by Stacey Pace

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: July 18, 2009

The Wii Remote is Nintendo's wireless controller for the Wii. It uses bluetooth connectivity so before you can play it must first be in synch with your console. The Wii Remote that came with your Wii will have already been synchronised with your console at the factory. You can check this by looking for the player LED's, these are square blue lights below the 1 and 2 Buttons that indicate your player number.

There are 3 main reasons why these lights may not be lit, causing you to think your Wii Remote is not in sync.

1) Inactivity - Is there a controller disconnect message on screen? This simply means that your Wii Remote has been inactive for over 5 minutes and has disconnected to save your batteries. Simply press the A Button and it will dismiss the message and reconnect again. If your Wii Remote is left ununsed for a long period of time it's a good idea to remove the batteries completely.

2) Low / Dead Batteries - Some games will display a low battery message but not all do. If you don't get a message but the blue light keeps going off then your batteries need changing. Buying rechargeable batteries is the best way to make sure you don't run out in the middle of a game. It's a good idea to buy an extra pair so you can have 2 charging while you play. This will save you a lot of money in the long-term that could be better spent buying new games.

If you replace the batteries and press the A Button the Wii Remote will reconnect and you can continue playing.

3) In Synch With Another Wii - If you're having a games evening your guests may bring round their Wii Remotes for some 4 player games. The chances are their Wii Remotes will still be in synch with their own console. When they try and use them with your Wii they won't be able to connect.

You'll need to synchronise your guests Wii Remote to your console. To do this remove the battery cover from the back of the Wii Remote taking note of the position on the red circular SYNC button. Open the SD card slot on the front of your console and press the red square SYNC button along with the Wii Remote SYNC button. The blue player LED's will flash and a player number will be assigned to your guests Wii Remote as it synchronises with your Wii.

It's also a good idea to get them to de-synch their Wii Remote if they leave the party while people are still playing. This can be cause problems with some games if you don't. This can easily be avoided by pressing the HOME Menu then bringing up the Wii Remote Settings and pressing the Reconnect button. This will then disconnect all connected Wii Remotes and give you an instruction to reconnect each Wii Remote in the desired player order by simultaneously pressing 1 and 2. You will then be able to continue playing without any further interruption.

It may take a little practice to get used the bluetooth connectivity but it won't be long before you're a regular troubleshooter!

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