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How long can batteries last in a TV remote?

deedleann824
deedleann824 Posts: 158 Contributor
edited July 10 in Watch TV 2024 Archive

My new service was installed December 27, 2021 and the batteries in the TV remote are still good. I was surprised they lasted this long.


Also, how long does a cable box usually last? I received a new cable box on the date mentioned above, but I needed to get a new one this week. It was just dead for some reason. It was working fine all morning. I left my house for about 2 hours and when I came back it wasn't working no matter what I tried. The technician didn't speculate on what was wrong. He only said the box was bad and he also put in a new drop line.

Best Answer

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,745 Contributor
    Answer ✓

    The hardest one to answer is the Cable Box,

    I have had cable boxes last for many years, and sometimes cable boxes die as if a light bulb burns out. If you keep your box ventilated it should last for several years. You also have to factor in its age when you got the box. Boxes with the clocks are the older models, so they might be on a shorter life span because of their age. The boxes without the clocks have only been out for about four years, so the length of life data is still unknown,

    I have been very lucky with cable boxes. Been with cable since 1985, and I think in those almost forty years and have gone through maybe ten boxes. But I don't remember any length of time where I had a major problem with a box. Decades ago, I had one box where the On Demand Pin box would get stuck in the right hand corner of the screen. Most recent was maybe eight years ago, I got a box that would not stop rebooting about every eight hours. Got it swapped the next day, the tech checked signals and they were fine. My record is my first cable box, a Pioneer lasted about ten years.

    As for Remotes:

    Batteries for the remotes should last 1-3 years if they are fresh installs and maybe even much longer than that depending in the remote's use. You can tell the batteries are starting to go bad when the LED lights start going dim and you have to move closer to box to get it to respond. Buttons on a remote, should be responsive for five years or more depending on use. There are reports that the World Box remotes that are designed for boxes without a clock that can be programed to have the box respond without the remote pointing at it. those batteries seem to have a somewhat shorter lifespan.

    Satch

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