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Cardaub's avatar
Cardaub
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
Solved

Roku won't connect to wireless

Its been 4 days now that my roku cannot connect to my wireless. It's been connected for 3 years fine.  It says the strength is excellent.  But won't connect to it.  All my other wireless devices are ...
tv & player wifi
  • RokuJechealR's avatar
    RokuJechealR
    2 years ago

    Hi Cardaub,

    Thanks for the response!

    Some Roku devices are only compatible with wireless b/g/n networks on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Ensure that your router is broadcasting a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network to which the device can connect. You can check your device model by navigating to Settings > System > About.

    You can also try configuring your router and using wireless channels 1, 6, or 1,1, which are the preferred channels. Each time you change the wireless channel, you will likely need to apply/save changes before you are prompted to restart the router.

    If you need help modifying your router settings, contact your internet service provider's customer support team. Since they are trained in configuring their wireless gateway, they might be able to help you with this matter. 

    Please let us know how it goes.

    All the best,
    Chel

makaiguy's avatar
makaiguy
Community Streaming Expert
2 years ago

Cardaub-

There are some router setting issues that can prevent establishing Roku WiFi connections. And to make matters worse, some of them can be set by recently-reported router updates. These have primarily been reported with routers supplied by internet providers (Comcast/Xfinity, Cox, and AT&T so far), but it's possible they could also occur with other internet providers or user-owned routers that have received similar updates.

  • ROKU LOCATES NETWORK AND REPORTS NETWORK QUALITY BUT CANNOT CONNECT
    Some router updates have changed the router's connection settings on the 2.4 GHz WiFi band from b/g/n to just g/n, causing Rokus connecting to the 2.4 GHz wifi band to lose their ability to connect to the network.

    Note that, of recent Roku models, non-4K Roku Express/Express+ (model numbers below 3940) and Premiere/Premiere+ (model numbers below 4620) can ONLY receive the 2.4 GHz band and are therefore affected by this.

    The solution is to set the router's configuration back to using b/g/n.  See "Reconfiguring Router", below.
     
  • ROKU CANNOT FIND LOCAL WIFI NETWORK AT ALL
    There are several possible causes. If you have one of these situations, see "Reconfiguring Router", below.
     
    A) 2.4 GHZ WIFI BAND TURNED OFF
    Some recent router updates have turned off dual band routers' use of the 2.4 GHz band. Some Roku models, notably Roku Express/Express+ non-4K models (model numbers below 3940) and Premiere/Premiere+ (model numbers below 4620), are lower end units with single band WiFi radios that only support the 2.4 GHz band. They, and many other devices of all sorts that are 2.4 GHz only, can't even see the 5 GHz band, let alone connect to it. If you have a 2.4 GHz only Roku model and a dual band router with both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, be sure the router's 2.4 GHz band is turned on.
     
    B) WIFI CHANNELS 12-14
    In the 2.4 GHz WiFi band, all Rokus support channels 1-11, as are used in North America. If your router supports 2.4 GHz channels 12-14 that are used in other regions make sure your router is set to use a channel in the 1-11 range and that you aren't using an auto setting that could select channels outside this range.
     
    C) DFS CHANNELS
    All Rokus with dual-band WiFi radios can connect to the 5 GHz wifi band in two ranges of channel numbers, 36-48, and 149-165.

    Channels between these two ranges are reserved as Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) channels and are shared with other uses such as military, radar, and weather. Only some of the newest Rokus using the latest WiFi processors can receive these DFS channels.

    Many home use modems do not include the DFS channels but some do, so if yours is a dual-band Roku that cannot find your WiFi network, try setting your router to NOT use DFS channels. If your router supports DFS channels and you can't turn them off, make sure you aren't using an auto setting that could select DFS channels.

Reconfiguring Router
Thanks to forum user AvsGunnar  for providing the links below to instructions for reconfiguring router settings for the listed internet suppliers. If you can't do this yourself, you may need to contact your internet provider to make these changes for you:

If your problem was not caused by any of the above, a restart of the router (even if other devices are still connecting) followed by a restart of the Roku may allow the connection to be reestablished. Depending on your Roku model you'll find the "System restart" option under either "Settings > System > Power" or if you have no "Power" option, under "Settings > System", or if more convenient you can just pull the Roku's power for a few seconds and let it restart.