Feedback I'm having problems with my Wii Remote

[BenEx]

Hello, I have not been here for almost a month I guess? Well, whatever
So, last week I decided to connect my Wii Remote to my laptop in order to play a HL2 mod that uses the Wii Remote, when I disconnected the controller and disabled Bluetooth on my Laptop, I couldn't get it to work again, it doesn't want to connect on the console, the 4 blue lights are always on, no blinking or flashing, nope, ALWAYS on, and I can't use it on my Wii, today I bought another Wii Remote and tried to use the 1+2 buttons method and it still doesn't work, does anybody here experienced this? and if you managed to fix it, how? I want to get this fixed since I want to play some Rayman Origins with my brother :v

 

[VinsCool]

Did you try the red button sync method instead?

Under the wiimote battery cover, press that button and press the button on the wii console under the SD card door and see if they do sync up.

 

[BenEx]

Did you try the red button sync method instead?

Under the wiimote battery cover, press that button and press the button on the wii console under the SD card door and see if they do sync up.

I tried that too, it does the same thing as the 1+2 buttons method, the 4 blue lights are always on after "syncing" the controller, it still doesn't recognize it

 

[Avlossa]

I tried that too, it does the same thing as the 1+2 buttons method, the 4 blue lights are always on after "syncing" the controller, it still doesn't recognize it

try this

 

[BenEx]

try this

I just tried that today, it still doesn't work, I mean, the controller turns on, but when it syncronizes to the Wii, it doesn't do anything and just has the 4 blue lights on, no flashing or blinking, just straight on

 

[jeannotte]

Hello,

Have you changed the batteries?

Is this an official Wiimote?

 

[BenEx]

Of course I tried that, I even bought like 2 pairs of AA batteries, and yes, it's an official Wiimote

 

[VinsCool]

This is so strange... Never heard of such a case before.

Did you try to keep the batteries removed for a while before testing again?

Or maybe tried to find any source of Bluetooth interference that may have caused the bogus connection?

I'm honestly out of ideas, sorry about this.

 

[BenEx]

Well, I tried that for 2 whole days, I tried to turn it on and let it rest for hours and nothing happens, I also moved my laptop, smartphone and Switch out of my room just to test the Wii and nothing happens either, I even tried uninstalling the Bluetooth driver on my laptop (I can reinstall it later, so I won't worry about that)

 

[BenEx]

Hello, if there is someone there that can read this, I got an update, so, I found out something weird, when my Wii is unplugged (not off, the AC adapter is unplugged), the Wiimote acts different, when the Wii is connected if I just press any button the lights will blink for about 1-2 seconds and then they turn off, but when the Wii is not connected the Wiimote "acts like normal", it blinks for about 10 seconds, I'm not sure why and what makes this happen, does the Wii do something like block Wiimotes? This is really weird, also I tried to carry my Wiimote when I go outdoors, I spent some hours out there, pressing the sync button, when I went back home and tried again, it was just the same, when it's connected it blinks for 1-2 seconds, this is really weird, I asked this like, in a Discord server, in two Facebook groups and a WhatsApp group chat and looks like nobody has a solution for this, this is really weird, I'm not sure to just throw it away and get a new one, they're not expensive but I still want to use it without expending some cash

 

[Abaw245]

Hello, if there is someone there that can read this, I got an update, so, I found out something weird, when my Wii is unplugged (not off, the AC adapter is unplugged), the Wiimote acts different, when the Wii is connected if I just press any button the lights will blink for about 1-2 seconds and then they turn off, but when the Wii is not connected the Wiimote "acts like normal", it blinks for about 10 seconds, I'm not sure why and what makes this happen, does the Wii do something like block Wiimotes? This is really weird, also I tried to carry my Wiimote when I go outdoors, I spent some hours out there, pressing the sync button, when I went back home and tried again, it was just the same, when it's connected it blinks for 1-2 seconds, this is really weird, I asked this like, in a Discord server, in two Facebook groups and a WhatsApp group chat and looks like nobody has a solution for this, this is really weird, I'm not sure to just throw it away and get a new one, they're not expensive but I still want to use it without expending some cash

Just wanted to say that I've had a similar issue too, I have this remote that just won't sync no matter what and the only way to connect it was to use another remote to get into the home menu and start the 1+2 connection process, now it does sync but as soon as I start a game it completely desyncs and have to resync it every time, you could try it but that would obviosuly require getting another remote making the old one uneccesary, honestly as a last resort I would just try random stuff like spamming the sync button on both the remote and the console hoping that somehow something works out.

 

[BenEx]

I did that too, I mentioned it in a previous comment on this thread... HOWEVER, I FOUND SOMETHING WEIRD, ok, so, in the Wii Menu and the games, when I turn on the Wiimote it blinks for about 1-3 seconds instead of the usual 10-15, BUT, when I get into the Homebrew Channel or any app like USB Loader GX, PowerCheck, etc. it blinks for the 10-15 whole seconds! But, I can't sync them, since I don't think that the sync function works there, I say this since I was syncing the Balance Board in PowerCheck to check the battery and I found out that I had to sync it before getting in there, so, if someone can help (and if I possibly make another thread about this), I would like to hear if there's any app for the Homebrew Channel that can let you sync the Wiimotes, either using the sync buttons or the 1+2 button method, thx for reading.

Just wanted to say that I've had a similar issue too, I have this remote that just won't sync no matter what and the only way to connect it was to use another remote to get into the home menu and start the 1+2 connection process, now it does sync but as soon as I start a game it completely desyncs and have to resync it every time, you could try it but that would obviosuly require getting another remote making the old one uneccesary, honestly as a last resort I would just try random stuff like spamming the sync button on both the remote and the console hoping that somehow something works out.

 

[mudrik]

Hi Ben! I'm doing some work on the Bluetooth stack in libogc, so I learned a few things on how the Wiimotes connect to the Wii; maybe some of this will help you better identify what the problem is. But first of all, I have to say I still didn't understand the problem: on the first post you wrote that all four leds stay on without blinking, and later you wrote that they are blinking. Maybe if you recorded a video it would be more clear.

That said, there are several ways through which a wiimote connects to the Wii (these are only those supported in libogc: it may be that there's more to it, especially about the Wiimote's power button)
1) Press any button on the Wiimote: the wiimote will immediately send a connect request to the bluetooth address that it is stored in the Wiimote's memory. When the Wii receives such a request, it checks if the Wiimote's blutooth address is saved in the Wii's whitelist (which means it had been paired before), and, if not, refuses the connection. I believe that the Wii is doing this even when it's switched off (but it must be powered, of course), so here's why you do see some different behaviour when the Wii is plugged in. Technically, this is bluetooth's "page scan" mode.
2) Press 1+2 buttons: this initiates a "guest mode" pairing, which is a temporary pairing that only lasts until the console gets switched off. This page explains how to set it up: https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/7717/how-to-quickly-pair-a-guests-wii-remote I recommend you to try this out, to verify that your controller can work at least in guest mode. Note that this does not alter the list of whitelisted controllers in the Wii, nor the Wii address stored in the Wiimote. Technically, this mode sets the Wii in bluetooth's "inquiry scan" mode.
3) Pairing with the sync button on the Wii and on the controller: this again sets the Wii in bluetooth "inquiry scan" mode, but this time both the Wii and the controller will remember (read: store in their configuration) the bluetooth address of the peer: for the Wii this means whitelisting the Wiimote, and for the Wiimote this means storing the bluetooth address of the WIi, so that the connection mechanism described in the first point can work from now on.

My guess from what you have described so far is that the WIi address is correctly stored into the Wiimote, so that the Wiimote immediately tries to connect to the WIi when you press a button on it, but for some reason the Wii is refusing the connection; most likely this is because the Wiimote's address is not stored in the Wii's whitelist.
The reason wy you see a different behavour in homebrews, is that they use libogc. And pairing has been added to libogc only recently, so these homebrews are probably built with an older version. I do recommend staying in the Wii's HOME menu when pairing.
Please let us know if at least the guest pairing described in point 2 works.

 

[BenEx]

Hey, uhm, I recorded a video but it's too heavy to upload it, I would upload a YouTube link with it, but I can't do that yet, so, uhm, guest pairing doesn't work, I explain it further in the video, but when using the guest pairing method the Wiimote shows the 4 blue lights turned on without blinking and any input doesn't do anything

Post automatically merged: Feb 20, 2026

Hi Ben! I'm doing some work on the Bluetooth stack in libogc, so I learned a few things on how the Wiimotes connect to the Wii; maybe some of this will help you better identify what the problem is. But first of all, I have to say I still didn't understand the problem: on the first post you wrote that all four leds stay on without blinking, and later you wrote that they are blinking. Maybe if you recorded a video it would be more clear.

That said, there are several ways through which a wiimote connects to the Wii (these are only those supported in libogc: it may be that there's more to it, especially about the Wiimote's power button)
1) Press any button on the Wiimote: the wiimote will immediately send a connect request to the bluetooth address that it is stored in the Wiimote's memory. When the Wii receives such a request, it checks if the Wiimote's blutooth address is saved in the Wii's whitelist (which means it had been paired before), and, if not, refuses the connection. I believe that the Wii is doing this even when it's switched off (but it must be powered, of course), so here's why you do see some different behaviour when the Wii is plugged in. Technically, this is bluetooth's "page scan" mode.
2) Press 1+2 buttons: this initiates a "guest mode" pairing, which is a temporary pairing that only lasts until the console gets switched off. This page explains how to set it up: https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/7717/how-to-quickly-pair-a-guests-wii-remote I recommend you to try this out, to verify that your controller can work at least in guest mode. Note that this does not alter the list of whitelisted controllers in the Wii, nor the Wii address stored in the Wiimote. Technically, this mode sets the Wii in bluetooth's "inquiry scan" mode.
3) Pairing with the sync button on the Wii and on the controller: this again sets the Wii in bluetooth "inquiry scan" mode, but this time both the Wii and the controller will remember (read: store in their configuration) the bluetooth address of the peer: for the Wii this means whitelisting the Wiimote, and for the Wiimote this means storing the bluetooth address of the WIi, so that the connection mechanism described in the first point can work from now on.

My guess from what you have described so far is that the WIi address is correctly stored into the Wiimote, so that the Wiimote immediately tries to connect to the WIi when you press a button on it, but for some reason the Wii is refusing the connection; most likely this is because the Wiimote's address is not stored in the Wii's whitelist.
The reason wy you see a different behavour in homebrews, is that they use libogc. And pairing has been added to libogc only recently, so these homebrews are probably built with an older version. I do recommend staying in the Wii's HOME menu when pairing.
Please let us know if at least the guest pairing described in point 2 works.

I forgot to click reply before commenting, but, the answer is above this comment

 

[mudrik]

Hi Ben! Did I understand correctly, that the Wiimote works if you connect to your PC? Or has it stopped working there, too?

 

[BenEx]

Hmm, nope, it doesn't, when I connect it to my PC it shows the 4 blue lights on but it doesn't detect any input, I tried it on PC games, emulators and Dolphin, it doesn't do anything, and even if I turn off the PC (or the Wii when it enters that state) it's still on with the 4 blue lights, it lasts until it runs out of battery or I remove one of the batteries

 

[mudrik]

Hi Ben, it's most likely that the EEPROM of you wiimote got corrupted. Please see this thread: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-wiimote-firmware-corruption
The wmgui program allows to read and write the EEPROM of a wiimote, so if you manage to connect the wiimote to wmgui, you might be able to fix it. If you have trouble connecting, to wmgui, you can try a few times, always removing the batter after each attempt.

 

[BenEx]

Hi Ben, it's most likely that the EEPROM of you wiimote got corrupted. Please see this thread: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-wiimote-firmware-corruption
The wmgui program allows to read and write the EEPROM of a wiimote, so if you manage to connect the wiimote to wmgui, you might be able to fix it. If you have trouble connecting, to wmgui, you can try a few times, always removing the batter after each attempt.

Hi mudrik, well, I see that this program is for Linux, I wonder, is there a way to run it on Windows? I've been searching but I couldn't understand it at all tbh