Wi-Fi & connectivity

[downhomechunk]

i have three roku express devices in different locations of my house.  all three recently started reporting a low quality network connection and the video feed gets interrupted.  they all worked fine for the previous year.  all other wifi devices  in my house continue to function normally and show a very strong and reliable connection (laptop, phones, gaming console, etc).  i only have this problem with the roku devices and i can't solve it.

i have tried to change the wifi channel on my router.  i have moved one of the sticks to a spot that's about 12" from the router and it has the same issue.  i have power cycled, tested different a different router & cable modem, checked with my ISP, moved the devices around.  nothing seems to fix the problem.  and again, they all seemed to "break" at the same time after working fine for a long time.

[StreamerUser]

There are several possible causes/sources for this, including a firmware update to either the Rokus or the modem/router/gateway, or nearby spectrum flooding (the last two might only affect some devices).

First you say you have 3 Express models, but then you refer to a "stick" (there are no Stick Express models).  Keep in mind Express models only use 2.4Ghz, whereas Stick models are dual band (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz).  You might want to list the model # and firmware version of each of your Rokus.

Otherwise, check to see if your modem/router/gateway firmware recently updated - if it did, this may cause some devices more disconnectivity or reduced speeds, depending on the changes made.

[downhomechunk]

Apologies for using the incorrect term.  I have 3 x Roku Expres model 3900x running firmware 10.0.0 build 4195-51.

My router firmware was actually pretty well out of date, so it was not updated recently.  

I am not familiar with spectrum flooding, but I suspect that's not something that would strike out of nowhere.  I think the most likely culprit was some kind of firmware update pushed to the Rokus.  They were fine one day and not working the next.  And of the other wifi devices on my network are having any issues.

I have done all of the basic troubleshooting outlined in the FAQ (power cycling everything, moving the Roku, adjusting the antennae on the router, etc).  I'm out of ideas, hence this post.

[AvsGunnar]

Since Roku did just recently release update 10, it could certainly be a factor, so can't yet rule it out completely.  Although sometimes too many run to this fact first.

Since you know how to change the wireless channel of your router, verify in the same settings that your bandwidth is set to 20mhz bandwidth.  Many 2.4ghz devices have trouble maintaining a consistent connection/ability to connect at 40mhz.  Remember to restart router after saving/applying changes.

To help determine whether it is indeed a Roku issue or network/router issue, consider downloading a wi-fi analyzer to your phone/mobile device (this helps see network conditions around you such as broadcast strength and interferences/crowding and helps make recommendations as to channels and access points).

The analyzer helps determine what your network is seeing versus what the Roku is seeing as there are some diagnostic menus of the Roku if you still continue to have problems.