Network - Wireless & Wired Connections

[Jbart524]

So i have my roku express and i rent the basement apartment in a house and wifi is shared. The router is upstairs and i have Low wifi signal. My question is if i bought a newer roku device such as the stick with this help or be a waste of money? Please help!!!

Jon

[RokuDanny-R]

@Jbart524 

Thanks for the inquiry.

Please be aware that the Roku Express models are only compatible with wireless b/g/n networks on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. If you got a newer device, such as Roku Streaming Stick, it has the ability to use the 5 GHz spectrum which may help improve the wireless connectivity from your router to your device.

Thanks,
Danny

[makaiguy]

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has an external wifi receiver built into its USB power cord which is supposed to give it greater wifi "pulling power" than lesser units so that should improve your signal strength. It also is dual band and supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Note that 5GHz wifi doesn't penetrate walls and ceilings/floors as well as the 2.4GHz band does, so (assuming your landlord's router is dual band with 5GHz) your 5GHz reception may be weaker than 2.4 GHz. but in general the 5 GHz band is often less crowded so there could be less interference and it might work for you. You'll just need to experiment to find what works best for you.