Wi-Fi & connectivity

[Dherries]

I have been using Xfinity for a couple of years and finally decided to pull the plug.  I have 4 Roku devices and now I cannot get them to work. One roku will not find my TMobile wifi and the other keeps wanting to hook up to Xfinity which is gone.  Getting support is a nightmare. Trying to connect to Smithsonian channel and it wants to know my provider and TMobile is not on the list. Now What?

[DBDukes]

@Dherries 

Sounds like you dropped Xfinity Internet in addition to TV. So, if you don't have Internet access, a Roku won't work. I have Xfinity Internet ($25/month, 50 Mbps, 1.3 GB cap) so I know with certainty you can get Xfinity as just an ISP.

You mention your T-Mobile WiFi. Is that from a cellular account? Or do you have a T-Mobile powered home Internet service.

What band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) is your WiFi using? And what channel in the band?

You didn't say which Roku devices you have, so we don't know what the WiFi capabilities are. Some Roku devices, particularly the low end models, only support 2.4 GHz band. If you have one of those, and your WiFi is 5 GHz, it won't see it to connect. This may not be what's going on, but your description of your Roku devices not seeing your WiFi certainly fit if this was what was happening.

Settings > System > About will show you the model number. The number is more important than the name, as the number tells us the capabilities of the device.

[makaiguy]

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@Dherries wrote:

One roku will not find my TMobile wifi

Make sure your phone's hotspot is set to use the 2.4 GHz wifi band, not the 5 GHz band. Some lower end Roku models only support the 2.4 GHz band.

and the other keeps wanting to hook up to Xfinity which is gone. 

Reset that Roku's network settings. Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Network connection reset

Trying to connect to Smithsonian channel and it wants to know my provider and TMobile is not on the list. Now What?

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You'll have to subscribe to a service that does include Smithsonian Channel.

Cable-type channels want to be paid. When you have a paid subscription to a "tv provider" service that carries these channels (like your former Xfinity subscription), they receive their pay out of the subscription fees you pay that provider. When you don't have a subscription to such a provider you are not paying for those channels. 

Many cable-type channels make their content available for streaming via a "TV Everywhere" channel app for those paying for the channel through a provider as mentioned above.  You no longer have that provider account.

That service doesn't have to be a bloated cable or satellite service however. There are several services you can subscribe to and run on a Roku that may carry the channels you are interested in at a lower cost than your former Xfinity.  Ones that come to mind to check out for any particular channel would include:   

   • Hulu plus Live TV  
   • Sling   
  • philo   
  • Directv Stream (the new name for the former AT&T TV)   
  • YouTube TV (which is currently accessed through the ordinary YouTube app on Roku)   
  • frndly   
  • fubu   
  • vidgo   
  ... there may be others. 

In addition there are many free channels that do not require "tv provider" accounts.  Most (all?) of them are supported by unskippable ads. 

There are others you can subscribe to which have free or lower cost tiers with ads but also have higher cost tiers with limited or no ads. In the case of Smithsonian Channel you will find access to its programming on Paramount+.

There are several places on the net where you can look up which streaming providers carry a particular channel of interest. Here are several such pages:
• https://thestreamable.com/channels
• https://www.groundedreason.com/cord-cutting/tv-streaming/how-to-stream-by-channel/
• https://suppose.tv/ (thanks to @DBDukes for this one)
• .. and again, there may be others

Savings in cord cutting usually come from picking and choosing which of the offerings you wish to pay for instead of paying for full blown cable or satellite services with scores of channels you never watch.