Solving playback issues

[toooldforthis]

My Roku came with a power cord which plugs into the USB port on a TV. I have an older TV with no USB ports so the instructions said to use a cell phone charger adapter which I did. It worked fine until yesterday when I got low power warnings and the light show mostly red to red and flashing.

[makaiguy]

What model is it?  I've never had one that didn't come with a power adapter, with a USB cord permanently attached to the adapter or separate.

Check the fine print on the adapter you are using.  It should have a rated output of at least 1 amp to power a Roku reliably.

[toooldforthis]

Roku SE, Model #3930x. Came with an HDMI cable and a USB power cable to connect to the USB port on the TV which my TV does not have (too old). Instructions say if the TV is not providing enough power to use any USB power adapter such as a phone charger. I have been using a spare phone charger since I got the Roku and it worked fine until a couple of days ago and now it is not providing  enough power.

[atc98092]

I'm assuming you are not located in the US. I believe in North America they all come with a wall power cube.

It sounds like the one you are using is not providing sufficient power. Some wall cubes only provide about 500 mA of current, and that's at the ragged edge of what a Roku needs. Most TVs that have a USB connection don't offer enough power either, so I never recommend using them. That said, I am breaking my own rule and do run my Premiere from a Vizio TV's USB connection, and it's been fine. But the Vizio also has a menu setting that keeps the USB connection powered up even when the TV is off.

[toooldforthis]

I'm located in upstate NY, USA. Purchased the Roku at Walmart which may explain the problem. Is it possible that having it plugged in all the time could cause problems?

[atc98092]

Weird, I thought all US models came with the power cube. Oh well, new information to file away.

All of my Roku players are powered 24/7. They are designed for it. It's more likely that issues arise from power cycling them constantly. But I'm still of the opinion that the power cube you're using is not supplying sufficient power.

I just looked at the power cube that came with my Premiere, and it's only rated at 300 mA, so I might be over-estimating the power they need. But I'm still suspecting yours isn't putting out enough current.

[toooldforthis]

Since it worked for the first few months I owned it, I'm guessing it is a problem with the Roku device so this ends my Roku experiment.

[Sportsjester]

I purchased a Roku premier may 2020.  It's worked fine unil about 2 days ago. I get the famous low power pop up window and can't do anything .  Cord replaced and plug in usb adapter replaced ,  still the same message .  It's always used the supplied cord and USB adapter into outlet.  Is there any fix or is this a warranty issue? 

[RokuDanny-R]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the post.

If you are experiencing an issue with a low power message, we recommend making sure you are powering your Roku device through a power source and not through the TV USB port.

If you are still experiencing an issue, can you please provide the serial number of your Roku device from Settings>System>About? I'll be able to assist you further from there.

Thanks,
Danny

[Sportsjester]

Danny

it was always plugged into an outlet not the tv usb.  Sn:  JF2939200628.   Model 3920x