Playback Issues - Audio/Video & Power

[pgtr]

I have two 3800s, one for the living room, the other for the bedroom. Both lock-up and stop responding to their respective remotes about every 2 sometimes 3 days. I'm trying to figure out how high or low that is compared to others.

The only solution I'm left with is to unplug the locked up stick from it's power source and re-connect it forcing a reboot. (this involves getting a ladder and moving a TV etc.) Usually that works. Sometimes after the reboot, the remote (usually the one in the living room) has to then be re-synced which is a MUCH more involved process to fix requiring many failed attempts before I 'get lucky' and the remote is again recognized and syncs.

So I average 2.5 to 3 lock-ups a week on average. 

You?

[DBDukes]

"pgtr" wrote:
I have two 3800s, one for the living room, the other for the bedroom. Both lock-up and stop responding to their respective remotes about every 2 sometimes 3 days. I'm trying to figure out how high or low that is compared to others.

The only solution I'm left with is to unplug the locked up stick from it's power source and re-connect it forcing a reboot. (this involves getting a ladder and moving a TV etc.) Usually that works. Sometimes after the reboot, the remote (usually the one in the living room) has to then be re-synced which is a MUCH more involved process to fix requiring many failed attempts before I 'get lucky' and the remote is again recognized and syncs.

So I average 2.5 to 3 lock-ups a week on average. 

You?

I don't have that Stick, but I have had a lot of Roku devices since late 2010. None have locked up on even a once-a-month basis. There's something going on there. If it's impacting two devices, you either have one heckuva coincidence with two bad Sticks, or something about your setup -- likely network, less likely electrical wiring, or an untold number of other things -- is contributing to the issue.

Do you have any other TVs? If so, try moving the easier-to-reach Roku to that TV and try it for a few days to see if it locks up.

Another approach might be looking at your network. Are the Sticks connecting on a 5 GHz band or a 2.4 GHz band? Settings > Network > About will offer the channel. See: this link for info on channels.

If your network is automatically selecting the channel, manually select a different one, if possible. For 2.4 GHz, stick with 1, 6, or 11, but different than what it's currently using.

Others will have additional suggestions, so if what I'm suggesting isn't feasible or possible, perhaps other suggestions will be more helpful.

[Tivoburkee]

I have three 3810's stick+ and never have to reboot them.

[pgtr]

OK so I have 2 units purchased a month apart from different retailers and I'm unique in having remotes losing their syncs and/or 3800s locking up? interesting. I don't know if that's good or bad but certainly not much to go on. But I think I can still get a refund for at least one of the units. (In fact one of the units is non-responsive as of this morning (barely lasted a day since the last re-sync) and re-powering it didn't fix the problem. I didn't have 20 minutes to dork around with resyncing as I had to go to work. Will fiddle w/ it again tonight.

I've long since manually configured my WiFi to 2.4Ghz ch. 6. Re-checking it recently still shows no interference (am in country far from other houses).

Still have a Roku SD N1050 (not in use currently - wish it were). It was rock solid steady and never overheated for YEARS until Roku decided to stop supporting it and channels started disappearing. Based on it's dependability and despite Roku pulling support - I stuck w/ Roku and bought not 1 but 2 (what I now know to be inherently unstable) devices I have now with so-called 'enhanced' remotes (that don't remain sync'd).

I bought an extension HDMI cable to locate one remote to a location I can readily get to it to power-cycle and so I can still receive OTA channels (the unit must leak a lot of RFI as it disturbed many of my OTA channels if in proximity to the back of the TV). For the other remote I've located a step ladder next to the high wall mount TV. I really don't feel like I should have to buy special cables and ladders to facilitate keeping a streaming device working.

Maybe a 3900 would have been the better buy.

[RokuTannerD]

@pgtr

Sorry to hear about the issue you're running into here! 

Have you tried configuring your router to broadcast a 5GHz Wi-Fi network and see if this helps clear up the issue you're running into? 

You can check out more about troubleshooting remote issues here: 

https://support.roku.com/article/208755708-how-do-i-resolve-problems-with-my-roku-enhanced-point-any...

Feel free to PM me if you're still experiencing an issue on the 5GHz spectrum and I'll continue assisting you from there. 

Thanks,
Tanner

[Bacon]

My biggest issue with my Stick+ is I get HDCP errors every couple of weeks so I have to take it out of the TV and plug it back in...

[pgtr]

"RokuTannerDB" wrote:
@pgtr

Have you tried configuring your router to broadcast a 5GHz Wi-Fi network and see if this helps clear up the issue you're running into? 

You can check out more about troubleshooting remote issues here: 

https://support.roku.com/article/208755708-how-do-i-resolve-problems-with-my-roku-enhanced-point-any...

Feel free to PM me if you're still experiencing an issue on the 5GHz spectrum and I'll continue assisting you from there. 

Thanks,
Tanner

Hi Tanner

Thanks - Responses to your questions and comments below...

1. Long before these Rokus I did experiment with 5Ghz with my other various wireless devices. I don't recall which channel but it was one that I previously scanned and verified no interference on. Thru-wall performance was abysmal, nay, non-existent. The few remaining devices in the same (living room) with the Wifi router either were older and did not support 5Ghz or still occasionally dropped connection and certainly saw no throughput performance improvements anyway: I only have 100Mbps and I get 100Mbps at either freq - just a lot more dependably at 2.4 - and I can relocate devices elsewhere in the house (which I can't do at all w/ 5) if I so choose.

2. I purchased these Roku 3800s with the explicit understanding they were fully compatible with 2.4Ghz Wifi. I'll consider re-enabling 5Ghz but only for the living rm 3800.

3. a) I'm (VERY) familiar with 208755708. Ignoring for the moment the annoying fact that I follow these steps several times a week, the steps often break down for me at step #2, bullet 5 "...Wait for 30 seconds..." I can wait 30 seconds or 30 minutes it doesn't matter - the Roku frequently displays a spinning icon indefinitely and the green light on the remote blinks indefinitely... Back to step #1, rinse, repeat. Eventually after several attempts, sync occurs and I'm good for a couple more days... But it's time consuming, aggravating and not something I should have to do repeatedly. Again - this is mostly an issue on the 3800 in the living room (co-located w/ the WiFi hub and now line of sight between the 3800 and its 'enhanced' remote)

3. b) 208755708 Step #3 I do not replace with new batteries every time I do this step - that would be 2 to 3 pairs of batteries every week and that's simply not realistic. One of the secret menus displays my battery status ('excellent' or '100%' or something - I don't recall off hand) and voltage (3.05 or 3.15 VDC). (One of the Rokus was delivered with weak batteries in the box - those were discarded and replaced early on). (Voltages have also been verified with a multi-meter). I do fully expect degraded battery life because a lot of energy is wasted by frequently re-syncing and do make a point of checking battery voltage as a result of the undependable Roku performance and frequent re-syncing required.

3. c) 208755708 Step #4 A free Roku branded (short) extension cable is on one of the devices (bed rm). The other (living rm) has a purchased premium shielded 6 foot HDMI extension cable. Other than allowing me to receive OTA signals - I don't observe improvement or change.

3. e) 208755708 Step #5 I'm simply not going to purchase a new remote for a 1-month old Roku device. 
Sometimes the stuck 3800s will respond to the Roku app on a mobile device while stubbornly ignoring the 'enhanced' remote. The 'enhanced' remotes will still always consistently power the TV and change volume levels even when it's otherwise being ignored by it's respective Roku. And battery strength is good. That tells me either the 3800 has lost sync w/ the remote, it is otherwise 'ignoring' the 'enhanced' remote or the 'enhanced' remote is not properly transmitting RF signals while still transmitting valid IR signals. I have positioned the worst offending 3800 (living rm) for clear line of site to both the nearby Wifi router and seating areas in living rm - but makes no difference

I'm curious about several things RE 'enhanced' remotes: 

A) Do these 'enhanced' remotes have a direct RF connection to their respective paired/synced 3800s? (e.g. I see no evidence they are doing anything over WiFi (RF)) 

B) If so - what freq(s) do these 'enhanced' RF remotes function on?

C) What, if any, bearing does the 3800 operating on 5Ghz vs 2.4Ghz have on the 'enhanced' remotes ability to keep in sync and control the 3800?

D) What means, if any, is employed by Rokus to ensure one 3800+'enhanced' remote doesn't interfere with or negate another 3800/'enhanced' remote in an adjacent room?

To me the 3900 (or competing product) seems increasingly like a no-brainer as I'm increasingly suspicious of these 'enhanced' remotes particularly the living rm unit. I'd be perfectly happy pointing a good old fashioned IR remote at something and getting a dependable response. Indeed - we still 'point' our 'enhanced' remotes out of habit though technically it's not required (except for TV power and volume). Further - they negate our ability to use a single universal remote. My experience is the 'enhanced' remote solution adds convolution along w/ undependable performance. I suppose the microphone button is the only benefit - something I've rarely used and will gladly sacrifice for a dependably functioning streaming device.

[RokuTannerD]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Your devices are compatible with both 2.4 & 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, however, it's always helpful to test performance on a different band if you are experiencing issues on another, for comparison. In some cases, 5GHz networks experience less interference due to the higher number of wireless broadcast channels, which can improve performance in some cases. 

Some Enhanced remotes operate over Wi-Fi, and connect to your device directly. When wireless interference comes into play, this can disrupt the ability to connect properly at times, and may result in the type of behavior you're reporting. 

I might also suggest trying to use the free Roku mobile app to control your device right from your Android or iOS device. The app offers remote controls built right in. See more about it here: 

https://support.roku.com/article/115003618767-can-i-control-my-roku-streaming-device-from-my-mobile-...

If troubleshooting the issue as you mentioned isn't resolving the problem, I'd be happy to connect you with our support team and we can process a replacement under warranty to see if that helps clear up the problem you're seeing. Please feel free to PM me with your Roku account email address and the serial number of the device experiencing the issue. We'll continue assisting you from there to help find a solution. 


Thanks again,
Tanner

[AR_StkVsr]

Not sure if I should open a separate or unique discussion but my situation parallels the above problems. While I have had a 3500 Roku Stick for about a year, it has worked very well and had zero "hang-ups" during that time. Having purchased a Roku Stick + (3810) 7 days ago, I have had a hang-up at least once daily and most days 2 or 2+ times.What i have determined is:

The problem appears to be that the remote is loosing its pairing as I can complete the removing the remote batteries and restarting the pairing process. It is not real clean but has not failed to get me out of the "hung" condition and back to a working remote where I can operate the streaming content. I had hang-ups in the setup process (about 3-4) and reset the stick which required me to reconfigure the WiFi and connection setup so the re-pairing is much better but not acceptable with the current frequency of "hang-up/repairing problems I am experiencing.

I know of nothing that will force the problem but I need to either replace the 3810 stick or get a refund. I really like Roku but can't live with this problem.

So:
- Should I open a separate incident to continue this dialog?
- What kind of time frame do I have to take some remedial action but leave enough time to exercise my warranty or replacement process?
- Any suggestions as to how I can attempt to provide some diagnostic information as to the nature of my problem, ie product or some configuration.
PS - I purchased this stick (3810) to replace my 3500 and have it connected exactly where the 3500 had been working for a year. My intention is to use the 3500 in another room and it has been working fine so far but I have not been using it daily.

Please give me some guidance.
Ron
 

[DBDukes]

"AR_StkVsr" wrote:
Not sure if I should open a separate or unique discussion but my situation parallels the above problems. While I have had a 3500 Roku Stick for about a year, it has worked very well and had zero "hang-ups" during that time. Having purchased a Roku Stick + (3810) 7 days ago, I have had a hang-up at least once daily and most days 2 or 2+ times.What i have determined is:

The problem appears to be that the remote is loosing its pairing as I can complete the removing the remote batteries and restarting the pairing process. It is not real clean but has not failed to get me out of the "hung" condition and back to a working remote where I can operate the streaming content. I had hang-ups in the setup process (about 3-4) and reset the stick which required me to reconfigure the WiFi and connection setup so the re-pairing is much better but not acceptable with the current frequency of "hang-up/repairing problems I am experiencing.

I know of nothing that will force the problem but I need to either replace the 3810 stick or get a refund. I really like Roku but can't live with this problem.

So:
- Should I open a separate incident to continue this dialog?
- What kind of time frame do I have to take some remedial action but leave enough time to exercise my warranty or replacement process?
- Any suggestions as to how I can attempt to provide some diagnostic information as to the nature of my problem, ie product or some configuration.
PS - I purchased this stick (3810) to replace my 3500 and have it connected exactly where the 3500 had been working for a year. My intention is to use the 3500 in another room and it has been working fine so far but I have not been using it daily.

Please give me some guidance.
Ron
 

This sounds like the same issue.

But I got a question. Roku stopped selling the 3500 Stick three years ago, replaced by the 3600 in April 2016, which was replaced by the 3800 in October 2017. At least, in the U.S. So, why have you only had it “about a year”? Are you in a non-U.S. market? I ask because some markets are behind the U.S. in catalog models, with most not having many models. If your market doesn’t carry the 3800, that may be a contributing factor.