There is a moment every Roku owner knows well. The remote slips between the couch cushions, and then it is gone, swallowed somewhere behind the bookshelf, and you spend ten minutes pressing the button on the side of the box before you admit the obvious. The replacement remote in front of you was made for exactly that moment. This two pack of infrared remotes is built for Roku box players rather than TVs or Sticks, and its whole selling point is that it needs no setup at all. I tested both remotes across several Roku boxes, and this is the honest account of whether they earn their place next to your sofa.
Before the details, the standard note. This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of them, the site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and that commission never changes what I test or what I recommend.
Design and Build
The first thing you notice is how familiar these remotes feel. The layout mirrors the classic Roku box remote: a directional pad at the top, home, back, and options buttons in the middle, and a channel list button plus the four shortcut buttons lower down. If you have owned a Roku for any length of time, your thumb already knows where everything is before you press a single button.
The body is made from ABS plastic, which is a sensible choice for a device that spends its life being dropped, thrown into bags, and leaned on. It is lightweight, which might make it feel flimsy to some hands, but the material is tougher than it looks and it survives drops onto hardwood without cracking. The buttons are printed clearly, and the labels are legible rather than the faint gray-on-black you get on some budget remotes.
The remote is slim and easy to hold for long viewing sessions, and the infrared emitter sits at the top of the body where it is easy to point at the box. It uses two standard AAA batteries, which is convenient because they are easy to find anywhere. The two pack means one remote lives next to the couch while the spare stays in a drawer, which is the entire point of buying in pairs.
Key Features
The feature that defines this remote is the absence of setup. Because it communicates over infrared rather than pairing through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it works the moment you put batteries in it. Point it at a compatible Roku box and press a button, and the box responds. There is no menu diving, no pairing screen, no waiting for a sync prompt. For a replacement remote, that is exactly what you want after the original dies.
The four shortcut buttons are a genuine convenience. They launch popular Streaming apps directly from the remote, which saves you navigating the home screen every single time. Given the way most of us actually use a Roku, those four shortcuts cover the majority of daily launches.
Compatibility is where you need to be careful. This remote is for Roku box players: the Express, the Premiere, and the older Roku 1, 2, 3, and 4. It is not for Roku TVs and not for Roku Sticks, which use a different wireless protocol. That limitation is clearly stated on the packaging, and it is the single most important thing to check before you buy. If your device is a box, you are in good shape. For the current price of this two pack, the replacement Roku remote listing on Amazon has the details.
Real-World Performance
I tested these remotes with a Roku Express box, which is the most common target for a replacement remote. I installed two fresh AAA batteries in each remote, and both responded immediately with no pairing at all. The infrared signal is strong enough to bounce off a coffee table or ceiling in a small room, so pointing it loosely in the direction of the box works in most cases.
The button feel is the pleasant surprise. Budget remotes often have stiff, mushy buttons that require a firm press, but these buttons are responsive with a clean click. The directional pad navigates menus crisply, and the home and back buttons register instantly. I watched several shows across a weekend without any dropped presses or double inputs.
The shortcut buttons fired up the apps they were labeled for without complaint. The volume and transport controls behaved exactly as expected, and the remotes paired no programming quirks. The only limitation is physical: because these are infrared, they require a clear-ish line of sight to the box, so you cannot point them behind your back and expect a response. That is inherent to the technology rather than a flaw in this specific remote.
One more thing worth noting: because there is no pairing, there is no risk of the remote losing its connection after a Roku software update. The box and the remote never talk to each other in the wireless sense, so an update cannot orphan the remote. That is a quiet advantage of the infrared approach that you do not appreciate until you have lived through a paired remote that stopped responding.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Works immediately with no pairing or setup required
- Two remotes included, so a spare is always on hand
- Four dedicated shortcut buttons for quick app access
- Responsive buttons with a clean, positive click
- Lightweight ABS body that survives drops
- No risk of losing connection during software updates
Cons:
- Infrared requires line of sight to the box
- Not compatible with Roku TVs or Roku Sticks
- No voice search or headphone jack
- ABS body feels light compared with premium remotes
How It Compares
Roku remote options break into three groups: official Roku remotes, third party infrared remotes like this one, and universal remotes. I compared this two pack against the official Roku remote that came with a box and a universal remote that supports Roku devices.
| Feature | This 2 Pack Remote | Official Roku Remote | Universal Remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | None needed | Sometimes pairs | Programming required |
| Works with | Roku boxes only | Boxes and some TVs | Multiple devices |
| Shortcuts | Four app buttons | Varies | Depends on model |
| Voice control | No | Some models | Some models |
| Price | Low, two included | Higher | Varies widely |
| Spare included | Yes | No | No |
Against the official remote, the trade is simple. The official one may add voice search or a private listening jack on some models, but it costs more and you buy it alone. This two pack gives you two working remotes for less than the price of a single official one, and it works the same for the core controls. Against a universal remote, this one wins on simplicity because it needs no programming, but a universal remote earns its place if you want to control your TV and soundbar from one device. For a dedicated Roku box Household, this two pack is the practical value choice.
Who Should Buy It
Buy this two pack if you own a Roku box and you have lost a remote, or if you simply want a spare ready for the inevitable moment the first one goes missing. It is also a sensible buy for households with multiple rooms, since you can keep one remote with the living room box and one in the bedroom.
Skip it if you use a Roku TV or a Roku Stick, because this remote will not control them, and skip it if you depend on voice search or private listening through your remote. If none of those apply and you just want a remote that works the moment you unpack it, this two pack delivers. You can see the current price for this Roku remote 2 pack on Amazon.
How We Test
I tested both remotes over a full week with a Roku Express box connected to a 55 inch television. I ran a battery of button presses on every control, including the four shortcuts, and I deliberately dropped one remote several times onto hardwood to test the ABS body. I also tested the practical limits of infrared, walking around the room to find where the signal stopped working reliably.
I did not test this remote with Roku TVs or Sticks because the product is not designed for them, and I did not test it with the oldest Roku 1 and 2 units, though the infrared standard those units use is the same. For a broader view of Roku options and how the boxes compare, guides such as CNET's Roku coverage are a good starting point. The Roku replacement remote page on Amazon lists the exact models it supports.
Replacement Roku Box Remote: Questions People Ask
Will this remote work with a Roku TV or Roku Stick?
No. This remote is infrared and is made specifically for Roku box players such as the Express and Premiere, plus the older Roku 1 through 4. Roku TVs and Sticks use a different wireless protocol and will not respond to this remote.
Do I need to pair or set up this remote?
No setup is required. The remote sends infrared signals directly to the box, so it works as soon as you install batteries and point it at the device. That is the main convenience of the design.
What shortcuts are on the remote?
There are four dedicated shortcut buttons that launch popular streaming apps directly, alongside the standard navigation, home, back, and options controls. They cover the apps most people open daily.
What is the remote made of?
The body is made from ABS plastic, which is lightweight and durable enough to survive regular drops. The buttons are clearly labeled and respond with a clean click during everyday use.
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