Getting Started - Setup & How-to

[Seamark]

Can I use my ROKU device on TV's at other locations while traveling? There is high speed internet available and also smart TV's.

[RokuDanny-R · Accepted solution]

@Seamark 

Thanks for the inquiry.

Yes you can use your Roku device at other locations while traveling. We highly recommend making sure that you make sure to bring your remote, as a frequent question that we receive in the Community is how to control their device if they forgot/lost their remote!

In addition, please be aware that depending on where you are traveling, channel availability/access on Roku devices will vary from region to region. A Roku device will work in any location, however, channels may not be available on your device in that location, based on each channel provider's discretion. If you are traveling to another region/country, you may need to create another Roku account for that region in order use your device.

Thanks,
Danny

[atc98092]

I used to travel with an older Roku Stick, and now I use a Premiere. Both worked just fine with any hotel network that I used. As Danny mentioned, some channels might be geo-locked if you've traveled outside your home country, and some channels might depend on you being on your home network, such as a cable company provided channel. 

[Papercut]

I brought my premiere on vacation and I can't get it to load. It connects to the power source, shows the buffering icon for about 4 seconds and turns to "no signal" while still having a staticky power light displayed.

[atc98092]

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@Papercut wrote:

I brought my premiere on vacation and I can't get it to load. It connects to the power source, shows the buffering icon for about 4 seconds and turns to "no signal" while still having a staticky power light displayed.

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Are you connecting it to a USB port on the TV for power? If so, don't do that and use the power cube that came with it. 

So, you see the dancing Roku logo while booting, and then it goes blank? That sounds like an incompatible video resolution. Some older TVs, even though they have an HDMI port, can't accept a 1080p signal. They usually can accept a 720p signal, which the Roku can output, but those older sets can also send the wrong signal over the HDMI connection about what it can accept. The only solution is to plug the Roku into a TV that accepts 1080p and then manually setting the display to 720p. Then it will work on the other set. But if you're traveling, that's probably something difficult to accomplish. 

[12342]

I am traveling to Costa RIca can I just plug in my roku device and use the remote? Do I need to set up an account for that? I will only be there for 2 weeks, how do I go about setting up an account there?

[atc98092]

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@12342 wrote:

I am traveling to Costa Rica can I just plug in my Roku device and use the remote? Do I need to set up an account for that? I will only be there for 2 weeks, how do I go about setting up an account there?

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Your Roku will work just fine there. The problem will be if any provider allows you to view something outside your home region. Most channels, especially the ones that you subscribe to (Netflix, Prime, etc.) have agreements with the content owners where the stream is permitted.

Costa Rica is a supported country for Roku devices. But if your account is based in the US, you won't be able to view content that is restricted to US locations. Yes, you could create a new account while you're actually in the country, but seems unnecessary for such a short duration. You would have to perform a hard reset on your Roku, set it up for the new country account, and then do it all over again when you get home. 

My suggestion is to simply connect it to the Internet when you get there, and basically see what works. Hopefully you can find enough content to watch to satisfy you for the two weeks, and not jump through all those hoops to create and configure your device while there.