It's 2024 and we haven't see a refresh in awhile.
I am using an old Ultra 4670R streaming player and would love to upgrade to one that supports WiFi 6E or WiFi 7. I'd also like HDMI 2.1, Dolby Vision and a USB-C Gen port to continue to connect my USB-C flash drives or external SSDs.
I'm sure many here would approve.
I just upgraded my Wifi to 7 and want my streaming media to use MLO
As noted in other similar posts: Roku uses 3rd party chipsets in their hardware. It's up to them to add features that Roku can use.
WiFi 7 is VERY new, only finalized last month. Currently, I assume it is little more than flagship phones that support it. WiFi 7 routers are VERY expensive.
Remember that Roku's, even the Ultra, is mainly a mass market device. I assume 6E may come with whatever hardware upgrade comes out, but I wouldn't count on WiFi 7 on general consumer devices for a few years. To be honest, the processing speed of the Ultra is still competitive with many other upper-end consumer streaming devices. It's also cheaper than some of them, like the Cube or Apple TV. Unless you are streaming local ripped 4K material, you only need 16-25MBit for Internet streaming.
@andyross wrote:
.. I wouldn't count on WiFi 7 on general consumer devices for a few years
months
and at the general consumer level
(can't say more due to NDA)
Thanks for the info. I've been a Roku user for about 11 years now. I started with the Roku 3. Every future iteration of their streaming player became better and better. I expect the Ultra to do the same. It's very good but not excellent.
Your response suggests that Roku should be complacent and leave well enough alone. I say no.....make a very good product and make it even better. A product refresh with new tech.
And yes, I own a WiFi 7 router (which also has 6E and slower bands) and I am playing local 4K content.
This forum is a 'Suggest A Feature', which is exactly what I did.
Don't forget about WPA3 security that came out with Wi-Fi 6. I want to be able to get away from a less secure environment, but Roku does not seem to care about security, sooner than later.
As far as you saying wifi 7 products are expensive is not true. I got WiFi 7 phone for free, since I traded in my old phone. I have seen Wifi 7 laptops online for about $1200 not on sale. My guess is when verizon fios releases a wifi 7 router the cost will be $399, My current laptop has wifi 6 card and my laptop is 3 years old. I might upgrade my wifi card. USB 3.0 wireless adapters are very cheap too.
Your phone is not free, it is "free". It is probably locked to your carrier, and if you don't keep that service for 2-3 years, you will have to pay the remaining balance. You then have to go through a procedure to unlock it if you want to use another carrier.
Verizon has a 60 day unlock policy. I have almost reached the 60 days.
But, if you do switch carriers, you will have to pay the remaining cost of the phone.