Remotes & Accessories

[a7x88]

Hi All

Bit of a strange issue;

I have a Roku 3 with enhanced remote (no channel shortcut buttons)

The Puck and Remote have been working fine for the last couple of years, through multiple Wireless Routers and Access Points and I have experienced precisely no issues.
I recently ran Cat 6 cables throughout the house and went to use my Roku via ethernet connection purely to help avoid wireless congestion and the stability that comes with an wired connection - not that I'd had any issues anyway!

Long story short - as soon as I use the ethernet connection my remote will not pair with the puck at all. I can use my phone app to control and watch perfectly, the Roku is pingable and otherwise works perfectly normally ruling out any immediate connectivity issues with the ethernet run.

As soon as I switch back to wireless the Remote pairs and works fine again! 
At this stage I can then swap to wired and the remote will stay paired and operate fine until...... either the puck is rebooted or after what i'm guessing is a sleep/wake cycle i.e. overnight.

I have reconnected the puck to WiFi and remote has continued to work fine - its just bugging me that I cant use ethernet!

I have tried factory reset and the remote repairing steps numerous times but no joy. The remote just continuously blinks the green light. Connect to wireless again and boom - pairs straight up.

In my limited knowledge - I understand that the Roku uses a direct WiFi connection to pair with the remote - (the puck broadcasts an SSID that the remote connects too). I'm wondering if there is a defect that means the pucks wireless antennas are being held off when connected via ethernet. Its only when the Roku tries to connect to a wireless network that the antennas are brought up?

Anyone got any other ideas? Have I missed anything obvious?

Thanks

[renojim]

Try to disable your WiFi (unplug your router if you have to) and reboot/power cycle the Roku and see if it pairs. Then maybe the pairing will stick once everything is back on.

-JT

[a7x88]

Will give it a whirl and report back. 

[a7x88]

Update - completely disabled my wifi network. Reset the device and set up using wired connection. No joy pairing the remote. WiFi analyser wouldn't show the DIRECT SSID used to pair the remote either. When navigating to the pair an enhanced remote section it would just show the instruction page (remove battery cover etc) but go no further.

Connecting via WiFi and going to the pair remote screen saw the initial instruction followed by an overlay of "pairing remote". WiFi analyser also then found the DIRECT SSID.

Definitely looks like my Roku is not broadcasting the DIRECT SSID unless it is connected via WiFi

[a7x88]

any other ideas?

[gadrago]

I have a Roku 3 which has only ever been connected to the router via Ethernet (never wireless).  It is also on a separate power switch so that it is only powered on when I wish to use it.  WiFi Analyzer shows that when it is powered on, the WiFi Direct SSID is then established.  When it is powered off, the WiFi Direct SSID is then removed.  So it is not that the WiFi Direct SSID is established only when the Roku 3 is using a wireless connection to a router.  My router network is using the 192.168.1.x address range-  could there be something nonstandard about your router network that is causing the behavior you observe?

[a7x88]

My home network is completely non-standard. However none of it should be affecting the Roku 3. The difference I'm seeing to your set-up here is that when the device is powered on and connected vie ethernet the Direct SSID is not broadcast at all (yours is). It only begins to broadcast the Direct SSID when I ask it to connect to the network wirelessly. I'm 100% sure this isn't by design and it should be broadcasting the Direct SSID for the remote to pair to as soon as its powered on (regardless of network connection method) but for some reason mine isn't.

It clearly works so I'm pretty certain the Hardware is not faulty. Im wondering if there is a SW defect or similar i'm running into.

For the sake of clarity my Network setup is as follows;

Cable Modem -> Cisco ASA-5506X Firewall -> Cisco SG300-10MPP Switch (Core) -> 2x SG300-10MPP Switch's (serve patch panel in the loft for all wall outlets) -> Wall outlets / 2x Cisco 3802i Wireless AP's with Mobility Express

Wireless wise I have 1x Home SSID (broadcasts on both 2.4 and 5ghz) on VLAN 21 in the 192.168.21.x range and a guest ID (broadcasts only 2.4ghz) on a separate VLAN (66) in the 192.168.66.x range. 

All wall outlets are configured as access ports on VLAN 21 so obviously also pick up addresses in the 192.168.21.x pool.

Interestingly I have also noticed that the Roku will only connect to the 2.4ghz channels

[Basil]

You're not gonna like this, but do you have a friend or family member with a standard/simple network setup? The Roku will transport easily. Plug it in there and see if it works. If, when connected via LAN cable, you can't see it, that confirms an issue with the Roku along. If it does display, there's something about the whole combination that's the cause.

You may think nothing about your setup would cause this result, but odd things have been observed before.

[a7x88]

I'll just convert my cable modem to its standard (wireless) router mode and test it with a long ethernet cable. That will be the same as 99% of UK houses then.

[a7x88]

Further investigation...... looks like my 5ghz antenna/radio in the Roku may be faulty.

Swapped to a standard Router/Modem for testing and it was no different. Reverted back to my standard set up and added another SSID that was 5GHZ only. The Roku would not see it despite my phone next to it reporting -47dBm signal strength. In the UK we have 2x bands for 5ghz A ( Channels 36 - 64) and B (Channels 100 - 140). My two AP's are covering 4 channels each at both ends (52, 56, 60, 64 and 100, 104, 108, 112). There are no other 5Ghz signals around so it cant be realistically be an interferance issue. Reading some stuff on the forums it looks like most people have struggled getting a Roku 3 (4200X) to connect to 5ghz unless on channel 157 which is outside of the UK range.

I'm now thinking that there is an issue with the 5ghz radio/antenna that means that it cant see the 5ghz networks.

I suspect that when the Roku is connected via my wireless network on 2.4Ghz its fine and the remote pairs to a broadcast DIRECT SSID. This is as when it is paired wirelessly the DIRECT SSID will have to be on the same 2.4Ghz channel as its connected to the internet by.

When its connected via ethernet cable it will try to pair to the remote using the 5Ghz channel as its less congested (it cant see any networks so thinks its clear). It will then think its broadcasting the DIRECT SSID via 5ghz for the remote to pair to but as the radio/antenna is broken its not actually broadcasting anything.

Is there any way to force the DIRECT SSID to use 2,4Ghz no matter what? or to further test the 5Ghz side?