Wi-Fi & connectivity

Having Roku connectivity problems? Get the help and troubleshooting tips you need for Roku wireless connection issues, ethernet connections, and more.
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Kcarlisi20
Newbie

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

Had the same exact issue! One day it was fine the next, stuck on poor connection and when I swap the other Roku express device in, the connection is excellent. Might be time for a new roku or maybe product entirely unfortunately 

DampDog
Binge Watcher

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?


@Kcarlisi20 wrote:

Had the same exact issue! One day it was fine the next, stuck on poor connection and when I swap the other Roku express device in, the connection is excellent. Might be time for a new roku or maybe product entirely unfortunately 


It's all very far from being ideal and garnering the customers trust in the product. I bit the bullet and purchased a new Roku Premier, and up to now it's worked fine. As was the case with the other device for around 18 months.

I did have a play with the Secret/hidden menus and noticed these devices run very hot for what they are. Mine was hitting almost 90degs in a cool bedroom with the device sitting in a well ventilated spot. 

Just makes you wonder whether these things are basically cooking over time and the components are dying prematurely. I plan on trying the dead one again, just to see if it does burst back into life after an update or two. 

Strega
Roku Guru

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

I assume that is 90C?  If so, that is fairly warm.  I have noticed for decades now, that everything designed for the living room, is usually fanless or under-fanned and tends to run warmer than, for example, a typical computer.  On a few devices, I've actually set a reasonably quiet fan next to them and dropped the temperature significantly. On a Roku, I might not bother since they cost so little and they come out with a better faster version every few years anyway.

GLeNo-S
Newbie

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

I have the same issue with a Roku Premiere.  It was working perfectly, but now it has a very poor WiFi signal.  I have factory reset this device and switched locations with another device i have both with the same results.   I wonder if this a Firmware update that is buggy.   

Are there any moderators on this community from Roku that watchs these threads?  This seems to be an issue for many people so far and it looks like it started about 4-5 weeks ago.  That is when mine started acting up as well.

 

 

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

Been happening for over 6 MONTHS. No responce on this forum from any Roku staff. I don't see the issue as a software update, there have been plenty since mine died, looks more like the WLAN chip has fried.

For what its worth if you're in the UK and only using Roku for NOW TV you can now receive NOW on Amazon Firesticks. No hacks, just search and add the app...

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DampDog
Binge Watcher

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

I ran up my Roku Express again and ran up the hidden menu so I could monitor the temp. Within 10 mins or so it was up to almost 90degs C. (in a cool bedroom) You can see that the hardware is throttling like crazy. On mine the core frequency is bouncing about between 200Mhz and 1000Mhz. The core voltage is also dancing between 800-950mv. This looks more and more like a hardware failure to me. I suspect the components are being "cooked" due to running hot 24/7. Likewise because of the price point I doubt component quality is the best either.

I'm still running 2X Roku Premier devices at the moment. (touchwood still good so far, even though they also run hot) However as they fail will hopefully be at the point where the home TV's will be updated to "Smart-TV's" by then. Should I need another streaming device prior to that I will be looking for an alternative device manufacturer. Having said that Amazon Fire sticks are not without overheating problems. I guess they think that these devices are so cheap folk will just go out and buy another. As they say, buy cheap, buy twice.

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Dahigi80
Reel Rookie

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

I have 6 Roku Express devices. One was exchanged by Roku for dying without warning just like you described. That device was only a few months old. I currently have another device that's on its way out like you described and it's only 5 months old. Roku had yet to reach back out to me to help. I guess they just don't last long? My other devices are all fine though. I've reached out here and on Twitter for help but no replies. 

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scd8
Reel Rookie

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

Does anyone from ROKU actually look at these post? Are there any humans available to contact at ROKU for support? Or do we just accept that the product fails in time?

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atc98092
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

@scd8 

These are user driven forums, and not official company technical support. There are a couple of Roku employees that moderate the forum, but they are not tech support. They will try to get you in touch with support if necessary.

All electronic devices can fail without warning, regardless of age. I had a defective Roku TV right out of the box, but the replacement has been fine for close to 5 years. I have an ancient 2 XS in a drawer that will still work, but it's performance is so dismal I replaced it years ago. Every other Roku I have has worked fine for years. My old 3600 Stick and Roku 4 are still being used my two of my grandkids. But if any of them failed on me now, I would simply chalk it up to something that failed internally.

My Sharp Roku TV is close to 4 years old, and has been shipped cross-country when I flew home. It has been misbehaving this past week, but I believe it's something in the Roku OS, as I have it in their beta test program and just received a new update. But if it suddenly conked out, it's an electronic device that can fail.

Getting back on the topic of this thread, sudden changes in WiFi signal is usually caused by interference from some other device. Since not every Roku has the same WiFi radio inside, I can understand different models performing differently in the same location. The first thing to try with WiFi issues is simply moving the Roku a few inches in any direction. The radio wavelength at these frequencies is extremely small, so even a minor location change can make a difference. If that doesn't help, try changing the channel used in the wireless access point/router. For the 2.4 GHz band, the best channels to use are 1, 6 or 11. If you're already using one of those, try a different one. 

Dan

Roku Community Streaming Expert

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RokuDanny-R
Retired Moderator

Re: Sudden poor Wifi signal?

@scd8

Thanks for inquiry.

What is the issue you are experiencing?

With more information we will be able to assist you further.


Thanks,
Danny

Danny R.
Roku Community Moderator
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