Network - Wireless & Wired Connections

[DoomsDay]

"Mark12547" wrote:

"happenstance17" wrote:
hi,

just received my box, but my excitement was defeated when i realized i needed to set up a network in my house. i'd only been using a computer directly wired to a broadband modem. i went out and bought a Linksys 5-port Ethernet Switch, thinking that it would be a logical way to split the access to my modem (between my computer and my netflix player). The device worked great and was easy to set up, but my player couldn't complete its setup because it couldn't connect to the network. i spoke to someone on the Roku tech support hotline, and i was told that i'm required to have a wireless router no matter if i only want a wired connection. he explained it as the simple ethernet switch could only handle one ISP address at a time(?) but that a wireless router is more capable of handling this situation.


is this true?

No, it is not true, neither by the instructions for the Box nor by the way I am running it at home.

Two very common themes and a third, less common theme for "Unable to connect to the Internet" are:

1. The router's firewall is blocking access; try disabling the firewall in the router. (I had to do that.)

2. The first DNS Server address the router is handing over to the Roku box is having problems resolving the address the Box needs to talk to. Try configuring the DNS Server addresses in the router to OpenDNS:

Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220

You can read up on OpenDNS (complete with instructions for configuring the DNS addresses of many routers) at http://www.opendns.com/

3. The Roku box requires DHCP to dynamically allocate an internal network address to it. This is the default for most routers, but you might want to double-check that you have DHCP and NAT enabled.

In any case, please report back your success or lack thereof.

I think you missed the major point. He is using a switch and not a router. Most cable modems go by mac address and associate with that mac address when they are enabled, thus the reason you can only connect one computer to it at a time. He COULD technically do it. if you unplug your cable modem for about 10 seconds and plug it back in with your roku box hooked up to it, it will associate that mac address to the modem and allow it to work. The only problem with this is you have to do that every time you switch back and forth from your roku box to your computer. You really do need to get a router (Wired or wireless) and not a switch.

[AllenAllen]

Couldn't figure out 'net stubler' and couldn't even figure out how to install 'hopper' (needs to link to an application!!???), let alone figure out how to run it.

For my purposes, just wondering if someone knows how to tell what the channels are for networks I see. I have XP and see some when I click 'view available networks' (after r-clicking on the wireless icon in the system tray).

If not... I'll let it drop. I have too much to do already.

[trevord]

"devrdander" wrote:
So there are a TON of questions on this forum about the Roku player and networking (both wired and wireless) and I thought i would start a thread that maybe they could sticky for future reference.

Common Questions:

How fast does my connection need to be to get X dots in quality?

Bandwidth Requirements:
1 dot is 0.5Mbps
2 dots is 1.0Mbps
3 dots is 1.6Mbps
4 dots is 2.2Mbps

The manual says I need 4.0Mbps for best quality, which is at odds with the above #s. Does that mean my broadband connection needs to be 4Mbps but only 2.2Mbps is needed for Roku and the rest is needed as overhead for my regular Internet traffic?

Thanks!
Trevor

[celving]

"trevord" wrote:

"devrdander" wrote:
How fast does my connection need to be to get X dots in quality?

Bandwidth Requirements:
1 dot is 0.5Mbps
2 dots is 1.0Mbps
3 dots is 1.6Mbps
4 dots is 2.2Mbps

The manual says I need 4.0Mbps for best quality, which is at odds with the above #s. Does that mean my broadband connection needs to be 4Mbps but only 2.2Mbps is needed for Roku and the rest is needed as overhead for my regular Internet traffic?

devrdander's answer is misleading. The encoding rates quoted in that answer are average bit rates for the stream. The instantaneous bit rate at any given time can be significantly higher. For example, the bit rate when there is lots of action or jump cuts will be significantly above average.

The minimum bandwidth required to actually play a stream is a function of the individual movie and the amount of RAM on the Roku box. 4.0 Mbps should indeed be sufficient to get you the 2.2 Mbps stream. 2.2 Mbps, however, is not sufficient.

[AllenAllen]

I'd like to know what channels are around. I can see other wireless but can't tell what channel they are on and they are not all on all the time. So, basic science: isolate. Neighbors don't always have PC's on and have activity. There is allso more of a burden on NetFlix in the evening. So, if it is 9pm and I'm trying to watch on the Roku, and the quality is poor, is it a) channel conflict b) NetFlix servers busy? I think the internet in general, may be more busy during business hours.

[pnaulls]

Even with wireless contention, wireless rates (~22Mb, unless you're using N which is higher) are 10 times the bitrate for video, so this is not usually a concern, even if it comes down.

What's likely is high usage on your ISP in the evening, or contention as it's known. Not much you can do about that apart from switching ISPs.

[DaveMcLain]

I've only had the Roku box for a week or so but I've noticed that the quality level will change depending on the time of day. In the evenings I get 2 dots of quality most of the time but if I try it early in the morning or on the weekend during the day 3 dots without exception.

[cookiepuss]

I had the same issue. Spent 2 hours with tech support. Nice.

AIRPORT EXPRESS (ALL AIRPORTS?) WORKS WITH ROKU ONLY IF PASSORD PROTECTION (WEP) IS DISABLED :shock: , IT WILL WORK HOWEVER WITH WPA, OR NO PASSWORD.


ADMIN:------------PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO TECH SUPPORT AND ENGINEERING FOR FUTURE UPGRADES---------------

ps. Great service but, I want my network to be standard WEP, and wish I had my 2 hours back....this is basic stuff and should of been tested, before shipping.......I will post this as a sticky too.

[daldouglas1970]

I have had a Roku device for several months. It has worked fine during this time but now I am getting the "cannot connect to the internet" error. I have looked at firewall settings, network channels, and DNS. Unfortunately when I try to change the DNS my network will no longer work. I am really frustrated because it USED to work. Anyway... any suggestions?

Thanks,
David

[ram1009]

"daldouglas1970" wrote:
I have had a Roku device for several months. It has worked fine during this time but now I am getting the "cannot connect to the internet" error. I have looked at firewall settings, network channels, and DNS. Unfortunately when I try to change the DNS my network will no longer work. I am really frustrated because it USED to work. Anyway... any suggestions?

Thanks,
David

I had the same problem until I unplugged it for a day. Reset might do the same.