Wi-Fi & connectivity

[Ora222]

I have two Rokus, same age. Roku1 gets an excellent wyfi signal. It’s 12 feet from the router with a plaster wall in between.

Roku2 has started having problems with interrupted programs due to poor wifi connectivity and messages of “no internet connection.” Its 20 feet from the router with nothing between.

Recently Roku2 started overheating. It was in the open air and wasn't near any hot device. I unplugged it for the night and haven't received that overheating message again.

I've tried all of the online suggestions to make Roku2 improve wifi signal strength, but nothing has worked.

I really don't think it is my wifi router because my other Roku has excellent connectivity. I'm wanting to know if there is a fix to this situation or can a Roku gradually deteriorate until you have to replace it?

[renojim]

What's the model number(s) of these Rokus?  I do believe that some models overheat and are never the same after that, but it's just a theory with not much to back it up.

[Ora222]

Both are 3900RW.  The poor wifi connection on the one started several weeks ago (maybe this past spring) and gradually became more frequent.  The overheating incident was just 2 weeks ago.

[atc98092]

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@Ora222 wrote:

Both are 3900RW.  The poor WiFi connection on the one started several weeks ago (maybe this past spring) and gradually became more frequent.  The overheating incident was just 2 weeks ago.

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One possibility is some new interference on the 2.4 GHz WiFi band. Someone near you may have installed a new router that is using the same channel as yours. Or someone simply installed a new device that is increasing interference in your area. I'd first suggest trying a different channel on your WiFi router. The best channels to use are 1, 6 or 11. Figure out what channel you're using now and try one of the other two. Just don't try channels, 12, 13 or 14, if those are available on your router. Roku devices won't work on those channels. 

[Ora222]

Thanks.  I had been on channel 1.  I tried channels 6 and 11 and neither one worked any better.

I tried switching the two Rokus to the opposite TVs.  The one with excellent wifi signal strength remained excellent no matter what TV it was connected to and the one with poor wifi strength remained poor when it was connected to the other TV.  So it seems to me to be something wrong with Roku2.

[atc98092 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for trying that. The Express 3900 is now a five year old product (I realize yours might not be that old, but that's when it was released), and unfortunately has a less than stellar reputation for its WiFi radio. The new Express 4K+ (model 3941) is a vastly improved version, and is my recommended model for a low cost Roku. Much, much better WiFi, supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz, as well as supporting a separate USB Ethernet adapter, a voice remote, and much more operating memory and channel storage space. 

[Ora222]

Thanks.  I may have had these for five years.  I will keep the defective one for a while longer because it still works at least 85% of the time even with the poor wifi signal.  If it continues to fail and becomes worse, I will definitely take your advice!