And yes, I still do it.
Back in 2013, I came clean. I told you all that I keep a DIRECTV remote in my car. I told the story of how I was getting my car serviced. Back then, I was stuck in a waiting room with a TV that was too loud. I wished I’d had that remote with me at that time.
In the years since, I’ve used that remote in my car any number of times. Sometimes I’ve done it with “just” a little bit of spite. I’ll admit it. I’ve changed the channel on the TV at restaurants if I didn’t like the political views I was watching. I’ve used my power for good, too. One time at a restaurant I used that remote and this tutorial to show a bar owner how to make his system work.
Other times, after waiting a polite amount of time for the waitstaff, I’ve changed the channel when they said they’d do it. Usually this is when I wanted to watch a baseball game. I’m not too proud to admit it.
Should you keep a spare remote in your car?
Well that’s up to you. I will tell you that Solid Signal has the best prices on DIRECTV remotes and DISH remotes that you’ll find anywhere. I’ll tell you that there are a decent number of hotels which use DIRECTV and DISH satellite, and that you can avoid touching the ucky hotel remote if you just bring your own.
It seems to me that there are still a lot of reasons you might want to carry a spare remote around. Of all of them I’d recommend this tried-and-true model. Not only will it control DIRECTV receivers but also virtually any television out there. It’s easy to program if you save a link to this guide. This tutorial really brings it home and even comes with a full set of codes for that remote.
I think you should have spare remotes everywhere.
Seriously, don’t worry if the remote got stuck in the couch. Pull out another one. You can even keep one in other rooms, programmed for RF, and turn off the satellite box and TV if you’ve forgotten to do it. Why take extra steps? Hide remotes everywhere and you won’t have to.
So yes, I still keep a remote in my car. And several in my house. And a few at other people’s houses. Do I have a problem? Well, nothing that a few more remotes wouldn’t fix, right?
