Wi-Fi & connectivity

[pctaxman]

I have  ROKU ultra need internet speed of at least about 150Mb to play some movies in 4K HDR.

I have a gigabit internet connect and can measure it right to the ROKU at about 600k wireless. Or I can wire it.

In either case the best the ROKU speed test will register is  84MB. Some movies from my plex won't play

[StreamerUser]

The Ultra's ethernet port is 100Mbps - with TCP/packet overhead that gets you around 85Mbps max.

You might get better  (~150Mbps max, though not with the Roku speedtest) using the WiFi with 5Ghz and AC, but interference and instability limit that as well.

[pctaxman]

Have tried 5G with multiple routers. I can measure 600k on internet on my phone next to the ROKU. Have disabled the 2G  on the routers.

ROKU still cannot play certain movies due to bandwith issues. I can track what bandwith is needed on PLEX--I get message not enough available

I am sorry I posted this to community --I am new and did not know the difference

[atc98092]

If you don't use different SSIDs for 2.4 and 5 GHz, it's possible you're still connected on the 2.4 GHz radio, and not getting full .11ac speeds. Look at the channel number in use on the Roku network info screen. If the channel number is higher than 11, then you're on 5 GHz. I know you said you've disabled the 2.4 GHz radio, but merely want to confirm it. 

That said, I've never been able to play my UHD rips on any of my Roku players, wired or wireless. I don't know if I have a networking issue, or the Roku simply can't handle the video bitstream speeds. UHD from online providers (Prime, Netflix, Vudu) I have no issue with. But my local UHD rips need far higher bitrates than the online providers use. I see steady bitrates of 80-90 Mbps, with peaks approaching 200. I simply don't think the Roku can handle that high of speed.

[GoHawks]

I also have been having a big problem with my speed. My old Toshiba laptop from 2007 says with (multiple) online speed tests I have anywhere from 106 Mbps to 120 Mbps for download and about 7 to 12 for upload.

I used to have a Roku (Wifi) stick 3600X and it was regularly showing in the 70s for my connection and sometimes the upper 70s.

My Roku Ultra which I got in December of last year (and it was bought ONLY because of the entire HBO - Roku debacle (which is still ongoing btw) that they created and not me) barely gets in the mid 50s. It is usually like 49 to 53 or 54 Mbps.

I have disconnected the wall cable outlet multiple times. I have tried wireless and ethernet Ultra connections. I have disconnected and unplugged EVERYTHING and multiple times done this.

My connection is fine with my laptop and fine with my phone on wifi. And yes they are both completely off when I test and check my Roku connection. But this new Ultra is terrible so far on connecting at anything resembling a decent speed.

[atc98092]

Ignore the reported speed the Roku device shows. It isn't accurate. My Ultra 4800 is the first Roku I've ever had that comes close to reporting my actual Internet speed, and that's using a wired connection. 

It all comes to, do you having buffering issues from online streaming providers. If there are no issues, it really doesn't matter what your Roku is reporting as the connection speed. My Nvidia Shield, wired with a Gigabit home network, still doesn't report my full Internet speed of 108 Mbps. Allowing for TCP/IP overhead, I would expect it to report my speed at about 90-95 Mbps. In reality it reports closer to around 70 Mbps, same as my Roku players. But the Shield can stream my UHD movie rips from my server without buffering, and that's pushing peaks of 150 Mbps or more. So in real life I simply don't worry about what speed the Roku (or Shield) reports. If it plays without issue, it's fine.

[OwnerofDevices]

If you login to your router you will see that the line speeds on your Roku wireless AC devices that have a strong signal will be about 152mps or less. You should see 866mbps, since Roku's with wireless AC use a 2X2 Wi-Fi card in the devices, but you won't. However, since Roku puts a governor or the breaks on Wi-Fi. It doesn't matter, because anything high than 100mbps is a waste for people streaming across the internet. I happily stream buffer free 4k content on multiple devices at the same time.    

[StreamerUser]

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@OwnerofDevices wrote:

If you login to your router you will see that the line speeds on your Roku wireless AC devices that have a strong signal will be about 152mps or less. You should see 866mbps, since Roku's with wireless AC use a 2X2 Wi-Fi card in the devices, but you won't. However, since Roku puts a governor or the breaks on Wi-Fi. It doesn't matter, because anything high than 100mbps is a waste for people streaming across the internet. I happily stream buffer free 4k content on multiple devices at the same time.    

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Keep in mind the OP is doing local/LAN/WLAN streaming (not internet streaming) and doing so (apparently) with high bitrate 4K/HDR rips. 

He didn't realize the the Ultras only have a 100Mbps ethernet port and that WiFi is limited to ~150mbps at best under ideal conditions - so he'll have to either use another device (e.g. Shield) or re-rip his movies to a lower bitrate.

[StreamerUser]

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@pctaxman wrote:

Have tried 5G with multiple routers. I can measure 600k on internet on my phone next to the ROKU. Have disabled the 2G  on the routers.

ROKU still cannot play certain movies due to bandwith issues. I can track what bandwith is needed on PLEX--I get message not enough available

I am sorry I posted this to community --I am new and did not know the difference

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You should enable the 2.4Ghz and put it on a separate SSID from the 5Ghz, that way you have WiFi flexibility and can control which devices use which band better/more easily/at all.

You are going to need to either re-rip to a lower bitrate, or use a different device with a Gigabit ethernet port (e.g. Shield) for your local streaming.

[StreamerUser]

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@GoHawks wrote:

I also have been having a big problem with my speed. My old Toshiba laptop from 2007 says with (multiple) online speed tests I have anywhere from 106 Mbps to 120 Mbps for download and about 7 to 12 for upload.

I used to have a Roku (Wifi) stick 3600X and it was regularly showing in the 70s for my connection and sometimes the upper 70s.

My Roku Ultra which I got in December of last year (and it was bought ONLY because of the entire HBO - Roku debacle (which is still ongoing btw) that they created and not me) barely gets in the mid 50s. It is usually like 49 to 53 or 54 Mbps.

I have disconnected the wall cable outlet multiple times. I have tried wireless and ethernet Ultra connections. I have disconnected and unplugged EVERYTHING and multiple times done this.

My connection is fine with my laptop and fine with my phone on wifi. And yes they are both completely off when I test and check my Roku connection. But this new Ultra is terrible so far on connecting at anything resembling a decent speed.

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Not sure why you would buy a Roku because of the "HBO Max - Roku debacle" or how its "still ongoing btw" but I'll let you explain those statements (neither of those make much sense).

WiFi-based speedtests are extremely inaccurate for several reasons, and shouldnt be relied upon for testing WAN/internet speed.

The most/only accurate integrated device-based speedtest is the Xbox one.  Other than that, the speedtest.net app-based (not browser-based) test is highly accurate.  Of course, both of those assume you are using a device with a wired connection.

The Roku speed test is at best a marginal indicator of insufficient/sufficient speed coming to the Roku device, and its going to vary by model due to different WiFi chipsets and different WiFi drivers/driver configs.

Unless you are getting inconsistent/low quality or buffering in all of your internet streaming apps (e.g. HBO Max and NetFlix), you can ignore the Roku's speedtest results - they are meaningless.