Channels & viewing

[SCt1]

I can only connect to three of my available channels on roku

[atc98092]

You need to provide much more information.

What is the model of Roku you have? Model number, not just the name. Where are you located (country)? What channels are working, what channels are not? How are you connected to the Internet: WiFi or wired, who's your ISP?

[SCt1]

You want a little too much info.

[atc98092]

Then no one can help you. These are the basics to be asked when there's specific channels that won't work.

If the channels you are trying to access are what Roku calls private channels (the only way to add them was by entering a code on your Roku user web site), support for those channels was removed some months ago. Private channels are no longer available, and anyone that had them found them either non-functional or removed completely. 

[SCt1]

These are channels I always had access to, now I don’t.

[SCt1]

It’s a roku express, I live in the US. I just got Netflix back I can’t access roku channel,  Pluto, peacock, prime video

[SCt1]

Model number-3910RW

[atc98092 · Accepted solution]

Thank you. That all helps tremendously.

I'll start off by saying the original Express came out in 2016, so it's almost a six year old model. They did make one significant update in 2017, but nothing major since then. It's still the base Roku available, single band wireless, and limited memory for channel storage and operations. 

All the channels you listed are of course available in the US. Since one channel has since began working, it's possible there was some sort of networking hiccup that your ISP was having, and might still be with the ones that don't work. 

The usual first step to try when a single channel isn't working is to uninstall the channel from the Roku, reboot the device (critical step that cannot be skipped), then to reinstall the channel. You've indicated problems with four different channels, it's still a step I'd recommend. 

What might cause issues with channels already installed? Sometimes there might be an interruption in the data flow when an update is installed. Perhaps a thunderstorm miles away from you that hit the lines your provider uses. Lightning can of course cause problems within an electrical device, even without a direct hit on your home. Or just some glitch somewhere on the network that provides you with Internet access. 

The Internet has a system of addressing each device connected on the network, and it's all a series of numbers (IPv4) and mixed number/letters (IPv6). To translate those digits into an address that we recognize (such as roku.com) the Internet uses name servers. Sometimes the name servers get bad information from a site, or it too might suffer a data corruption. When that happens (not often, but it does happen), the Internet site can't be reached, and devices like a Roku or Fire TV can't connect to that site. That is another possibility for the failure. Issues like these tend to be resolved fairly quickly, depending on the name server your ISP uses. Some services run their own name servers, and wouldn't be aware of a problem unless someone reports the issue to them.

There is another test you can try, if you have a smart phone or tablet with cellular service. You can turn on the hotspot on your phone or tablet and connect your Roku to the Internet that way. This eliminates any ISP issues, and can help isolate if the problem with the Roku. If the channels all work as expected when using the hotspot, then you know it has nothing to do with the Roku.

[SCt1]

I thank you, that’s a lot of info for someone who’s not tech savvy. I’m using my phone Hotspot, as I always do. I have since lost Netflix. the only channel I can get now is tubi.

[atc98092 · Accepted solution]

Oh bummer. I was really hoping it was an ISP problem. When I need to talk about technical things, I always worry that I'm making it too simple for someone that understands what I'm saying, and getting too technical for someone who doesn't know about it, and in most cases really doesn't need to know. If you'd like anything explained further, I'd be glad to help. 

So, I would suggest the remove/reboot/install one each non-working channel. Even though it would take longer, I suggest doing them one at a time. Sometimes fixing a problem for one channel might resolve the problem on the others. Worst case scenario would be to do a complete factory reset, and set it up like it was brand new. That clears out all the installed channels, leaves you with the basic operating system, and gets you back to ground zero. If it all fails to resolve the problem, then the device is probably defective.