Roku setup

From linking a device to your account to adding channels, find Roku setup troubleshooting help and activation support from our community support forum.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
ekaz
Reel Rookie

Is it a bad idea to plug a Roku into a TV-controlled powerstrip?

I had a Roku 2 (4210) plugged into a smart powerstrip for several years. The powerstrip turns off power to the Roku whenever the TV is turned off. I like this idea because it saves power, wear & tear on the Roku, and internet bandwidth in case my 93 yr old father leaves Youtube videos auto-playing for hours on end after turning the TV off.

A few months ago, the Roku 2 stopped working -- the power light turned on, but there was no video output (black screen) over the HDMI. I tried multiple HDMI cables, as well as going through the reset procedure several times. I gave up & switched to an unused Roku streaming stick.

Now I'm thinking this power configuration could have bricked the Roku 2. 

What happens if power is cut off from the Roku when it is in the middle of an automatic software update?  Could that brick the Roku?

I'm thinking this situation could have happened if somebody turned the TV on to watch television channels (not the Roku), then quickly turned the TV back off again after the Roku had powered on, checked for updates, and was in the middle of updating the software when power was lost.

Thanks for any help,

Ed

 

0 Kudos
1 REPLY 1
Strega
Roku Guru

Re: Is it a bad idea to plug a Roku into a TV-controlled powerstrip?

Possibly.  Updates do tend to be precarious times for a power failure.  Then again that model is from 2015, so maybe it just got old and failed.

0 Kudos