QUICK QUESTION: Can I use the new Genie Remote with my old DIRECTV box?

If you’re a fan of DIRECTV’s Genie Remote, you may want to pick up a few to control all the DIRECTV receivers in your home. You’ll be glad to know that the Genie Remote can control any current model DIRECTV receiver or DVR (and most of them made since 2003). Yeah, it’s true, you can only control the receiver in IR mode — the Genie Remote’s RF technology doesn’t work with older receivers — but it still works great.

Worried about the color buttons? Don’t be. There are workarounds. The red and green buttons in the guide? Use the fast forward and rewind buttons instead for the same effect (skip forward and back 12 hours.) Use the {INFO} button instead of the yellow button, and the {ENTER} button (at the lower right) instead of the blue button. It’s that easy!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.