Forum Discussion

jackgray's avatar
jackgray
Newbie
2 years ago

Broken cable = broken streaming stick...?

Let me get this straight. Streaming stick split up into two...sticks. Roku turned a USB cable that we all have about a million backups of into an irreplaceable, proprietary, and required component for the functionality of the streaming stick. Why wifi wasn't incorporated into the stick or at least designed with usb ports rather than a hard wired cable we will probably never know because there will never be a justifiable reason. I suspect Roku realized this was a bad design, since I can't find the replacement cable anywhere, and read somewhere else that it's out of stock or not being made any more. Expensive products that break by touching them are infuriating. Not even being able to replace a cheap component without buying an entirely new device is next level. Am I really gonna have to replace an $80 device over a bent power cable? (Hint: it ain't gonna be a Roku if that's the case)


tv & player wifi

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  • atc98092's avatar
    atc98092
    Community Streaming Expert
    2 years ago

    The reason for the change was simple. Placing the WiFi receiver and antenna within the power cable provides a much better WiFi experience. Better reception, faster connection speeds. Yes, it's a tradeoff if something breaks. That's simply something you have to decide for yourself if it's worth the improvement. If not, you can use an Express 4K+, which is just as powerful as the Stick, and supports adding an Ethernet adapter via the USB power port.

    That said, even though my Ultra has an Ethernet port I still use WiFi. That's because the Ethernet port has a max speed of 100 Mbps (which is more than enough for any online media) while I can get 230 Mbps using my WiFi connection (which is needed for my UHD ripped movies on my media server).