I have an ethernet jack in the wall by my TV. It is connected to the utility closet that has a NetGear Nighthawk Gigabit router. When I connect the Roku Ultra to the jack, Roku Ultra doesn't recognize any sort of Ethernet connection. There are not even any blinking lights in the ethernet port. (If I put a 10/100 switch between the jack and the roku, the lights start blinking but it can't negotiate a connection.)
Is getting the Ultra to work with a gigabit router in general or NetGear Nighthawk in particular a known issue?
I can't give a direct answer. But the Roku has only a 10/100 Ethernet connection built in. These were designed primarily for net streaming and this is more than adequate for the bandwidth required for receiving even 4K signals.
I would assume the router should be backwards compatible for connecting to 10/100 devices, as there of gazillions of old 10/100 devices in use, but it wouldn't hurt to see if there is some router control that must be set to enable this.
One of my friends was wondering if it make matter if the cable is crossover or straight. Do you think that could be an issue? When I plug the ethernet cable in from the jack, no lights whatsoever (unless I run in through a 10/100 switch first).