The Fire TV Cube should be able to control the power to your TV. But there are many people who have struggled with this simple feature, whether the TV won’t turn on/off or it does so when you don’t want it to. Either way, this quick guide should help you find the solution.
A primary reason for a Fire TV Cube not turning on or off can be related to power connection issues. Ensure the power adapter is securely connected to the Cube and the outlet. If the connection is loose or the adapter is faulty, the device may not receive proper power. Try using a different outlet or power adapter to resolve this issue. A stable power supply is crucial for the Cube’s operation.
Another cause could be software-related problems within the Fire TV Cube. Glitches in the operating system can lead to unresponsive behavior. Performing a hard reset can often fix these issues. Disconnect the Cube from power, wait one minute, and reconnect it. This hard reset will reboot the system, potentially resolving software glitches that hinder the Cube’s ability to turn on or off properly.
The issues that arise from these processes are outlined below. I have also included a brief overview of how you can turn your TV on with the Fire Cube.
Fire Cube Keeps Turning TV Off
Some people have found that their Fire Cube will turn off their TV. This seems to occur when they attempt to turn off the Fire Cube with the power button on their remote control. This button is a newer addition to the Fire TV remotes, so it’s understandable that there is some confusion.
The power button at the top of the remote does not actually turn off the Fire TV, it is there as a means of turning your TV on/off. The Fire TV Cube cannot actually be turned off; it can only be put into sleep mode.
For this reason, it would appear that ‘turning off’ the Fire TV with this button also turns off your TV, when in actual fact, that button is simply turning off the TV every time.
If you would like to put your Fire TV into sleep mode and keep your TV on, just hold the ‘Home’ button on your remote until a menu appears. Then you can select ‘Sleep’.
Fire Cube Keeps Turning TV On
If you have the unusual experience of the Fire TV turning your TV on at odd times, this is a different issue altogether. There are a number of possible causes for this, so I will explain each of these below.
Turn Off CEC
‘CEC’ is short for ‘Consumer Electronics Control’ and is a feature of your TV that will allow it to communicate with the Fire TV when you are using the remote. It allows you to use one remote to operate both devices.
Some people have found that having this enabled is what causes the Fire Cube to turn the TV on by itself. If you want to disable this feature, you can either plug your HDMI cable into a different port that is not labelled ‘CEC’, or through the Fire TV’s settings.
If you would like to disable this function through the Fire TV, follow the steps below.
Settings > Display & Sounds > HDMI CEC Device Control > Off
Unfortunately this means you will not be able to use the one remote for both devices, but it might fix your issue with your TV turning on in the middle of the night.
Block App Notifications and Screensaver
If you still want to use CEC, you could try preventing the Fire TV from waking itself up, and therefore waking up the TV. The Fire TV will usually wake up if you have an app notification. Follow the steps below to turn off notifications.
Home > Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings > Do Not Interrupt > On
Some people have found that the TV will also turn on if they have left a movie on pause and the Fire TV has automatically started playing the movie after some time. For this reason, try to remember to exit each app when you are finished using it.
Even the screensaver coming on may trigger your TV to turn on. You can turn off the screensaver using the method below.
Home > Settings > Display > Screensaver > Start Time > Never
Power Command Repetition
The Fire TV also has a setting known as ‘Power Command Repetition’. This feature allows you to choose if you want the IR signal for ‘Power On’ or ‘Power Off’ to be sent once or twice to your TV.
Because your Fire TV is turning the TV on, you will need to change the ‘Power On’ settings. This feature can be accessed through the following steps.
Settings > Equipment Control > TV > Power Controls > Power Command Repetition > Power On
If it is set to ‘Once’, change it to ‘Twice’. However, if it is already set to ‘Twice’, change it back to ‘Once’. This is an unusual setting, but it might be what is causing your TV to wake up.
Fire TV Cube Won’t Turn On TV
If your Fire Cube will not turn on the TV, you will need to make sure they can communicate through CEC first.
Link the TV through CEC
As I mentioned above, CEC connects the TV to the Fire Cube when using the remote control. First, make sure your HDMI cable is plugged into a CEC compatible port in the back of your TV. If there are no labels on the HDMI ports, you may need to refer to your TV’s user manual to find out which port has this feature.
Then you will need to check that the CEC settings are enabled on the Fire TV. This can be found through the settings below.
Settings > Display & Sounds > HDMI CEC Device Control > On
If this still doesn’t work, make sure you have enabled this connection on your TV as well. Unfortunately, different TV brands have different names for this connection. Refer to the table below for the names of the CEC settings on your TV.
|
TV BRAND |
BRAND NAME FOR CEC |
|
Hitachi |
HDMI-CEC |
|
LG |
SimpLink |
|
Mitsubishi |
NetCommand for HDMI |
|
Panasonic |
EZ-Sync/HDAVI Control/VIERA Link |
|
Philips |
EasyLink |
|
Samsung |
Anynet+ |
|
Sharp |
Aquos Link |
|
Sony Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on April 24, 2021. |
BRAVIA Sync |
|
Toshiba |
Regza Link/CE-Link |
|
Vizio |
CEC |
Alexa Controls
The Alexa voice control on your Fire TV should allow you to turn on your TV and other devices using an infrared signal. I will explain this in more detail below.
If you are struggling with turning on the TV through the Alexa voice controls, your Fire TV could be too far away from the TV or there could be an obstruction in front of the IR receiver on the TV.
If this is the case, make sure your Fire Cube is close to the TV and there is nothing between the Cube and TV’s receiver. If you cannot move it any closer, the Fire Cube comes with an IR extender, which can be plugged in and positioned closer.
You might also consider reconfiguring the Fire TV remote or the Alexa controls.
Fire TV Cube Won’t Turn Off TV
If the Fire TV Cube does not turn your TV off, you will need to check your HDMI is plugged into the HDMI-CEC port. Refer to the information above for details about CEC.
One thing to note is that the Fire TV cube is not able to turn off. Amazon have programmed it to enter ‘Sleep’ mode instead. For this reason, you will need to turn your TV off separately.
In newer models of the Fire TV, this can be done using the power button on the remote. Older models do not have this button, but you can still use Alexa voice control.
How Does Fire TV Cube Turn On TV
The Fire TV can turn on your TV in one of two ways. Firstly, it will turn on the TV via the HDMI-CEC (if it is plugged into this port). This means that the home button on your remote will be detected by both the Fire Cube and your TV.
The second method is via infrared (IR) signal. Infrared is a type of light that is not visible to the human eye, therefore working in a similar way to a torch. Projecting the infrared light towards a device will allow the device to detect the IR signal.
The Fire TV Cube has in-build IR technology. It is able to emit an IR signal to turn on nearby devices, controlled by Alexa voice control. Therefore any device with an IR receiver that is nearby the Fire TV can be powered on and off by Alexa.
How to Turn On TV with Fire TV Cube
You can turn the TV on using the remote control or using Alexa voice control. I will explain how below.
Using the Remote Control
You can pair your remote control to your TV by following these steps.
Step 1: Ensure your Fire TV in plugged into the HDMI-CEC port.
Step 2: Press the ‘Home’ button on your remote control.
Step 3: Navigate to Settings > Equipment Control > Manage Equipment > TV > Change TV.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 24, 2021.
Step 4: Follow the prompts on the screen to pair your remote with your TV.
Now you can simply press the home button to wake up your Fire Cube and it will also turn on your TV. Make sure you are on the correct input channel on your TV.
Using Alexa Voice Control
All you have to say to the Fire Cube is the following.
“Alexa, turn on the TV”.
Note that the TV will also automatically power on if you ask Alexa to play a movie or TV show instead.
If voice control is not working, make sure you have the Alexa app installed on your Fire TV and that it is logged into the same account.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on April 24, 2021.