Can I use a 940nm laser diode for a remote control?
Infrared lasers do work as IR remotes in place of an IR LED. One must keep in mind that the laser needs to be modulated at the requisite carrier frequency (typically 36, 38, 40, 42, 48 or 56 KHz depending on the receiver). This precludes out of the box laser modules which have their on-board current regulation, and do not lend themselves well to modulation at high frequencies. Also, the cheaper TTL-modulated laser modules work up to perhaps 10 or 15 KHz, insufficient for the purpose.

A laser driver with TTL modulation input, that supports the desired modulation frequency and higher, will do the job. For example, this one works well as an ultra long-range TV remote for my Samsung TV:

 (source: eBay)

However, here are the two issues with using a laser such as this one:


A duty cycle of anywhere over around 5% doesn't work - presumably the IR sensor gets overwhelmed.
An IR LED actually works better than a laser as a remote control, because the wider spread of the IR beam ensures that reflected IR from walls and furniture reaches the sensor even if the direct beam is not spot-on to the sensor. With a laser, especially an invisible one, targeting the sensor is quite a challenge, and the collimated beam ensures that reflected signal is nearly non-existent. 


In order to aim at the IR sensor on an appliance, one would need to use an infrared visualizing ceramic strip stuck next to the sensor on the appliance, such as these ones: 

 (source: eBay)

(The keychain bit is just for convenience, since the imaging strips are rather thin and small, hence easy to damage or lose) 

The ceramic material glows greenish when an infrared beam is incident upon it, providing a means for figuring out where the IR laser is aimed at.



Summary: 

It can be done with a laser, but it is far too much trouble to be worthwhile.