Well not sure this will work with a remote, but the same issue exists with most pushbutton wireless phones. There's a conductive gel on the back of the rubber keypad which makes contact with a pc board. As the gel dries up, the key ceases to function. My fix was to buy some brass-head thumbtacks (can't have paint on 'em), clip off part of the shaft, and press into the back of the rubber pad. The metal conducted electricity and the keys worked again, permanently.