Network - Wireless & Wired Connections

[KennethBecker]

I was trying to be a cord cutter and got a Roku Premiere for our living room with an 8 year old Samsung TV.  The Samsung does not support live channels hulu.  I have a linksys velop 4 node mesh network setup and the main node is right behind the TV.  When I connected the Premiere, we could not watch disney +, Vudu, or Hulu without download challenges.  I did research and decided to try a few months later with a Roku Ultra, going withe the dual band.  I configured by 2.4 and 5.0 with different network names so the Ultra would connect via 5.0  I have AT&T gigabit, have run speed checks with various devices from various nodes and wired connections from nodes and modem.  Of course the best is 900+ Mbps at the modem wired, but still in the high 800+ Mbps on the wireless nodes on compatible laptops. 

The Roku Ultra wired gets 90+ Mbps on Ethernet, which I assume the Ethernet connection in the Ultra is 100 max.  What I still cannot figure is how do I only get between 10 and 35 Mbps on the wireless connection?  This is on both the Premiere (2.4) and the Ultra (5.0).  Yes, I have read the tips page.  No, I am not going out and buying a new router.  My ISP and Network are fine.  The occasional quarterly reset of modem and network but no biggie.   I have used channels 1, 6, and 11 on the 2.4.  I have tried channel finder.  Again, other devices do not have a challenge.  Are Roku's limited due to hardware wirelessly?  Am I chasing a ghost?  Any help, guidance would be greatly appreciated.

V/R

Ken

[DES007]

I have the same issue with a Roku Premier + unit.  Roku Support - what is the answer?

[GeneL]

Via WiFi,  if you are not using the 5GHz band, switch to it.  My Roku sticks on WiFi get 80 mbps on the 5GHz band.

Via ethernet, my Ultra is at 92mbps.

My service is 500/500

++++Edit on May 12, 2021:  One of my Roku sticks does better on the 2.4G band (80Mbps) than it does on the 5G band (40Mbps).  This stick is located 30 feet from the router.  

[KH10]

Did you ever get this resolved? I just switched out my Linksys router for the Velop mesh because of buffering issues. I had tried everything before I did this, including shutting down everything except my TV and Roku (premiere). I was still only getting 37 mbps. All speed tests show that I was getting more than 200 mbps from my internet service. The premire does not have dual band, but when setting up the Mesh system I put everthing except my Roku device on 5 ghz.  I have a node near my TV. I tested with my laptop and the speed is over 175 mbps, but the Roku is still only 37 mbps. Buffering is less frequent but still an issue and I have certain channels where the sound goes in and out, very frustrating. Any suggestions? 

[Mazz]

Honest Opinion is the Wifi on Roku devices are junk, i have 450Mbps down and on a good day the Wifi might be 45Mbps on the 5ghz band 3 feet from the router. If it doesn't buffer and stutter you should be good to go, just don't expect the same speeds as your internet connection.

[GeneL]

KH10:

I had previously posted the 5G band would provide better connectivity, however,  after I did some testing, my recommendation is now qualified:  it all depends.  So perhaps even though you don't have the 5G band, you may not be missing out.  On one of my sticks, the 5G came in at 40 and the 2.4G band at 80. In theory, I have read, the 5G should provide a stronger signal if the device is close(r) to the router, while the 2.4G band should do better at distances, but still, it all depends....

When I look at the specs on the Premier (do they make this anymore?), you cannot hardwire it.  If the mesh node you have next to your TV has an ethernet port (my Google WiFi does), then I suggest you bite the bullet and get the Roku Ultra which does have an ethernet port and your problem should be solved. However, I have found the Ultra's seem to have a 90-100Mbps capacity, so if you plug in say, a 250Mbps feed, you will only get 90-100.  But with that 90-100 speed, NO problems with buffering, etc..