Last week I wrote about how to use Front Row without an Apple remote. A few readers wrote in to find out how to pair their Apple remote with their Mac. As it is, all Macs and all Apple remotes ship unpaired. This means you can use a single Apple remote to interfere with all IR-equipped Macs within range. This can lead to unintended annoyances and silly pranks.
At Small Dog Electronics, pranksters sometimes sneak up behind co-workers and use the remote to launch Front Row. For a moment, the victim is prone, wondering what’s happening to their Mac as the shiny black Front Row interface takes over its screen.
Here’s how to pair your Apple Remote, and prevent the above scenario from happening to you:
– Get extra close to your Mac (about 3 or 4 inches away). – Point the remote at the Apple logo on the front of your Mac. – Press and hold the Menu and Next/Fast-forward buttons simultaneously on the remote for 5 seconds.
Your Apple Remote is now paired with your computer. You can tell the remote is paired because you will see a chain-link style lock. To delete a pairing between the remote and your Mac, open System Preferences, click Security, and then click Unpair in the Security pane. (You may have to enter your Administrator password to make changes in the Security pane.)
You can also turn off your Mac’s infrared reception. To do this:
– From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences. – Click Security to display the pane.- – Select the “Disable remote control infrared receiver” checkbox.