Content on the Roku Channel Will Not Play
I have been having the same problem and I( find roku's lack of response irritating. They try to shift the blame back onto you. I had one email saying to provide them with certain information which I ...
Forum Discussion
Someone else has mentioned changing the DNS settings in their network DHCP server and that resolved the issue. For people that aren't tech savvy about how to do something like that, it involves logging into the router you use in your home and changing the setting there. By default you are using the DNS servers that your ISP specifies, but you can use any DNS server you desire. You can't manually set your TCP/IP settings, so you need to make the changes in your DHCP server. Once the changes are made, you need to power cycle your Roku so it retrieves the updated settings.
While many people don't care for Google, they do run public DNS servers that work really well. They are the DNS servers I use on my network, and I have no issues with The Roku Channel, so it would be worth testing. The IP address of the Google DNS servers to use are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. I've attached an image of the settings in my Linksys router. Your router may look differently, but the settings boxes should be very similar.
I did try changing the DNS, it did not work for me. On a sidenote, but maybe not could be related….
I tried streaming from the Roku app on my iPad. It says I need to disconnect from VPN. I have never had a VPN, and when I looked in my settings, there is not one set. Anyone else getting that message?
Henbird wrote:I did try changing the DNS, it did not work for me. On a sidenote, but maybe not could be related….
I tried streaming from the Roku app on my iPad. It says I need to disconnect from VPN. I have never had a VPN, and when I looked in my settings, there is not one set. Anyone else getting that message?
Did you reboot your Roku after changing the DNS settings? Just had to confirm.
An error message saying something about a VPN makes me suspicious that your ISP is doing some strange routing to reach the Internet. And that might be a reason that TRC is failing, as the content is only licensed by Roku for use within the US (and maybe Canada, can't remember). If the data stream is passing through some other country to reach the Internet (which is what a VPN would be doing) that would explain why TRC would suddenly stop working.
As a test, do you have a phone hotspot you can connect your Roku to and see if TRC works correctly? If it does, then that is the problem, although I have no suggestions on a fix. However you get your Internet (that's your ISP) would have to ensure your data path remains within the US.
Yes, I did reboot my Roku.
I decided to experiment and connected my iPad to the hotspot on my phone. The Roku channel played. Not a solution as LTE is slow where I live. Not to mention the data drain from “unlimited” Verizon.So the mystery continues…
I think you are on to something. I never use my ISP's DNS servers. Right now I'm using cloud flare's (1.1.1.1). I've not had any problems with the ROKU channel.
Anonymous wrote:I think you are on to something. I never use my ISP's DNS servers. Right now I'm using cloud flare's (1.1.1.1). I've not had any problems with the ROKU channel.
That is helping narrow it down. And as to why it might work on someone's computer or tablet, if Roku is like most other streaming companies they use different servers to feed different platforms. So if the server used for a computer has a different public IP address (and most likely does) that would explain it working on some devices and not on others.
