Remotes

[jas100]

I’ve been having to replace batteries in my Roku remote control every 1 or 2 weeks at the most. I bought the Roku stick recently and don’t do a lot of streaming on tv. But the Roku remote battery drains very quickly. It’s getting annoying. There definitely seems to be some problem with the remote. Also went through lother posts of many people having this problem.

Need someone in Roku support to reach out to me for assistance with this issue. Thanks.

[kksummers72]

This is my second purchase of a Roku with voice control that is requiring me to constantly reseat the batteries.  It happens after only a few minutes of not using the remote.  It’s very frustrating. I have tried repairing, resetting.  I hope Roku is looking into this issue!   Serial number X02200FDFH12

[mdlitten]

Our remote for our 4K Express (just 3 months old) has started blowing through batteries about every other day. We have re-paired and updated the remote, reset the unit frequently, but we still have to change out the batteries. This is getting ridiculous and costly. What can be done? Is this a faulty model because I've seen numerous complaints for the same issue. Is there a newer remote model that has been improved?

[RokuCarly]

We appreciate your first post here in the Roku Community, @mdlitten!

Thank you for sharing your concern about the battery health of the remote that came with your Roku Express 4K. We'd be happy to provide further insights.

Roku remotes are designed to go the distance, but a few things will drain a remote a bit faster...

• Heavy usage of private listening on the remote itself, but using the mobile app will save your batteries!
• Congested Wi-Fi network around the device. The reason for this is that most remotes will use RF to connect to your Roku player, and constant reconnection will require more battery.
• Or viewing lots of short-form content, like YouTube, where a streamer could go through a few hundred button presses in an hour.

By the way, we also offer the Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition), a rechargeable remote with 50% more battery life than the Voice Remote Pro and USB-C charging that typically lasts three months per charge. It also has new backlit buttons that make navigation easier in low-light environments, perfect for movie nights. 

I hope you find this information helpful. 

Best regards,
Carly

[edpete]

I have a new Roku Streaming Stick 4K that is about 6 months old now. The batteries wear out fast requiring new batteries about once per month. My other TV uses a Firestick which has had the same batteries in the remote since I bought it two years ago. My two TV remotes, one a Sony BRavia and the other a Samsung do not require a battery change for two years or more, possibly longer.

I read this discussion and answer @mdlitten! and Roku Carly. None of your responses apply to my situation, i.e. I don't even know what private listening answer means. Is that when I turn my tv on and listen to a movie myself? Also not a congested Network, only two people live here and very few wifi devices. All devices that we do have do not have killer battery issues like this Roku remote like I have already described to you. YouTube- yes I go there periodically, meaning very infrequently.

So, I think  Roku needs to replace this defective Remote ASAP.  SKU IS 3820R2. S/N S0J7337XS4VS

PLEASE ADVISE HOW LONG FOR YOU TO REPLACE. THANK YOU.

[RokuCarly]

Welcome to the Roku Community, @edpete!

Thank you for providing us with a precise explanation of your concern, and we'd be happy to help you find the best resolution possible. 

Please be advised that the "Headphones Mode" (private listening) feature enables you to enjoy audio from your Roku Streaming Stick by connecting headphones directly to your remote for a personalized listening experience. 

Furthermore, I will coordinate this with our Support team for additional reinforcement. With this being said, I will reach out to you via Private Message to gather further details.

Your continuous patience and understanding are highly appreciated.

Best regards,
Carly

[mdlitten]

Carly, I notice you didn’t address the original concern of onerous battery usage addressed by both of us in this thread. Your first response said “they’re designed to go the distance” but clearly they’re not. You just gave me a link to yet another product that I would have to buy. I replaced the batteries again yesterday, paired it twice and my husband later once, and it’s STILL not working right. It’s not even 6 months old! How is that going the distance?? Please address the original problem with a relevant response. A replacement that doesn’t cost sounds in order, also, since it is evident that the remote if a faulty device. Thank you 

[RokuCarly]

Hi, @mdlitten.

I appreciate your response to my post above. Additionally, I have outlined the factors that may lead to a faster depletion of your remote's battery. 

Nevertheless, kindly provide me with additional information such as follows:

1. Serial number of the Roku device this remote is currently paired to.
2. Is this the remote that came with your Roku device?
3. Where did you purchase this?

I'll be looking forward to your response.

Best regards,
Carly

[makaiguy]

A casual stroll thru this community will show that many people have a severe problem with battery life in their remotes. But there are also lots of people (myself included) that do not experience this problem. Is that due to some remotes being defective and others not, some Roku models being harder on remotes than others, or due to some other factor? I don't know.

I *DO* know that if you have one of the remotes that has an earphone jack for remote listening, the earphone amplifier in the remote is activated and more quickly draining batteries whenever something is plugged into the jack, even when you are not streaming anything. Make sure you unplug the phones when not actively listening.

If you have a Voice Remote (one with a microphone and has to be paired to your Roku, rather than a point-and-shoot remote that connects by infrared) then it controls via WiFi directly to your Roku, not going through your local WiFi network. Since the Roku has only a single WiFi radio, the Remote must use the same Roku channel your Roku is tuned to for your local network - this is set on your WiFi router, not the Roku.

There is some evidence that one cause of battery drain for those with point-anywhere WiFi remotes can be your router using a channel that has a lot of interference from nearby routers using the same channel. This is more likely to be a problem in the more heavily used 2.4 GHz wifi band where it can also get interference from other sources like BlueTooth and microwave ovens than in the 5 GHz band.

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 for my remotes with replaceable batteries) but it's probably worth a try to see if it helps.

[Emissary35]

I have a Fire TV Cube I bought in September 2022 and a Fire TV Stick purchased in November 2023. Both have zero problems with the remotes, both are still using the original batteries that came with them. No pairing issues or button problems either. The Roku remotes in comparison are total junk with endless problems. Terrible product.