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DylanSmartHome's avatar
DylanSmartHome
Binge Watcher
3 years ago
Solved

Can I switch my cameras to a new Roku account without being there?

So, I'm American, but I may have been in Canada when I made my Roku account? I was pretty sure I had my Roku account before I put a Roku streaming device in an apartment in Canada, but maybe I'm mistaken? 

Well, my account has a US address, a US bank CC as payment method, and US phone number. But whether I'm in Canada or the US, I'm continually moved to the Roku Canada web pages and if I go to add a cloud subscription for my cameras, there's no option to do that. Presumably because the Roku cameras are not supported in Canada. But the cameras are in my house in the US! It let me set up those cameras in the US on this account stuck to Canadian. So, now I can't use the cloud features.  Calling Roku support I'm told I have to make a new account to get an American account, they say they can't switch the a from Canadian to the US. It's crazy to me it let me set up those cameras with an account unable to support the cameras. The cloud services worked for the two week free trial. At no point during setup did it tell me the account I was using wouldn't ever be able to have a cloud subscription or support the camera features as advertised. 

 

I can go over the border pretty easy or use a VPN to get on an American IP address, but I'm 1500+ miles from the house with the cameras. I assume you need to physically be able to reset the cameras and maybe even be on the local wifi router they are connected to set them up on a different account? I hope I'm wrong? 

I could be months before I could get back to that house physically. I can see someone sleeping on my porch, I believe he has broken into a house the owner had let him sleep in the yard. But I can't get video of him. Only still pictures when an event is triggered. 

 

Please tell me there's a solution here, I'm  dumbfounded the camera setup let me setup using a Canadian account that's not supported and won't allow me to use the subscription cloud service the cameras are advertised as supporting. I am dumbfounded Roku has no way to change the location/country setting of an existing account. I'm bewildered that I can have a US address, payment method and phone number on this account which is stuck set to being Canadian. Millions of people spend time in both countries, this is ludicrously bad customer service. 

  • RokuDanny-R's avatar
    RokuDanny-R
    3 years ago

    Hi DylanSmartHome 

    Thanks for posting in the Roku Community regarding your inquiry of linking your Roku Smart Home devices to another Roku account.

    Since your inquiry is related to your Roku account, it would be best that we don't assist you further publicly to protect your information. Please reach out to our Support team directly here for your 'Account, payments & subscriptions' issue. They will be able to further assist you.

    If you have any other issues in the future, please don't hesitate to post again in the Community!


    Thanks,
    Danny

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  • RokuDanny-R's avatar
    RokuDanny-R
    Retired Moderator
    3 years ago

    Hi DylanSmartHome 

    Thanks for posting in the Roku Community regarding your inquiry of linking your Roku Smart Home devices to another Roku account.

    Since your inquiry is related to your Roku account, it would be best that we don't assist you further publicly to protect your information. Please reach out to our Support team directly here for your 'Account, payments & subscriptions' issue. They will be able to further assist you.

    If you have any other issues in the future, please don't hesitate to post again in the Community!


    Thanks,
    Danny

  • DylanSmartHome's avatar
    DylanSmartHome
    Binge Watcher
    3 years ago

    Please don't mark this as solved. It's far from solved and I posted here because I have little to no hope anyone with Roku cares or could help me even if they wanted to. So, I'm hoping another customer may be able to help. These cameras and the near zero support I've gotten from Roku on them has destroyed my faith in the company.  And to think, I used to recommend your streaming products every chance I had.

    I will try to ask phone support the question about switching the cameras to a new US account when I have time to waste and don't mind being disappointed and frustrated again. But I have pretty much zero hope they can fix the account and have it be made a US account.

    But someone really needs to change the camera setup to at least give a warning that the account is from a country the cameras are not supported, that account nationality settings can never change, that the cameras will never work with subscription service using such an account, and advise the person to make a new account for the cameras. But, that won't help me now and I'm not wasting more of my time than I have to. If Roku cares, they will makes those changes without me doing anything.  But they won't. I hope I'm proven wrong, but I really doubt it!

    • SergeB's avatar
      SergeB
      Streaming Star
      3 years ago

      Hi, I learned the hard way about Canada/US Roku, and I had a situation like yours, I will spare you all the details but here is what I would try in your situation.

      NOTE: when u r in the US and  you hit the Roku site to create an account, you are at www.roku .com so you create a US account automatically BUT if you are in Canada and hit the Roku site, you are automatically routed to www.roku.com/en-ca so you create a Canadian account.

      So makes sure you are in the US, go to Roku, create a US account then go to the Roku home app, home screen at the bottom right and tap the account icon and switch from your Canadian to US account. Try that, may work.

       

      • DylanSmartHome's avatar
        DylanSmartHome
        Binge Watcher
        3 years ago

        Yeah, being in the US and creating a US Roku account is no problem. I can use a VPN or do it on one of my trips over the border into Washington state. But I don't know when I'll get back to the house in Alabama again and I assume I'll have to be there to physically reset the cameras and set them up on the US account. And really, as things stand now I'll be selling that house and putting the Roku cameras on Craigslist because I can't use them with a Canadian account in the future.

         

        It's inexcusable that it lets you set up these cameras on a Canadian account which won't be supported and won't ever work with the cloud service without giving you a warning that the account is permanently tied to a country in which the cameras are unsupported and can't use the cloud.

        I'm done with ever considering Roku smart home products. Pretty much done with Roku period. I used to think they had really well designed and supported products. Now I realize they are happy to rebrand other companies equipment and sell them with horrible, basically useless/dysfunctional support.