Remotes

[chalky]

I want to install a Roku in a media closet direct wired to my TV. My question is how will the remote work? It's not that great of a distance, but definitely walls and doors in the way. Do the remotes use wifi? Is there a particular Roku Box I should get ( currently have an Ultra). Thank you

[renojim]

If your Ultra came with a voice remote, it uses Wi-Fi direct.  There have been a few "Ultra" models and I can't be certain that they all came with a Wi-Fi direct remote. All Roku voice remotes use Wi-Fi direct and all current devices support them.  Only the cheapest (and not recommended) "Express" device comes with an IR remote.  The current Ultra (4802) is the only current player that has an Ethernet port if that's important.

[chalky]

Thank you for your response. Yes I have an Ultra with a voice remote. It is currently in wired mode and works great. I went to systems settings and checked to see if "device connect" was enabled and it is.

The remote has OK range, but not great. So my question is how do I know "wi-fi direct" is working? When I use my phone to check available wifi networks, I do not see Roku at all. Should Roku be an available wifi channel?  Thanks again!

[makaiguy]

I've had the Roku for my living room TV located in an equipment closet on the other side of the wall from my wall mounted TV for years, using WiFi direct remotes.   It DOES require an HDMI cable running through the wall connecting the Roku to the TV.

Voice Remotes connect to the Roku via a direct WiFi connection between the remote and the Roku.  They don't go through your local WiFi network, so this is independent of whether you are using Ethernet for your Roku's connection to your home network.  If the remote controls okay, the WiFi direct connection is working.

To satisfy yourself on this, take the remote to a different room and see if it still controls the Roku through a wall or two.

[chalky]

Yes the Roku Ultra works great. HDMI and hard wired Ethernet cable no issues.

The remote has what I am thinking of as limited range. It works in the bedroom that the box is in, also in a hallway directly outside the bedroom. But once I get to the end of the hallway it stops working. So no, it does not work through a wall or two.  Is it possible to view the Roku Wifi-direct signal to verify that it is working properly? Do you see the wifi network on your list of available wifi networks? I do not

[Strega2]

I would think that checking IR vs Wi-Fi should be as simple as wrapping the palm of your hand around the top front part (where the IR window is) and using it.  Wi-Fi will penetrate your palm.  IR will not.

There are certain parts of my home where Wi-Fi is problematic.  For example, it has trouble penetrating the oven, fridge, and the HVAC area of my home.  (Big areas of metal.)

I don’t think Wi-Fi direct networks are typically shown in most Wi-Fi lists because most things displaying them know they aren’t meant for general use.

[renojim]

It seems that if I use a Wi-Fi analyzer sometimes the APs show up as DIRECT-roku-xxxx and other times they show up as hidden networks.  Since you're using a wired connection, it's hard to say what band and channel the remote is using.  My wired Ultra's Wi-Fi direct AP shows up as a hidden network on 2.4GHz channel 1.