Wi-Fi & connectivity

[TonysDad]

I’m at wits end with my Roku Express 4K 3941x model. It hates my Xfinity (Comcast) gateway. It’s a newer model gateway that broadcasts both 2.4 and 5 on the same network name. Following some hits I found in this community, I modified the gateway using the Xfinity app for 2.4 to use 802.11 b,g,n Channel 11, 20mhz and 5 to use 802.11 a,n,ac channel 149, 20mhz. The Roku doesn’t drop the signal as often but it still happens at least once an evening. I’m close to tossing the Roku because no other device in my home has an issue with the gateway. Does anyone have further tweaks to try? Thanks

[RokuDanny-R]

@TonysDad

Thanks for the post.

I would recommend checking out our Support page for troubleshooting issues here: What should I do if I cannot connect to my home network or the internet?

Please answer the following questions so we can get a better understanding of what you are seeing:

- Have you ensured your router is broadcasting a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network for the device to connect to? The Roku Express/Premiere is only compatible with wireless b/g/n networks on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. 
- Have you tried changing the wireless broadcast channel on the router to see if this will allow your device to connect? 
- Have you tried moving the device closer to your router to see if you can get connected? 
- How long have you been experiencing this problem?

If those things still aren't helping, feel free to provide us with the serial number of your Roku from Settings>System>About along with the answers to the above questions and I'll be able to assist you further from there.

Thanks,
Danny

[TonysDad]

Hi

To clear up any confusion I may have caused it’s a express 4K plus model. It’s currently tuned to channel 44 which is only available on 5ghz wifi. My router supports both 2.4 and 5 on same network name  I cannot turn one frequency off to favor the other.

It is connected, my issue is that it drops the signal randomly several times a night. In some cases it reconnects and resumes programming within 30 seconds and in other cases it requires a Roku restart. 

As indicated in previous post in this thread I’ve tried many router settings including channel and b/g/n to alleviate the issue to no effect. It’s not a wifi strength issue - when connected the Roku says it’s “excellent”.  My other devices on wifi do not drop the signal so it’s not a router issue. 

The droppage has been a persistent problem since I got the box in August. I’ve checked regularly for software updates. 

The serial number is X01600HC98L3

Thanks

[RokuDanny-R]

@TonysDad

Thanks for the information.

It looks like you've done quite an extensive amount of troubleshooting with your Roku device.

I have passed along your information to our Support team. They will follow up and assist you.

Thanks,
Danny

[atc98092]

Yes, you can disable one of the radios in the Xfinity Gateway if desired. It can be done with the control app on your phone and/or the web interface of the gateway. You can also split the SSID for the 2.4 and 5 GHz radios if desired. I have mine configured to use the same SSID. comcast controls the channel assignments, so I can't change them. But my 5 GHz radio is on channel 157. You should be fine if the channel is 48 or lower or 149 or higher. 

[TonysDad]

@atc98092 I set it to channel 44 and it hasn’t dropped the signal in the last three days, knock on wood. I previously tried high numbers without success so thank you. I’ve caught the Roku box flashing a few times like it was dropping the signal but the video didn’t cut out so I’ll count that as a win. 

[atc98092]

That likely means you were getting interference on the higher channel. Based on my experience, the Xfinity Gateway isn't perfect on channel selection. I'm locked out of the channel settings on mine (I rent the box from them, so they can control it), but I intent to request them to make a change on at least one of the radios. I already have several access points on my network, and one of them is on the same channel as the Gateway. And I don't want to change the channel on the other one, due to potential interference from a neighbor's WiFi.