Wi-Fi & connectivity

[CoachKujo]

Roku worked for a long time until recently.  Now it is unable to connect to wireless network (the picture with the cloud and the red x in it with a red down arrow).  We have tried every reboot and factory reset as mentioned in the community but nothing works.  Now it won't accept the wifi on setup so I am stuck.  I even tried the 5xhome + 3times fast forward + 2 times reverse and factory reset.   Please help.  This is very silly.  thanks

[CoachKujo]

Oh, I do not have the ability to use another connection (like a hotspot) to check it.  Is my Roku broken?

[tmiller]

I’m having the same issue with both my Roku devices.   There hasn’t been any problems for over a year and despite having excellent signal strength, it won’t connect anymore.  
This is way more trouble than it’s worth and will switch to Chromecast or a Fire Stick instead.  

[makaiguy]

@tmiller @CoachKujo -

So, what changed?  It could be your router.

There are a couple of network connection problems recently being reported that have been caused by updates to routers. These have primarily been reported with routers supplied by internet providers, but it's possible they could also occur with user-owned routers that have received updates.

• ROKU LOCATES NETWORK BUT CANNOT CONNECT
  Some router updates (reported for Xfinity and Cox but there could be others) have changed the router's security setting from b/g/n to just g/n, causing some Roku models to lose their ability to connect to the network. The solution is to set the router's configuration back to using b/g/n security.
  
  
• ROKU CANNOT FIND LOCAL WIFI NETWORK
  Some routers have had their 2.4 GHz wifi band turned off, leaving only the 5 GHz band operational. Devices with single band wifi radios, notably Roku Express and Premiere models (but not Express 4K models) as well as many other single band devices can not even see the 5 GHz band. The solution is to reconfigure the router and turn the 2.4 GHz band back on.
  
  If this problem was not caused by a router update deactivating the 2.4 GHz band, often a restart of the router (even if other devices are still connecting) followed by a restart of the Roku via Settings > System > System restart (for Roku TV it's Settings > System > Power > Restart) will allow the connection to be reestablished.

If you need to make configuration changes on equipment supplied by your internet provider but you have no access to its settings, you may need to request your internet provider to make the changes for you.

[CoachKujo]

Thank you for the information.  We use a mifi hotspot (Verizon product) as our wifi.  The 2.5 and 5.0 GHz bandwidths are "on" (the little light next to them is clicked on).  Does it actually only use one of them though?  I will try turning the 5.0 off.

Thanks again, I'll let you know if it works

[CoachKujo]

Is there some way to actually talk to a Roku service person?  They only seem to take calls if you have a new device.  I have looked all over their website and the service just brings you to the community.  Am I missing something?  Thanks

[atc98092]

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@CoachKujo wrote:

Thank you for the information.  We use a mifi hotspot (Verizon product) as our wifi.  The 2.5 and 5.0 GHz bandwidths are "on" (the little light next to them is clicked on).  Does it actually only use one of them though?  I will try turning the 5.0 off.

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It depends on what Roku device you have, if it will use 5 GHz. But if you have a device that supports 5 GHz, that's generally the better band to use. It's less crowded and supports higher speeds, but also has less range and doesn't pass through walls as well. 

Another thing is the channel used by your access point (your MiFi in your case). There are channels on both bands that are not supported by Roku devices. If your access point is using one of those channels, your access point would not be seen by the Roku. Most access points are set to Auto for channel selection, so sometimes you must set them manually. On 2.4 GHz, the channel must be 1 through 11, with 1, 6 or 11 as the best choices. On 5 GHz, the channel must be 48 or lower, or 149 or higher.