Wi-Fi & connectivity

[echoesofadrift]

So I’ve been having this issue with my Roku where it will sometimes stop connecting to the WiFi in my house, and then all of the other devices that are connected to the WiFi will stop connecting to it as well. Thoughts?

[atc98092]

If the disconnect is occurring with other devices on the network, then it's not something specific with the Roku. You might check your router/access point settings to see if there's a setting that might limit a connection to a certain length of time, or perhaps only certain times of the day. I am assuming the devices will all reconnect without an issue when you make a manual reconnect request. 

[echoesofadrift]

Well, what was odd was that even though I did restart my router, more than just a few times, the WiFi would usually connect for a few minutes and then it would disconnect Roku. And then all other devices using same WiFi. But again, it was only when I was using the Roku that this would start to happen. And this went on for hours. I don’t know if that’s normal, or even suspicious, but still extremely frustrating nonetheless.

[atc98092]

No, certainly not normal. My stick is usually only used when I travel and connected to the hotel WiFi. But in those cases it remains connected to their WiFi my entire stay with no connection issues. I'm now more suspicious of some sort of interference on your WiFi signal. If you have multiple access points within your reception range, it could be that another nearby AP is using the same channel and possibly causing a problem. What can help there is changing the channel your WiFi uses, especially if you're on the 2.4 GHz radio. In that band, the only channels that should be used are 1, 6 or 11. If you have a laptop you can install a free program that scans all the nearby APs and can tell you what channel each are using, allowing you to select the one that has the least interference from another unit.

[echoesofadrift]

What do you mean by “interference”? Do you think that someone was deliberately messing with my WiFi? Because that is exactly how it seemed to me. What do you think?

[atc98092]

While intentional interference is always a slight possibility, I'm referring to there simply being too many nearby access points on the same channel. Nothing intentional about it, just a coincidence that they are using the same channel. When I scan the WiFi bands with my laptop, there's more than two dozen nearby access points that are strong enough to potentially cause interference. That's why I manually set the channels used by my access points (I have three separate points in my home to improve coverage) so mine don't interfere with each other and minimize my impact on my neighbors. 

[echoesofadrift]

I have no idea what access points are, and for that I do apologize. This hasn’t happened to me at all today though. But whenever it had happened in the past it never interfered with any other devices connected to the WiFi, only my Roku stick. So very strange indeed. However, if I were to assume that it was someone messing with my WiFi then I would say that is a clever way to mess with someone. You just never know these days.

[atc98092]

Fair question. A WiFi access point is the radio that is used to send out and receive data between the wired network and wireless devices. For most users the access point is part of the router. But access points can also be bought that simply plug into your wired network and provide an additional connection point that might cover an area better than the router access point does.

For example, my dual band router is in my garage at one end of the house. I have a separate dual band access point in the bedroom above the garage for better coverage upstairs, and another in my family room at the opposite end of the house from the garage, which provides better coverage into the basement and the far end of the house. I also have another 2.4GHz access point that is dedicated to connecting my smart thermostat and Ring doorbell. Most homes probably are just fine with a single access point in their router, but depending on their location it sometimes helps to add additional access points.