Remotes

[BobHATEROKOO]

I am going through batteries at an alarming rate and I want to know what Roku plans to do about it because I wasting money on batteries now. They need to send something for new batteries or updated remotes because it is not ok going through 24 batteries between two remotes in the span of 3 months. I have two 4k streaming sticks. Their remotes are stealing the soul of all my batteries.

[makaiguy]

@BobHATEROKOO-

Are your remotes simple infrared remotes (control Roku functions only) or are they WiFi remotes (microphone for voice commands and tv power/volume/mute buttons) that are paired to the Rokus they control?

For WiFi remotes, there is some evidence that one cause of battery drain can be use of a router channel that is crowded by nearby routers and devices using the same channel.  This is more likely to be a problem in the more heavily used 2.4 GHz wifi band that is also used by bluetooth and other functions than in the 5 GHz band.  It's been suggested that the remote may have to work too hard constantly sorting through the information packets from other devices using the same channel such that it accelerates 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. 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.

[thejimmer]

why in the world would a customer want to jump through hoops for Roku-- why doesn't Roku fix the **bleep** matter-  to me this is poor customer service from a company- this issue has been known and yet nothing from Roku - these devices should be considered under the Lemon Law

[thejimmer]

I am assuming the big brains at the corp office know about this issue - they know is a glitch in their device and its  not worth their time and effort to fix it - the device I was having issue with  is the head phone remote which was burning thru batteries every 2 weeks -- I assume even if you not using the device remote its aways in the active mode as long as the ruko device is plugged in and on--thats means the remote is aways active thus battiers are being drained from the energy - I was releasing the batteries from being active every time I quit using the ruko device - I have another remote- no headphone plug in and their was not a issue-

0n the remote with the head phone plug in- I now use my phone 0nly - no more  battery being used 

[renojim]

@thejimmer, if you leave headphones plugged into the remote even when you're not using it, it will drain the batteries.  It shouldn't if you don't.  I have multiple remotes with headphone jacks, but I never use private listening or voice control for that matter and I've never had the battery draining problem.  Maybe I'm just lucky.

[TKing]

I bought a new Roku 4 because my TV wasn't a smart TV. Since November I've gone thru 10 batteries. Seeing other posts is wide spread problem. Apparently the only way to get Roku to notice you is posting on here. So please someone from support contact me. This is really a pain. 

[RokuMary-F]

Hi @TKing,

Thanks for your first post in the Roku Community!

We understand the concerns regarding your Roku remote's fast battery consumption.

Please be advised that battery life will vary based on usage. For normal use, the remote batteries may last two months or longer. Do your Roku remotes support private listening?

In addition, could you please provide the serial number of your Roku device that came with your Roku remote?

We look forward to hearing from you and assisting you with your needs. Thank you!


Best regards,
Mary

[Ricardo77]

I’m having the same problem and bought a new Roku remote this one didn’t drain batteries but the left arrow stop working making the remote useless 

Roku should open a window to exchange all remotes with new ones and stand up and backup their product 

[thejimmer]

you will not get a positive answer back from Ruko on their poor devices - their answers will be the same mindless scripted answer- 

[RokuERey]

Hi @Ricardo77,

Welcome to the Roku Community!

Thanks for your report about this remote issue and we're sorry for the inconvenience about this.

We'd like to help you out and I've sent you a PM regarding this.

Regards,
Rey