Wi-Fi & connectivity

[drazuw2]

I have a Roku Ultra model 4660X, just updated to os version 13. 

I use a publicly available hotspot through xfinity for internet access which I pay $20 a month for. In order to connect to it, you must launch a web page for the hotspot to verify this device with your account, similar to how dorms work. 

My Roku Ultra will not bring up the dorm information either, so that must have been removed previously.

The issue of course is that the Roku has no built in web browser to validate its access, so how can I connect to the hotspot?

[RokuJohnB]

Hi @drazuw2,

Thanks for posting here in the Roku Community!

We understand you want to connect your mobile hotspot to your Roku Ultra. We're happy to assist you. Please try the steps below.

1. Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
2. Scroll and select Settings.
3. Select Network.
4. Select Set up connection.
5. Choose Wired or Wireless.
6. If you select Wired, your Roku device will automatically try to connect to the internet.
7. If you select Wireless, select your network from the list of available networks.
8. If you do not see your Wi-Fi network, select Scan again to see all networks.
9. Enter your Hotspot password
10. Select Connect.

Follow the hotspot setup instructions for your phone and then follow the steps in the section above to find and connect to your phone's hotspot network.

• If you have an iOS® device, refer to Apple's documentation on setting up a personal hotspot.
• If you have an Android™ device, refer to Google's documentation on sharing a mobile connection by hotspot.

If there's anything else that we can do to assist you, please keep us posted.

Best regards,
John

[drazuw2]

Hello

This does not work. The reason it does not work is because this isn’t my hotspot. This is a public hotspot, so you are required to log into the service through a web browser and verify your credentials to validate your device. It does NOT ask for a simple password. 

But because the Roku has no web browser, this can’t be done so it just displays as cannot connect. 

The service is called NOW Wifi pass. 

[atc98092]

Xfinity is one company that uses some WiFi equipment that has issues with Roku devices. The problem is they have their 2.4 GHz radio set to mode G/N, and for some reason some of their equipment only works with Roku devices if the mode is set to B/G/N. Since it's a public hotspot, naturally you can't change the settings. Your Ultra should work fine on their 5 GHz, radio, but there it's possible they have the radio set to a DFS channel (49-148) and your Ultra cannot use a DFS channel. Again, since it's a public site you can't change the channel it uses. 

Unfortunately, these are the limitations you are stuck with when using public WiFi. Even my home Xfinity modem would not allow me to make these changes (I rent their modem because it's cheaper than buying my own and paying extra for unlimited data), so I put their modem in bridge mode and use my own router so that I can make any changes I want.

[drazuw2]

It’s such a strange thing though. Because I have another system from 2012, a PlayStation 3, that has no issues connecting. And one would assume that a device with “ultra” in the name that is several years newer, would also not have any issues. 

[drazuw2]

I tried following this guide from Roku:

https://support.roku.com/article/215058118

and here’s where I get confused on this article. It tells you to bring a smartphone with wireless capabilities with you, but after that the set up process has no steps for using your smartphone or computer.  

so I feel like the article is missing an entire block of instructions. 

[atc98092]

Your Playstation is a completely different operating system and the hardware is also significantly different. Also, the Roku 4660 was released in Oct 2017, so it's not exactly the latest tech either. My Ultra 4800 is much newer than the 4660, and could connect to my Xfinity box without an issue. But it's completely different hardware from the 4660. 

There are so many possible variables in today's tech world it's difficult for equipment developers to cover them all. Sometimes little areas simply get overlooked, or even intentionally ignored. 

[atc98092]

Using a phone hotspot is simply one way of getting by connectivity issues when setting up a Roku. I've heard of multiple users being unable to connect to their home network to complete setup, so they use their phone hotspot. Once setup is complete, then they can connect to their home network without a problem. No real explanation why it would work that way, but it has been documented as working for some people.

[drazuw2]

These solutions aren’t solutions. The answers you’ve provided are so generic and don’t actually provide any insight into how to resolve the issue. 

I feel like your response on the different bands is incorrect as I was able to connect to Wi-Fi when I had a router setup in my home running 2.4ghz and 5gz bands. That is no longer an option which is why I’m using the hotspot system. 

I can connect to it with my smartphone, PlayStation 3 and pc using a Wi-Fi antenna, but the only system that isn’t working is the Roku ultra. 

im trying to get help to make this work, not excuses as to why it can’t work. 

[atc98092]

That's because there is no solution. There's a hardware issue with the equipment that Xfinity uses for some of their equipment that doesn't work correctly with some Roku devices. Comcast has been made aware of the configuration settings required to be compatible with these devices, but they continue to choose to use what they think works the best. 

The only way to resolve the issue is for Comcast to replace the hardware they have out there that has these issues. They need to ensure their 5 GHz equipment doesn't use DFS channels, they need to leave the 2.4 GHz radio turned on (they have been known to turn them off) and to only use channels 1-11 and to set the mode to B/G/N until the equipment is replaced. 

Again, it doesn't matter in the least that it works with other hardware. It's an incompatibility with older Roku devices and certain Comcast equipment. Roku has updated their equipment on newer devices, so there doesn't appear to be an issue. Comcast also has some equipment that doesn't have any issue with Roku devices (such as the Gateway I have) but they apparently still use a lot of the ones with problems.

I can't provide you with any solution that works with that system, because without you being able to adjust the WiFi settings in the access point nothing can be done. There is one more complicated method, and that is to use a router that can be configured as a bridge that can connect to the public connection and it provides a private connection that you can control. I did this in a hotel I was staying at for several months, using a Windows PC to connect to the hotel WiFi and then sharing that connection with the Ethernet jack on the computer and connecting a WiFi access point to it. That gave me my own private WiFi network, and only the one computer connected to the hotel WiFi. That worked great for me, but it did require having that computer that I could dedicate to being the gateway for me.