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dchod
Reel Rookie

Error 018 is stil a mystery

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Does anyone know (and be willing to admit they knowSmiley Happy) if all streamed content from any channel somehow has to go via, or interact with, servers in Roku's infrastructure?  I don't know how else to explain what happened last night.

Basically, I experienced the same problem users have been reporting for years on this forum.   I have 300/300 Mbps fiber to my home.  Last night while streaming from Amazon, I start to get buffering pauses in the playback.  Doing a Check Connection on all three of my Roku devices results in Error 018.

Seeing a common error I naturally suspect my network.  I reset everything, still no joy.  Running speedtest.net from my laptop on the same WiFi network my Roku's are on shows no slowdowns.  I tried Check Connection once more before going to bed and the problem had gone away.  I haven't tried yet today.  Note, Roku streaming has been working fine for years on my network, which hasn't changed at all.

The only explanation I can come up with prompted my initial question.  The problem is not in my streaming devices, my WiFi network, or my ISP.  It's in Roku's infrastructure.

I wish Roku would address this issue instead of just pointing us at their standard set of trouble shooting steps that many users have reported don't solve the problem, as they didn't for me.

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dchod
Reel Rookie

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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Good points all.  Thank you for responding.

It's clear to me now that I had a knee-jerk, and incorrect, reaction to running speedtest.net while trying to diagnose my Roku Error 018 issue.  speedtest.net accessed a server local to my city and showed near maximum throughput, so the problem was not with my ISP.

It's not unreasonable to assume that Roku's Check Connection function does access a Roku server somewhere "out there"; just as Amazon streaming accesses a content server "out there".  So it was probably a slowdown somewhere in the path.  Hurricane Ian maybe.

Next time I'll just read a book and wait for it to resolve.  Smiley Happy

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renojim
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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Roku servers aren't involved in streaming anything except perhaps content on The Roku Channel and even then most of that content comes from other providers.  Once a channel/app is launched Roku is pretty much out of the picture except for maybe ads and event logging, but definitely not streaming content.

Way back when Roku devices first came out it wasn't unusual for people to have streaming problems that were related to which DNS (Domain Name System) server they were using.  If you have a router from your ISP then it's likely that it uses theirs which may be anything but optimal.  I haven't really seen that problem come up lately, but it wouldn't hurt to try changing yours.  It would be buried somewhere in your router's settings and may even be locked since ISPs seem to love to lock out users from changing settings since they know better than you what you need.

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dchod
Reel Rookie

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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Thank you for taking the time to respond.

My home router is a Netgear box that I bought myself.  I have my DNS configured to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 with Quad9 9.9.9.9 as secondary.

Honestly, I can't see the connection between DNS servers and streaming slowdown. (That doesn't mean there isn't one, just that I can't see it! Smiley Happy)  I would think DNS is used once(?) to find the content provider IP address, then some streaming protocol to/from that address takes over.

Just did Check Connection and download speed is up to 16 Mbps, which is usable.  Usually it's up in the 30+ range.

I'm baffled.  Maybe I'll stop worrying and go back to watching soccer.

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renojim
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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DNS matters because streaming providers use servers located all over the country if not the world.  Your "netflix.com" may not be the same as mine and if your DNS server is directing you to a server on the other side of the world you can see how that might cause a problem.  However, I'd agree that that's not your problem, although it wouldn't hurt to try something different like 8.8.8.8 just see if it makes any difference.

This is one of the reasons I prefer to use a wired device whenever possible - it takes Wi-Fi issues out of the picture completely.  You could try different Wi-Fi channels and/or 2.4 vs 5GHz or vice versa if your Roku devices are dual-band devices.

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UserOfStreamers
Roku Guru

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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@dchod 

You didnt mention your 3 model #s or firmware version(s): Settings/System/About

Considering you have 300Mbps symmetrical internet speed, but it's usually 30+Mbps, and lately just 16Mbps indicates a serious problem with the WiFI, unless you have older 2.4Ghz-only models or pre-2020 dual-band models using 5Ghz much further away from your modem/router/gateway, in which case 30Mbps is about right.

There are many better more rational explanations for buffering and Error 018 other than "Roku is routing all my internet traffic through their servers!", including WiFi interference/misconfiguration, CPE firmware updates/changes, ISP node/headend issues, ISP routing problems, internet routing problems, or CDN issues.

FTR Error 018 isnt a mystery - it indicates slow internet download speed.  The buffering and Error 018 together are consistent with an internet download speed issue, most likely at your ISP or regional routers.

Perhaps your ISP or regional routers were temporarily impacted by a natural disaster/event - there may even be one of those ongoing right now...

Regardless you may want to provide more information about your models and 2.4 or 5Ghz band usage and/or try the band/channel changing recommendations @renojim suggested.

 

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dchod
Reel Rookie

Re: Error 018 is stil a mystery

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Good points all.  Thank you for responding.

It's clear to me now that I had a knee-jerk, and incorrect, reaction to running speedtest.net while trying to diagnose my Roku Error 018 issue.  speedtest.net accessed a server local to my city and showed near maximum throughput, so the problem was not with my ISP.

It's not unreasonable to assume that Roku's Check Connection function does access a Roku server somewhere "out there"; just as Amazon streaming accesses a content server "out there".  So it was probably a slowdown somewhere in the path.  Hurricane Ian maybe.

Next time I'll just read a book and wait for it to resolve.  Smiley Happy