexa yet, hit the back arrow on your remote, tell Alexa to do the action desired, then repeat. You’ll see the new command at the top of your list.
The Bluetooth Headphones Button
If you live with other people, an integrated Bluetooth button is a terrific option to have. Whenever I wanted to play a game on myNintendo Switchor watch a show without disturbing anyone, I got connected with ease. To do so, you tap the Bluetooth button and scroll to “Add Device.” I paired myBeats Studio Buds, and in a matter of seconds, I was getting the TV audio through my earbuds.
Some may prefer a wired headphone jack to be included on the Alexa Voice Remote Pro as well, but as someone who has more Bluetooth devices than wired, it didn’t bother me. However, more options are always the most convenient, so this might be a dealbreaker for you.
Backlight Me, Baby
It’s a ridiculously simple upgrade, but the Alexa Voice Remote Pro’s automated backlight is a welcome upgrade and probably my favorite of the three. In regular lighting, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro keeps the light off to conserve battery. But in dim lighting, the remote lights up when you pick it up, so there’s no need to turn on a light or reach for your phone’s flashlight to press the right button.
The Remote Finder Feature
For what it is, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro’s Remote Finder feature does its job. If you’ve lost your remote, you can say, “Alexa, find my remote,” to any Amazon device with Alexa. You can also use the Alexa app (available oniPhoneandAndroid) or Fire TV app (available oniPhoneandAndroid) or tap the remote finder button in the Fire TV app.
I “hid” my remote several times to test out this feature. Sure enough, when I asked Alexa to find my controller, I heard a shrill ringing sound coming from where I placed the remote. If your Fire TV device is on, you have a lot of battery power left, and you’re within 30 feet (~9m) of your TV, the remote finder will sound. If any of these things aren’t in alignment, the Remote Finder won’t work.
Obviously, the limited capabilities of this feature could make it difficult to actually find your remote when you’ve lost it, so I’d still keep tabs on the accessory when you can.
Performance: The Alexa Voice Remote Pro Devliers
As far as the Alexa Voice Remote Pro’s overall performance, I’d give it a solid 8 out of 10—and it might’ve been higher if not for a few things that could use improvement.
First off, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro doesn’t have the option to use only your voice to wake Alexa—a feature that was probably left out due to how easy it is to activate Alexa if you accidentally say the name or, ironically, have a best friend named Alexa as I do. Still, bypassing the button and using voice activation would’ve been nice, especially since the latestRoku Voice Remote Proincludes a voice-wake feature and costs less money.
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Second, most of us are getting tired of changing the batteries in these smart remotes every two days. That estimate may be an exaggeration—but it seems these smart devices zap up power in a matter of a few days, a week tops. Again, Roku’s Remote Pro is rechargeable, so I’m disappointed Amazon didn’t latch onto this as well.
Lastly, the Alexa Voice Pro Remote wasn’t an all-in-one,universal remote. It didn’t work from my TV’s homepage and only responded once I had Fire TV open.
When I summoned it from cyberspace, the integratedAlexa Assistantworked well. I started bychanging Alexa’s voiceto a British man in place of the standard woman’s voice, and from there was able to command it to launch my favorite TV apps, search for movie titles, and stream music throughAmazon Music. you may also ask Alexa to tell you the weather forecast, answer a random question, or turn your Alexa-connected devices (i.e.,smart lights, for example) on or off. The performance was solid—barely a blip in most of my streaming adventures over a span of two weeks.
The issues I had while streaming were small—likely attributable to my Roku or the Fire TV app rather than the remote itself. One example of this was some hideous oversaturation when playing certain shows.
Luckily, switching my “Dynamic Range Settings” under the Fire TV app’s “Display and Sounds” settings to “Adaptive” instead of “Always On” eliminated the lobster-person look in Bravo’s latest “Below Deck” season.
Should You Buy the Alexa Voice Remote Pro?
TheAlexa Voice Remote Promight not be an upgrade you need, but it’s an upgrade that could bring more ease of use to your streaming experience. I wouldn’t call it thebest smart home deviceout there, but having it on hand for a couple of weeks made me a believer, despite its shortcomings.
Those who have Roku TVs may want to spring for theRoku Voice Remote Pro, which is cheaper and has similar features. But if you’re sold on Amazon’s smart devices, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro is the best controller for Amazon’s Fire TVs.
you may purchase the Alexa Voice Remote Pro for $35 today.
