No more searching for AA batteries: at CES 2022, Samsung unveiled the all-new Eco Remote, the first remote control to charge wirelessly using a router.

The first Eco Remote, unveiled at last year's CES, offered consumers a cool new solar charging option. But this year's Eco Remote is a truly significant upgrade: by harvesting RF energy from a Wi-Fi router, the remote completely eliminates the need for traditional batteries.

As a matter of fact, there is no battery of any type inside the Eco Remote's enclosure. Instead, it contains a built-in capacitor that can store a small amount of energy collected from a 2.4 GHz RF signal within 40 meters. This technology is a step further than other wireless charging options typically used for smartphones and other small devices.

The new Eco Remote also supports the solar charging option mentioned above. This means that even if for some reason the router is turned off or cannot pick up an RF signal, the remote can still be charged by placing it face down under a lamp or other major lighting source.

While the concept has been discussed in the past, I don't recall any other consumer devices that use RF to harvest energy. Eliminating the need to charge a remote control or replace batteries may sound like a minor convenience, but life can be hard.

Unlike last year's Eco-Remote, which only came in black, Samsung's new Eco-Remote comes in black and white and is created using recycled materials. The remote control will be included with all of Samsung's 2022 QLED 4K and 8K TVs.

For the latest product news, check out our CES 2022 live blog.