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johne53's avatar
johne53
Channel Surfer
2 months ago
Solved

Roku Streaming Stick flashing light

A couple of months ago I bought a Roku HD streaming stick for use in the UK (it's one of the new ones with voice control...) I've had a couple of small issues with it and filled in some of Roku's online support forms but nobody at Roku ever gets back to me. One issue is that the stick itself (i.e. the bit that goes into my TV) occasionally displays a very bright white light for some reason. I found this forum and read a few issues and the consensus seemed to be that a bright white light indicates that the stick has lost contact (presumably with my Wifi router?) So as an experiment I tried deliberately powering down the router - but that didn't bring the white light on :-(

Others here suggested that a very bright light indicates that the firmware is being updated. Anyway, I'm kinda curious... anyone know if the white light is something to worry about?

OS Update
roku player
tv & player features
  • RokuRhea-V's avatar
    RokuRhea-V
    2 months ago

    Thanks for the update! johne53​ 

    We don’t currently offer a way to display remaining playback time, but we appreciate your feedback. For voice control, try the Roku mobile app—it’s more flexible than the basic remote. You can learn how to install the Roku mobile app and explore its features.

    Cheers,
    Roku Community Team

9 Replies

  • JWS9518's avatar
    JWS9518
    Roku Guru
    2 months ago

    I always thought the white light means it is powering up out of sleep mode and is connecting/connected to the network. 

    • johne53's avatar
      johne53
      Channel Surfer
      2 months ago

      Oh that's interesting - I didn't even realise there was a sleep mode. The RC unit does have an on/off button but it seems to turn the TV off, rather than the Roku streamer (up to now, the streamer itself seems to be always on...)

      • JWS9518's avatar
        JWS9518
        Roku Guru
        2 months ago

        Sometimes I have to hit the home button to get something to display out of its "sleep".  Roku devices don't have a true off, but they do go into a type of low powered hibernation. 

  • johne53's avatar
    johne53
    Channel Surfer
    2 months ago

    Oh BTW, I've also tried removing the batteries from my Roku remote but that doesn't bring the bright light on either (so it's probably not losing contact with anything?)

  • RokuRhea-V's avatar
    RokuRhea-V
    Community Moderator
    2 months ago

    Welcome! johne53​ 

    A white light on your Roku Streaming Stick indicates that the device is powered on and getting power. However, if the light is on but no video shows up, the device might have other issues like a failed startup, HDMI connection problems, or a software glitch. For more info on what the status light means and how to troubleshoot, click here.

    Happy Streaming!

    Roku Community Team

    • johne53's avatar
      johne53
      Channel Surfer
      2 months ago

      Thanks RokuRhea-V​ - one more question if I may....

      The remote controller is just a small basic model with only about a dozen simple buttons plus the navigation bit (i.e. containing the OK button). I can't quite remember the details but I've definitely had streaming apps which required me to press buttons which simply don't exist on my basic Roku RC unit. Is that the only unit they provide or might there be an enhanced RC device I could buy?

      • RokuRhea-V's avatar
        RokuRhea-V
        Community Moderator
        2 months ago

        Thanks for the inquiry! johne53​ 

        We offer other Roku remotes that can be purchased directly from our Roku website. There is no need to buy a new Roku device. To explore available options or place an order, visit Roku's support and accessories page.

        Hope this helps!

        Roku Community Team