Wi-Fi & connectivity

[Applepie]

I purchased a Roku Express on Wednesday, set it up as per the instructions manual. Once it was set up, the light was flashing on and off. Is that normal? Then when turned on the Roku logo appears on the TV, I select the language, then it leads me to the WiFi connections page BUT every time I select my network and try to type in the password it immediately goes back to the homescreen with the logo on it. I've tried to do it many times and the same thing happens. Do you think I received a faulty product? Or I did something wrong?

Thanks a lot in advance for any suggestions

[makaiguy]

First thing I'd check:

If you are powering your Roku by plugging into the USB port on the TV, try powering from house power via the USB power adapter that came with the Roku.

The ports on many televisions only supply 0.5 amp or less, which is not enough to power a Roku reliably. It may appear to start up okay, but when it runs into something that requires more power than the tv's USB port can provide, something's got to give.

If you don't have a Roku USB adapter handy, any other you have from another device should work as long as the fine print on it says it outputs at least 1 amp.

[Applepie]

Thanks a lot for your response. Its not plugged into the TV. I even tried several plugs just in case but no difference

[renojim · Accepted solution]

@Applepie, did your Express come with a USB power adapter? They always did in the past, but it appears now they may not. If it didn't, make sure the one you're using can supply at least 1 Amp. Look at the fine print on the adapter and it should have something like "Output: 5V 1A". Anything greater than 1A is even better. Given that you've tried a few that may not be the problem.

You can try a factory reset, but it generally just gets you back to where you are now. With the power connected, use a paperclip or something similar to press and hold the reset button for no less than 30 seconds while ignoring anything happening onscreen.

The only other thing to try is another HDMI cable since a bad one can cause strange issues. If it still doesn't work I'd say it's time to return it.

The flashing light is often an indication that it's not connected to a network, but I didn't think it flashed like that until after it's made it through the initial setup.

[Applepie]

No, it didn't come with an adapter. It worked eventually after pressing the restart button a few times as you suggested. After I managed to connect to my network, the light has now stopped flashing. Thanks a lot for your help!