Wi-Fi & connectivity

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Baileycoach
Reel Rookie

Network choices that are not mine to chose from

When I go to network settings on RoKu I see the filling choices pop up on screen:

Direct-RoKu-283-975418

Direct-RuKu-9GX-5D2AEE

these are not mine and I do not live in an apartment .

Help is appreciated.

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1 REPLY 1
atc98092
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Network choices that are not mine to chose from

Any direct-Roku WiFi is actually the private connection between the remote and the device. Since you're seeing them, your WiFi appears to be working. If the two directs are all you see, then there's something about your WiFi that isn't allowing your Roku to see it.

So, let's start with the basics. Depending on your Roku, it has either a single or dual band WiFi radio. Most devices are single band, and only work on 2.4 GHz WiFi. Some internet providers (mainly cable companies) are actively changing settings in their customer's rented modem/router and disabling the 2.4 GHz radio. Why? We have no idea. But if it's turned off and you have a single band device, you'll never see your network. So, use whatever interface you have with your router/modem and ensure the 2.4 GHz radio is turned on.

The next issue could be the channel the router has selected to use for the band. For 2.4 GHz, Roku devices can see channels 1-11. If your router has auto-selected channel 12, 13 or 14, your Roku will not see it. Depending on your ISP, you may or may not be able to change the channel yourself. Again, use the router interface (app or web page) and see what you can change.

For 5 GHz (again, only a handful of Roku devices are dual band), the channel selection becomes far more important. In this band, there is a group of channels that are labeled DFS (isn't important what it stands for), and Roku devices will not see a DFS channel. So for this band, the channel must be 48 or lower, or 149 or higher. 

If you could see your WiFi but not connect reliably, then I'd be concerned about interference from a neighbor's WiFi. I don't live in an apartment, and there's a lot of space between our homes. But I can still see a dozen or more access points besides my own, and if I'm using the same channel as one of them, interference can be a problem. Selecting a different channel usually makes the issue go away. For 2.4 GHz, the best channels to use are 1, 6 or 11. There are the only three in the band that don't overlap each other. For 5 GHz, if you're using a channel in the upper range I mentioned earlier, then try changing to a channel in the lower range.

One other area that might impact your ability to connect is the mode selected on the 2.4 GHz radio. There are three modes available: B, G and N. With one specific cable modem, if the setting is on G/N, Roku devices have problems connecting. Changing the mode to B/G/N will resolve the problem. Note that the mode should not have anything to do with your Roku at least seeing your WiFi, just causes problems connecting to it.

Dan

Roku Community Streaming Expert

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