Remotes

[Pscomparetti]

I have three rokus. Ion two I have not needed to change the batteries for several years. One, voice remote model rc128 stops working sporadically. Sometimes works by rebooting. It also drains batteries fast. I've tried to remove the batteries when using this device, but sometimes I forget. Left it for 2 days with new batteries installed, it would not work. Tried reboot, etc nothing. Replaced batteries and now it's fine. This has has happened multiple times in the past year. Why would this be draining when not I. Use?

[RokuRiamie-D]

Hi @Pscomparetti,

Thanks for posting in the Roku Community!

We understand that your Roku remote battery drains too fast. No worries, we are here to assist.

We would like to know the model of this remote and how long have you been using it. Also, these are the common factors why the Roku remote battery drains too fast:

• Frequent use of voice commands
• Watching a lot of short-form content
• Poor quality batteries

We look forward to your response.

Cheers,
The Roku Community Team

[makaiguy]

@Pscomparetti-

Voice remotes connect to their Rokus via WiFi direct, while simpler remotes connect via infrared, not WiFi.

There is some evidence that one additional cause of battery drain for those with 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. It's been suggested that the remote has to work too hard constantly sorting through the information packets from other devices using the same channel such that it accelerates the battery drain.  This is more likely to be a problem in the more heavily used 2.4 GHz WiFi band, where Bluetooth devices and microwave ovens can also cause interference band, than in the less used 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) but it's probably worth a try to see if it helps.