Ok, let’s talk real quick about how TV remotes work in general!

I say TV remotes but this also applies to stuff like set top boxes, AC units, audio systems…

Every TV has a small sensor on the front,

and it essentially is a very very basic camera that checks for infrared light

infrared light is invisible to humans but visible to cameras, which makes it perfect for this job

When you press a button on its remote, your remote works as a very small flashlight,

turning an infrared light on and off suuuuuuper fast

every button you press turns this light on and off in a slightly different pattern

Your TV sees that and knows that every different patterns corresponds to a different action… like volume +… or volume -, power on, power off, all depending on what button you are pressing and what pattern of light is being flashed from the remote

Now that we know this, how do universal remotes work then?

How do they know every single specific pattern for every single brand and model of TV on the market?

Well, it’s easy: they cheat!

Universal remotes work by simply not just including the “flashlight” part on the remote but also the “camera” one: using that, they can essentially copy and store every other patterns from any other remote, essentially copying their homework.