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HomeUncategorizedAmazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro for Fire TV Review: A Sensible, Convenient...

Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro for Fire TV Review: A Sensible, Convenient Upgrade



Cianna Garrison

Rating:
8/10
?

  • 1 – Does not work
  • 2 – Barely functional
  • 3 – Severely lacking in most areas
  • 4 – Functions, but has numerous issues
  • 5 – Fine yet leaves a lot to be desired
  • 6 – Good enough to buy on sale
  • 7 – Great and worth purchasing
  • 8 – Fantastic, approaching best-in-class
  • 9 – Best-in-class
  • 10 – Borderline perfection

Price: $35

Person holding the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Amazon’s Fire TV system gets an upgrade with the Alexa 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 old Alexa 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 a universal remote for non-Fire TVs, and Amazon neglected important additions, such as an integrated rechargeable battery.

Here’s What We Like

  • The auto-backlight function is a game changer
  • Programmable buttons are convenient
  • The Bluetooth headphones button makes it simple to watch quietly
  • Comfortable and sturdy build
  • Remote finder works well

And What We Don’t

  • Couldn’t use it as an all-in-one remote
  • No way to bypass the Alexa Voice button and opt for voice activation
  • This upgrade should become the standard
  • Uses external batteries instead of an integrated rechargeable one

How-To Geek’s expert reviewers go hands-on with each product we review. We put every piece of hardware through hours of testing in the real world and run them through benchmarks in our lab. We never accept payment to endorse or review a product and never aggregate other people’s reviews. Read more >>

Look and Feel: Compact and Streamlined

Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro sitting next to an Amazon Fire Stick.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
  • Included in the box: Alexa Voice Remote Pro, 2 AAA batteries, Quick Start Guide
  • Dimensions: 1.5 x 5.8 x 0.7in (38 x 148 x 18mm)
  • Weight: 1.9oz (54g) without batteries; 2.2oz (64g) with batteries
  • Compatibility: Most Fire TV streaming media players, Amazon Fire TV smart TVs, and smart TVs with Fire TV built-in.

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 and Bluetooth 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, the 3rd Gen Alexa Voice Remote weighs 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 (which I’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 a smart TV with Fire TV built-in, I had to install the Fire TV Stick 4K, which comes with the 2nd Gen Alexa Voice Remote.

Because my Roku TV’s three HDMI ports were occupied, I had to unplug my Xbox One—a reminder that I should grab an HDMI switch to 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 a soundbar, 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

  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, IR

Buying the latest Alexa remote makes sense if your house is full of Amazon devices; it makes everything more convenient. For example, you can use Alexa Voice Remote to extend the reach of Amazon Echo devices.

I don’t have a Fire TV, but with the Fire TV Stick 4K Amazon sent with the remote, I got much of the same experience. Even if the company made its Amazon 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’t a compatible device. It’s also important to note the company will expand compatibility in the coming months.

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The Programmable Buttons

A close up of the shortcut buttons on the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
  • Programmable Buttons: 2 programmable buttons labeled “1” and “2.”

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 launch Discovery+. 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 enjoy Amazon 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

A close up of the Alexa voice button on the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

If you live with other people, an integrated Bluetooth button is a terrific option to have. Whenever I wanted to play a game on my Nintendo Switch or 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 my Beats 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

The Alexa Voice Remote Pro's backlighting in dim lighting.
Cianna Garrison / How-To Geek

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 on iPhone and Android) or Fire TV app (available on iPhone and Android) or tap the remote finder button in the Fire TV app.

A Roku smart TV on the Fire TV app's Find My Remote page for the Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Cianna Garrison / How-To Geek

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

Person using the voice command functionality on the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
  • Power Requirements: 2 AAA batteries (included)
  • Warranty: 90-Day Limited Warranty and service

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 latest Roku Voice Remote Pro includes a voice-wake feature and costs less money.

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 integrated Alexa Assistant worked well. I started by changing Alexa’s voice to 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 through Amazon Music. You can 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.

An oversaturated stream of Below Deck using the Alexa Voice Remote Pro with the Fire TV app.
An oversaturated stream of “Below Deck” with the Fire TV app. Cianna Garrison / How-To Geek

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?

Indicator light on the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

The Alexa Voice Remote Pro might 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 the best smart home device out 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 the Roku 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 can purchase the Alexa Voice Remote Pro for $35 today.

Rating: 8/10
?

  • 1 – Does not work
  • 2 – Barely functional
  • 3 – Severely lacking in most areas
  • 4 – Functions, but has numerous issues
  • 5 – Fine yet leaves a lot to be desired
  • 6 – Good enough to buy on sale
  • 7 – Great and worth purchasing
  • 8 – Fantastic, approaching best-in-class
  • 9 – Best-in-class
  • 10 – Borderline perfection

Price: $35

Here’s What We Like

  • The auto-backlight function is a game changer
  • Programmable buttons are convenient
  • The Bluetooth headphones button makes it simple to watch quietly
  • Comfortable and sturdy build
  • Remote finder works well

And What We Don’t

  • Couldn’t use it as an all-in-one remote
  • No way to bypass the Alexa Voice button and opt for voice activation
  • This upgrade should become the standard
  • Uses external batteries instead of an integrated rechargeable one





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