Remotes

[DebbieP2022]

I have a Roku Ultra LT with a remote that has a headphone jack.  I am having to change the batteries every day.  I only use the headset for about 3hrs a night, rest of the time they are unplugged.  Even if I don't use the headset, the batteries are draining at a very rapid rate.  What can I do to fix this?  It's getting to be very frustrating and expensive.

[RokuKariza-D]

Hey @DebbieP2022

Thanks for the post.

Please reply here with the serial number of the Roku device associated with the affected remote. It can be viewed by navigating to Settings > System > About. I'll be able to further assist you from there.

All the best,
Kariza

[makaiguy]

@DebbieP2022-

You've already found that you need to unplug the earphones when not in use.  When they're plugged in they keep the headphone amplifier active and using the battery even if you're not streaming anything.

There is some anecdotal evidence that one cause of battery drain for those with point-anywhere remotes that connect to the Roku via WiFi-direct can be use of a router channel that is crowded by nearby routers using the same channel.  Rokus connecting to the crowded 2.4 GHz wifi band are thought to particularly susceptible.   It's suggested the remote has to work too hard constantly sorting through the information packets from other devices using the same channel and it may accelerate the battery drain.  If you have access to your router's setup, try configuring it to use a different WIFI channel to see if this helps the situation. 

In the 2.4 GHz band, channels 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap each other and thus give you the best chance at reducing congestion, so try each in succession, although depending on what channels your neighbors are using other channels may work best.

Also, reducing router bandwidth from 40 to 20 kHz may also reduce interference.  Reducing congestion and interference can also improve your data transmission rates. 

Please report back to let us know how you make out. Some have reported success, but we never hear back from most so we don't know how often this helps.