# My TVs turned on by themselves. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543 "2011-10-04T11:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/21 "2011-10-04T15:02:23Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > As far as your stuff turning on my guess is that your neighbor got a new remote and it is accidentally activating your TV. I think that a ghost is the least of your worries, mostly because unless this is a brand new house for you or you recently rented out your backyard as a burial ground a ghost would have made itself known long before this point. šŸ˜‰ Thatā€™s a good thought. Our neighbourā€™s car key sets off our doorbell, which caused a lot of confusion when we first moved in. But it plays a different tune so we can tell when itā€™s the car instead of a person actually at the door! ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/22 "2011-10-04T15:08:27Z")
What time is sunrise where you live? Are the TVs by windows? If itā€™s happening at the same time every morning, itā€™s likely that the sun is the culprit. You might be getting just the right IR wavelength in through the window at just the right angle that it mimics the remote control. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/23 "2011-10-04T15:15:45Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > As far as your stuff turning on my guess is that your neighbor got a new remote and it is accidentally activating your TV. Accidentally or intentionally. I was visiting a friend one night and he brought his TV remote out onto the deck. He aimed it toward the neighbors house, which was dark (nobody home). The living room gradually lit up. He had discovered that he could turn their TV on and off. And he messed with them for a while. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/24 "2011-10-04T15:17:11Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Holy crap, how much water do you drink that you need to pee twice in one night? Hmm. So if I have to get up three or four times a night, I should be concerned? ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/25 "2011-10-04T15:18:05Z")
> [@cherry](#): > > Oh great, I peaked out the door just now & the tv is on again in the livingroom. Gotta go check upstairs. Thatā€™d be an awesome post to just up and leave a message board afterā€¦ Any chance itā€™s some prankster aiming [one of these](http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/9a06/) through a window? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/26 "2011-10-04T15:35:35Z")
> [@cherry](#): > > I hope itā€™s not a ghost because that would be the worst scenario. Setting aside the obvious here, how is a spirit of unknown temperament worse than an axe-wielding, homicidal maniac? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/27 "2011-10-04T16:30:17Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Setting aside the obvious here, how is a spirit of unknown temperament worse than an axe-wielding, homicidal maniac? Seriously? Because if itā€™s actually a ghost, it means we have left the knowable Universe and are on a long trip to la-la land, where we have no idea how anything works or whether what we ate for lunch just gravely offended some pissy deity with a penchant for cruel punishments. More likely, if someone is convinced there are ghosts about, theyā€™re either stupid or schizophrenic, neither of which are pleasant to live through. Especially with a baby on the way. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/28 "2011-10-04T17:05:17Z")
It isnā€™t as bad as someone breaking in but as far as I can tell noone has. I took the batteries out of the remote so it didnā€™t turn on again. The upstairs tv was off. Anyways I went back to sleep. Tomorrow weā€™ll see what happens with it all powered off Itā€™s possible itā€™s the IR signals or the window but Iā€™m not sure. My neighbors arenā€™t the type to do pranks but itā€™s possible they got a new tv. ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/29 "2011-10-04T18:23:11Z")
Power surgeā€¦or more accurately, a voltage drop, and when the power came back to normal (a fraction of a second later), the devices came on. Iā€™ve had it happen in my own home, while I could witness it. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/30 "2011-10-04T19:30:17Z")
You could always put a piece of thick opaque tape over the IR sensors, and leave the batteries in the remotes. TV comes on, probably a voltage fluctuation; TV stays off - your remotes are misbehaving (or someone else is messing with you). Or it could still be poltergeists. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/31 "2011-10-04T19:44:20Z")
Isnā€™t it obvious? The demon in your house is awaiting your pregnancy to come to term so that he can be reborn into this world. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/32 "2011-10-04T23:02:08Z")
Its possible its a voltage surge. That makes sense. So its a new house so I doubt its a jinn/ghost interested in baby to be. Iā€™m not worried, its just weird. Iā€™ll call the tv installer to look over the components if it keeps happening. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/33 "2011-10-04T23:58:26Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > when turning off for the night, turn off the power at the socket. If she is in the US, we do not normally have switches for the wall sockets [sometimes in the bedroom, for bedside lamps, and very only occasionally in living rooms, for table lamps that are plugged in behind couches. but I have to admit, we normally have cieling lights that turn on and off with the switches by the doors.] ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/34 "2011-10-05T09:42:00Z")
Dunno if the lights were on but I have heard that energy light bulbs can do this kind of thing, interfering with IR sensors. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/35 "2011-10-05T13:47:50Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Setting aside the obvious here, how is a spirit of unknown temperament worse than an axe-wielding, homicidal maniac? It put FOX NEWS on _MY_ TV!!! I think Iā€™m pretty well justified in my assumption that its Evilā€¦ šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/36 "2011-10-05T13:52:59Z")
I had a really funky sleep/wake function on my last TV and had the same problem as you. Turned out I was accidentally setting the ā€œwakeā€ going to mute and back sometimjes. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/37 "2011-10-05T14:44:24Z")
My post missed half of what I wrote; sorry. My TV used to switch to FOX at times, but my best guess was that it was the neighbor on that side of the house who was also using a COMCAST remote. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/38 "2011-10-05T15:13:48Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Hmm. So if I have to get up three or four times a night, I should be concerned? Quite possibly. Two things that come to mind are diabetes or prostate issues (assuming you have the plumbing for the latter). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/39 "2011-10-05T15:47:38Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Holy crap, how much water do you drink that you need to pee twice in one night? I take it youā€™re not male, nor are you over 50. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/40 "2011-10-05T16:44:56Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > If she is in the US, we do not normally have switches for the wall sockets [sometimes in the bedroom, for bedside lamps, and very only occasionally in living rooms, for table lamps that are plugged in behind couches. but I have to admit, we normally have cieling lights that turn on and off with the switches by the doors.] Itā€™s pretty common in newer construction, often with the top outlet socket always on and the bottom socket switched. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543.md?page=3)