The Short Version: I don’t think the ARi3G remote is worth buying, not even as a backup remote. You’re better off paying more for an original Apple TV remote, which you’ll be more satisfied with.

We’ve been having issues with the range of the Apple TV remote when used with the X10 IR repeater in the bedroom. It seems to work fine in the living room but in the bedroom the remote range is probably about half of what it should be. I think the main cause of this problem is actually the IR repeater. However, the other remotes that we use do work better than the Apple TV remote.

I decided to purchase an Acoustic Research ARi3G remote, which is made to work with an Apple TV. My assumption was that it would have better range since it uses two AAA batteries, instead of the watch battery the factory remote uses. It only cost about $10.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be any better. The range is exactly the same. In addition, the main “play” button doesn’t seem to function consistently, which makes it a pain to use when fast-forwarding. The motion-activated back-light is too sensitive. Any movement on my bed would trigger it on even though it was sitting on a separate nightstand. Granted, it only cost $10 but it wasn’t worth purchasing.