Features, settings & updates

[dspanogle]

Take a look at this

https://community.roku.com/t5/Community-discussions/Casting-screen-mirror-fails-on-PC-Laptop-caused-...

[dspanogle]

Take a look at this

https://community.roku.com/t5/Community-discussions/Casting-screen-mirror-fails-on-PC-Laptop-caused-...

[atc98092]

Your post is only accurate for a home network running a Class B private address range. That's an address range that rarely is used for home networks, as it permits a total of more than 65,000 connected devices, which is super overkill for a home network. Most home networks are Class C, which permits 254 connected devices. The most common IP address ranges are 192.168.0.x and 192.168.1.x. I have a particularly connected home, and I think I have a total of perhaps 65 devices, so Class C is all I need. I'm using barely 25% of my potential IP addresses. Anyone using something in the 172.16.x.x  to 172.31.x.x range is simply unnecessary. 

[dspanogle]

Thanks for the Class C and B lesson. My solution IS (was) accurate because it solves the problem - "PC/Laptop will not connect to Roku"  regardless of class  B or class C or whatever.  For my case (perhaps not for other models of Roku sticks or other devices)  I had to allow that full range of IP addresses in order to connect to my Rokus because I do (did) NOT know what IP addresses the Rokus use for screen mirroring.  However now that I have figured out the IP range (Class C or B or what ever) to enable in my Anti-Virus Firewall (McAfee) to connect to Rokus, I did some more testing.  After the Rokus started connecting , I used ipconfig /All to see which IP addresses were used for the connected Roku.  The IPs being used were 172.29.243.224 and 172.29.243.225 for all three of my Rokus. 

This leads me to believe that is the range my particular Rokus are using for the WiFi Direct connection.  When I deleted the entire  range 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 and  added a NEW allowed Home network type entry with range 172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.225  my Rokus will connect.   Walla, I have found the specific IPs for the Rokus I have.

Then I reviewed the other IP ranges that were allowed thru the McAfee Firewall and discovered a WORK network entry for the range 172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.255.   I removed my entry for Home network the the range  172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.225  and CHANGED the Network type from WORK to HOME for the range 172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.255 and of course, the Rokus now connect.

Here is my summary of what happened.  Somehow the range to allow Roku connections thru the McAfee Firewall was added as a WORK type network - which does not let the Rokus connect on my home network. If anyone knows why that might happen, now is a good time to add some detail to the solution. 

I suspect this is the issue with many many users who cannot connect - at least when using McAfee Firewall.   I do not know how that range was added or why it was added as a WORK type network or why that type network does not allow the Roku connection - and truly I don't really care - I fixed my problem.

So,  my proposed solution to all Roku users who have this connection problem (dozens of posts) is:

1.  If your Roku does not connect, disable your  Anti Virus App Firewall protection.  
2. If that solves your problem, see if there is an entry in the Firewall allowed IP ranges for a WORK type network that allows  the range 172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.255.
3. Either change that entry to network type HOME or  make a new entry for HOME type network with that same range 172.29.243.224 to 172.29.243.255. 
   Note: I do not know if removing the WORK type network entry will break something for other users.  I do not work at home and do not understand WORK versus HOME. Proceed at your own risk.
4. Reenable your Firewall

Given that there are so so many users with this issue and there is NO easily searched solution it would seem the Roku Support would add this in their FAQ in Support - since there is NO support for most Roku older devices.  They should indicate which devices use which IP ranges for screen mirroring and that those should be enabled to pass thru the Firewall.  Or have I discovered some type corporate secret?

comments, additions welcome

Dennis

[atc98092]

Other than computers, NAS devices, and other specialized electronic devices, network capable devices only have a single IP address. Roku devices are not capable of using multiple IP addresses, nor are televisions, Blu Ray players, or other typical consumer electronic devices. I know of no way to assign multiple IP addresses to my iPhone.

I can't say why adding the Class B IP range into your AV firewall software resolved the issue, but it's not because the Roku is using some hidden IP address. As long as your Roku is connected to the same network as the device with the app (such as your phone), and there's no security function in your WiFi settings that blocks connected devices from seeing each other, The Roku app simply sees any Roku device on the network. There's nothing that can be configured on either the phone nor the Roku. When I go to my daughter's home, the Roku app on my phone shows the Roku devices on their network, and I can control them. Those players are not attached to my Roku user account, so that's not a requirement to use it.

WiFi Direct on a Roku is solely used for remote connectivity. I would assume it uses TCP/IP, so naturally it has an IP address. But that connection should not be visible on the data network. As the name implies, it's a direct connection between the Roku and the Remote. Perhaps Roku uses a Class B address for WiFi Direct, as it would be unlikely to be impacted by anyone's home network. 

I do agree that the network connection being labeled as a Work connection was likely blocking the communications with the Roku. I believe your changing the connection to Home was all that was necessary to resolve the issue. It likely unblocked some ports that the screen mirroring was attempting to use. 

To be honest, I don't run any firewall software on my home computers. Anti-virus, yes. But the firewall is designed to block a device from accessing the computer, and I have no need to block such access within my home network. I often move files between different computers, so have the Windows Firewall completely turned off. It's never been an issue for me in the close to two decades I've had a home network. But then the only connections I allow on my network are family owned devices. If I had other devices connecting, then I would certainly be more cautious with my settings. 

[dspanogle]

Dan, 

Your details and musings only confuse a simple minded user like me and perhaps others that may come across this posting.  Regardless of theory, ports, NAS and all that IT stuff, the fact is, allowing those IP addresses in the McAfee Firewall WORKS.  And, it seems, two IP addresses are used for screen mirroring and that mirroring uses Direct Wi-Fi Connect!  see https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-wi-fi-direct/ 

He is what I understand - which is probably not totally correct but gets the solution done.
The IP addresses used for screen mirroring have nothing to do with the IP address used to connect to a network. Roku connects to the home network then to internet to stream (channels, movies Etc.) - not for screen mirroring. The local LAN router usually assigns the local IP address. 
Direct connect creates a completely separate communication link and does not use the local network. Here is the data from ipconfig /All (my windows 10)

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2 <-- Wi-Fi Direct for Roku
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 26-DB-C9-41-1E-98
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::bde2:68ad:292e:f0b9%10(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 172.29.243.226(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.224
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, October 25, 2022 11:40:02 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, November 4, 2022 11:40:02 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.29.243.225
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 170318793
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-25-0D-98-C4-10-BF-48-7B-38-F8
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Note two IP addresses.  One local and one for the Server.  Thus the range that is required must include two IP addresses. (a client and a server)  I don't understand the rest of the data nor do I care.  I am not an IT person - just a casual user trying to fix an problem.

This should be sufficient back and forth to mark my post as a solution.  If I can figure out how to edit the original post I will do so.

Thanks for the discussion. 

Dennis

[atc98092]

Honestly, I don't want to confuse you or anyone else. Yes, you are seeing two IP addresses, but that's because IPCONFIG in Windows shows a lot of information. Your computer only has a single IPv4 address assigned. The DHCP server address is the device that issued your computer it's IP address. This is usually done by the home network router, but some people might have a separate DHCP server on their network. When I was the IT manager for a medical center, I had one DHCP server installed in each office location (we had three). You also might notice that you have both IPv4 and IPv6 enabled, and your assigned DNS name servers are all using IPv6 only. Don't try to figure out what that long string of letters and numbers means. It might melt your brain :D. It does mine, and I have some understanding of it. I am puzzled that there's no IP address shown under Default Gateway. If you removed it, then no big deal. But usually you can't reach the Internet without a DG assigned. 

It is puzzling why your network is using the 172.29 Class B assignment, but it's within the private address domain so there's no issue doing so. I wouldn't want someone to try to alter it when there's no good reason for it. If it were within the public address domain, that would be different, but it's not.

Here's what my IP settings look like. This is a desktop computer that doesn't have any wireless adapters, so it's rather simple. This is my home media server, and has a manually assigned IP address (called a static IP address). I had forgotten I had IPv6 disabled on this one. 🙂

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 38-D5-47-0E-D5-45
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
8.8.4.4
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

[dspanogle]

So, the conversation continues. Obviously neither of us has anything better to do.

I did not include the complete listing from ipconfig /all or my router settings. They are included below.

I think you are confusing internet and LAN communications with Wi-Fi Direct. You should agree that IP addresses assigned by a router are used to enable a PC/Device to communicate with the internet - thru the router or to allow communication between other LAN devices connected to the router thru the router - E.G a printer or another pc when sharing files. Each assigned IP (which change on router reboot) is directed to the actual device using the MAC address (unique, never changes) for each device.  Thus the Rokus, PCs are able to get connected together and to the internet thru the router.

   Yes my PC has an IP assigned by my router - so do each of my Rokus, my Phones, other PCs and printers.  You probably know that all routers are assigned an IP address -which is changed by the ISP from time to time unless you have a static IP for your router - in your case.  The local addresses assigned by the router are used to share files, Print to printers, Etc. I.E. between the devices connected to the router. The local address are also used to route messages from/to the internet thru  your router (using it's IP address) and then to the correct local devices using the local IP.  The Roku is assigned one of those local addresses so the router can connect the Roku to the internet for streaming etc.  The Roku is just a specialized PC browser in this situation.

Wi-fi direct is totally different. I think it works like this for screen mirroring.  The pc just finds another display (Windows can duplicate its display on other displays)  on the local Lan and the Roku is probably designated as a display.  The "connection" process probably uses the router connection from the PC to the Roku to get the necessary Roku data so the PC can then establish a Wi-Fi Direct connection.  That connection does NOT go thru the router after it is established.  Instead we have the Roku assigned an IP for this and the PC uses another IP.  I.E.  a separate Client Server connection.  I suspect in the initial communication the Roku tells the PC which IPs to use.  This is the Roku secret necessary to open a firewall for screen mirroring.   Once Wi-Fi Direct is established the router is out of the picture as is the local IP address assigned by the router for the Roku or the PC. This allows the fast transfer needed to mirror the screen on the PC to the Roku (then to the TV.)   I suspect the Roku disables it's internet connection thru the router when in screen mirror mode.   

McAfee (in my case) will not allow use of these special IPs unless they are specifically entered as exceptions.  The solution to the Roku NOT CONNECTING.   

Here is the data from my router

MAC Address	94:A6:7E:ED:7D:73
IP Address	192.168.10.114 <-- assigned by ISP

Wired Devices Status IP Address MAC Address Device Name Connection Type Allowed 192.168.1.3 D0:52:A8:54:03:8E HUBV2-D052A85405BF0001 Wired Allowed 192.168.1.11 10:BF:48:7B:38:F8 DEN-WIN10 Wired

2.4GHz Wireless Devices (Wireless intruders also show up here) Status SSID IP Address MAC Address Device Name Allowed spanogleDSL 192.168.1.7 B0:5A:DA:34:CB:9C HP34CB9C Allowed   192.168.1.4 10:59:32:B0:AA:4B ROKUBEDROOM Allowed   192.168.1.6 00:26:F2:53:41:55 DESKTOP-VDVP74G Allowed   192.168.1.15 00:17:13:1E:ED:69 -- Allowed   192.168.1.2 AC:AE:19:5F:AC:46 RUKUDEN Allowed   192.168.1.13 2E:E3:4C:E4:AD:14 VICKI-GALAXY-S9 Allowed   192.168.1.10 3A:8A:BF:54:92:5F DENNISS-GALAXY-S9 Allowed   192.168.1.12 9C:AE:D3:6F:ED:61 EPSON6FED61

And here is the complete ipconfig listing WHEN the Roku is connected for screen mirroring

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.2130]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\dspan>ipconfig /All

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DEN-WIN10
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Unknown adapter McAfee VPN:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : TAP-Windows Adapter V9 #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-FF-17-A7-9B-42
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) 82579V Gigabit Network Connection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 10-BF-48-7B-38-F8
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5963:f57b:a0b4:f395%21(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.11(Preferred) <--  This is the local wired connection IP assigned by the router for my PC.   See router listing above.   My PC communicates to the internet (or to my printer Etc.) thru the router using this IP
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, October 21, 2022 9:11:05 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, October 26, 2022 9:25:22 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 504414024
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-25-0D-98-C4-10-BF-48-7B-38-F8
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Unknown adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : TAP-Windows Adapter V9
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-FF-24-7C-A9-71
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 94-DB-C9-41-1E-98
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 9:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 56-DB-C9-41-1E-98
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 10:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 16-DB-C9-41-1E-98
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 11: <--Connected to Roku  BUT, not thru the router

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 26-DB-C9-41-1E-98
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::bde2:68ad:292e:f0b9%10(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 172.29.243.226(Preferred)   <-- Client address for this connection
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.224
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, October 25, 2022 11:43:00 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, November 4, 2022 11:43:00 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.29.243.225   <--  Server address for this connection.
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 170318793
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-25-0D-98-C4-10-BF-48-7B-38-F8
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

[atc98092]

Thank you, seeing your complete IPCONFIG info explains everything. I'm on one of my laptops right now and I just screen-mirrored it to my Ultra 4800 and now have the same sort of WiFi Direct connection as you do. So I concur that the computer and Roku as using WiFi Direct as the means to perform the screen mirroring, and it now makes perfect sense to permit that IP address range in your firewall. 

I do apologize for my earlier confusion. My brain was processing that IP information as your network connection. Seeing the complete listing broke through my fog. I do appreciate you being patient with me while I came to my senses. 😄 

[dspanogle]

No Problem,  Been there, done that.   Have a great day