Wi-Fi & connectivity

[jerryma]

I replaced Roku Express HD (which was working beautifully for the last couple years) with a Roku 4K+ about a month ago. 

Since replacing, The Roku 4K+ wifi continues to lose connection. When I check network connection, the 4K+ is not connected.  It wont connect to the wifi unless I reboot.  Upon reboot, everything works fine...for about a day.

Nothing has changed on the internet side since the time the Express HD unit was swapped with the 4K+ unit.  So, this isn't an internet issue (router/firewall/etc)

Internet setup is AT&T 1G Fiber with AT&T Airties 4971 extenders throughout the house for coverage.  Both the original HD Express then, and the 4K+ unit now, are in the same room as one of the Airties extenders, so signal is very strong.

4K+ Firmware is up to date

Does the 4K+ have wifi stability issues or did I get a bad one?

Feedback appreciated.  Thanks

[AvsGunnar]

@jerryma 

Your older Express HD was a single band device (2.4ghz band) while your newer Express 4k+ is a dual band device (2.4ghz and 5ghz bands).

The Express 4k+ may be connected to the 5ghz band which is not as stable as the 2.4ghz band.  If connected to the 5ghz, it may be experiencing noise/interference and may be disconnecting as the router searches for a better channel.  If this is the case, the two things I would try are...

1. Under the 5ghz band settings in your router, try manually settings a channel 36-48 or 149-161 rather than using "Auto" and lower the channel width to next lower setting. (If 40mhz, try 20mhz). 

2. Try using the 2.4ghz band and see if your connection stabilizes.  If you have a merged network, (same network name SSID for both bands, you will have to seperate the bands to accomplish this.  If you are currently using the 2.4ghz band, try similarly changing the wireless channels between 1 and 11 rather than "Auto" and again lowering the channel width to 20mhz.

Post back if this helps resolve your issue or you need more help.

[jerryma]

@AvsGunnar 

Thanks for the advice, great input.  Unfortunately, I think I'm stuck, as the network design is as follows:

ATT Fiber-->ATT BGW210 Wireless Router-->ATT Airties 7941 Mesh Network (5 satellites)

Devices within range of the BGW210 communicate directly though it.  Other devices communicate through their nearest satellite back to the BGW210.

In order for ATTs mesh to work, the 2.4G and 5G 'have to be merged' (same Network Name).  The BGW210 does have a 3rd network, a separate 2.4G guest network. I use for this 2.4G network for my smart home devices.  It is not part of the mesh, so this guest network doesn't cover the entire house (the Roku Express 4K+ can't reach it).

Long story short, I'm stuck with the Roku Express 4K+ having to communicate through the merged 2.4G/5G network.  The Express 4K+ connects to an Airties mesh satellite about 50 feet from it, so strong signal.

I have watched the Express 4K+'s connection via the ATT Smart Home Manager the last couple days. It stays connected to the 2.4G merged network (it is not connecting to the 5G merged network).

The 2.4G merged network that the the Express 4K+ is connecting through has BW set to 20 MHz (lowest available) and Channel is set to Auto.  I will switch Channel to manual and play around with that a bit. Any advice on which channels may be best (1-11) or is just dependent on what is going on in my specific location? 

PS: One other thing to note, when the Wifi does drops, the Express 4K+ cannot reconnect to it without me performing a system restart.  This leads me to suspect issues with the Express 4K+, IDK?

Thanks

[AvsGunnar]

@jerryma 

You are correct with that router.  The last issue we addressed with that same ATT router was that on the 5ghz bands, the end user cannot change the 5ghz channels so were unable to connect to their 5ghz band because the automatic channel range selected DFS channels (52-140) which the Roku cannot see so were forced to use the 2.4ghz band. Roku can only see channel 36-48 and 149-161 (non DFS channels)

I believe the user can change the 2.4ghz band though.  The preferred channels to use when troubleshooting are 1, 6, and 11.  These are called non-overlapping channels and should give most people the best experience.  However, in crowded areas or areas with network noise/interference you may have to use any of the other available one between 1 and 11.

There is a little Roku debug screen that can help you see your signal status.  Using your Roku remote, press Home button 5x, then press Up, Down, Up, Down, Up.  A screen should appear showing you strength and antenna rates.  Then when you change the channels at your router, you may be able to discern if one is giving you better performance than the other.

There also may be little you can do if you are experiencing alot of interference on the network, short of eliminating or re-positioning wireless devices or appliances that may be contributing to noise/interference.  Can also try moving the Express+ device around a little to see if that helps, especially with the debug screen visible to you.

It is kind of a catch22 with a mesh network.  It purports to give better wifi coverage, but in doing so, makes a lot of automatic changes/switches to the network in order to keep the devices covered.  Some Roku devices can have a bit of difficulty re-establishing itself to a dropped connection short of restarting the device (basically, a reboot).  Just a matter of making the devices and network play nice together.

Feel free to update or if you need more help.