I just bought a second device after a year of loving my first. But when i try to activate, it tells me it is unable to update the software. Any thoughts?
Try using your phone as a hotspot just to get through the initial software update.
Also make absolutely certain you are on the legitimate Roku web site. From your description, it's possible you're instead on a scam site. If you are in the US, the only correct URL is https://my.roku.com/link . You'll have to log into the site first of course. If you login doesn't work, or if you haven't been asked to log in, that's another pointer to a scam site.