Wi-Fi & connectivity

[bethafoot]

I've been using Roku Express for many years. I have Starlink internet, no connection issues. A couple weeks ago the Roku stopped wanting to connect sometimes, or most of the time would act as if the connection was incredibly slow. It was hit or miss whether we'd be able to use it.

I figured maybe it was time for a new Roku so I bought a new one but same deal - can't watch anything. Most of the time it acts like there's no wifi, and if we're lucky we might be able to use it for an hour or so before it stops working. Computers, phones, and other devices can use the internet just fine.

The roku is about 10 feet away from the wifi. I'm not sure what changed or where to go with this.

[RokuMary-F]

Hi, @bethafoot

Welcome to the Roku Community and thanks for posting.

We recommend starting here to troubleshoot Network issues: How to connect your Roku® streaming device to the internet using Wi-Fi® or Ethernet | Official Roku ...
Furthermore, if the affected device is a Roku Express, please note that both devices are only compatible with wireless b/g/n networks on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Ensure that your router broadcasts a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network for the device to connect.

Please keep us posted and we'll continue assisting you from there.


Best regards,
Mary

[bethafoot]

Hi, already did the troubleshooting part - also, note that this happened with a brand new roku out of the box. As far as the connection type - I'm not able to see where I would find what a b/g/n network is, it isn't anywhere in my Starlink settings. I do see that it is a 2.4ghz network. What is a b/g/n network and how do I find out if mine is one?

I did see one of the specs for Starlink that states it uses IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards - is that the same thing?

[RokuDanny-R]

@bethafoot

Thanks for the follow up.

For more information about the features and functionality of your wireless network, you'll want to reach out to your router and ISP for further assistance.

Please keep us posted what you find and we will be able to assist you further.

Thanks,
Danny

[Essbee]

We are experiencing the exact same issue.  Our ~2year old Roku suddenly stopped working about 10 days ago.  It finds the wireless network, says signal strength is good, but doesn't seem to be able to join the network, or joins it for a few minutes then drops. 

Like you, we also purchased a new Roku (Express model) and it does not connect to the wireless network at all, either.

We next moved the TV and Roku to the same room as the router and the wireless signal is now "excellent" but now it cannot connect at all.   I have called Cox cable (supplies our wireless modem) and they deny any culpability.  Everything else on the network (computers, phones, TVs, etc) are all working fine.

At this point, my husband is heading to Target to get an Amazon Fire stick, but I'd still like to know the cause of this problem if at all possible.

[bethafoot]

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@RokuDanny-R wrote:

@bethafoot

Thanks for the follow up.

For more information about the features and functionality of your wireless network, you'll want to reach out to your router and ISP for further assistance.

Please keep us posted what you find and we will be able to assist you further.

Thanks,
Danny

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That is completely unhelpful. My wireless network is compatible, and it works just fine. Starlink has no way of knowing why my Roku worked fine for years and suddenly stopped working.

[RokuKariza-D]

Hello @Essbee

Thanks for reaching out. 

If you are getting an error code or message, refer to this link for common Roku error codes and their recommended actions: How to connect your Roku device to the internet using Wi-Fi or Ethernet

Furthermore, please be advised that Roku Express is only compatible with wireless b/g/n networks on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Ensure that your router is broadcasting a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network for the device to connect to.

You can also try configuring your router and use wireless channels 1, 6, or 11 which are the preferred channels in North America. Each time you change the wireless channel, you will likely need to apply/save changes before you are prompted to restart the router.

Let us know how it goes!

All the best,
Kariza

[StressTest]

The timing of your issue is the same as ours, and we also have starlink.  Whats interesting for us is that I was running ethernet from the starlink router directly to our Roku when this all started and we've had nothing but problems ever since.

The connection gives us grainy pictures and then the program restarts and has to reload... over and over again.

After reading all these posts here I decided to remove our ethernet and go with a 2.4 Ghz connection and it fixed our issue.  Either there is a problem with the Roku's ethernet port or a problem with the starlinks.

In either case I thought someone else may benefit from this since it makes absolutely no sense that a wired connection (which should be faster), would worse than a wireless connection.

Hope this helps someone else!