Remotes

[TKing]

Roku contacted me a week asking questions about my device and issues. I had to replace my batteries at that time. A week has gone by and no reply and I just had to change batteries again!! Will someone please give me an answer about my remote. If I just have to live with it then I'm gonna be looking at a different service. I like my Roku but this is just unacceptable. 

[makaiguy · Accepted solution]

@TKing-

Assuming this is a remote that controls by WiFi (i.e. one that must be paired to the Roku it is controlling) and not a simple point-and-shoot infrared remote...

I've only seen one external factor suggested that may affect this.

There is some evidence that one cause of battery drain for those with point-anywhere WiFi remotes can be use of a router channel that that has a lot of interference from nearby routers using the same channels and even from other sources like BlueTooth and microwave ovens.

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. If you are connecting in the crowded 2.4 GHz band, channels 1-11 are supported. Channels 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap each other and so give you the best chance at reducing congestion, so try each in succession, although depending on what channels your neighbors are using, other channels in the 1-11 range may work best. Also, reducing router bandwidth from 40 to 20 kHz may also reduce interference.

Note that optimum channel choice can be a moving target as neighbors bring new routers online in your vicinity, or reconfigure their routers to use different channels.  I periodically use a WiFi analyzer app on my smart phone that can show me which available WiFi channels have the least congestion and I change the channel my router uses accordingly.  I don't know if that explains my battery longevity (usually 3 months or more with fairly heavy use) but it's probably worth a try to see if it helps.