Wi-Fi & connectivity

[jpwest13]

Setting up roku tv in my daughter’s dorm. The tv connects to the university’s guest Wi-Fi and I had to register the MAC address to connect. Phone is also on the guest Wi-Fi.

Now trying to use the roku mobile app. The app can’t find the tv, I think because the tv is technically on a different Wi-Fi connection. 

Somebody suggested connecting the tv to the phone hotspot, this didn’t work.

[RokuDanny-R]

@jpwest13

Thanks for the post.

For clarification, if the Roku TV already activated? If you are connecting to a school's wireless network, we would recommend using the Roku's Hotel & Dorm feature. Please be aware that in order to use the Hotel & Dorm feature, the Roku device will need to be already activated.

For more information about the Hotel & Dorm feature, visit our Support page here: Hotel & Dorm Connect

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

Thanks,
Danny

[atc98092]

@jpwest13 it's highly unlikely the university's network is considered open, so all connected devices will be blocked from seeing other devices. Guest networks almost always have this security function enabled. The other issue would the the IP address range they use. If they're using a non-standard IP address range (and it happens often in public settings like this), the Roku app assumes you're on a public network and again cannot connect to the TV. I'm afraid there's no way to make your phone app work on such a network.

What I did while I was in a hotel long term was to set up a computer to connect to the public network, then wired a router to the Ethernet jack of the computer and shared the WiFi network connection. This gave me a private network and all devices I connected (such as my phones and Roku players) could see each other. 

[jpwest13]

Thanks - I don't remember seeing the Hotel/Dorm option so I will take another look.

If I connect with this option, does this change my ability to connect via the Roku app, or does selecting Hotel/Dorm just change the available channels & content?

[atc98092]

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@jpwest13 wrote:

If I connect with this option, does this change my ability to connect via the Roku app, or does selecting Hotel/Dorm just change the available channels & content?

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No, it makes no difference. Almost all public WiFi points will have the security setting I mentioned, and it will not be disabled for individual use. It really can't be, so when you're on a network like that you simply have to accept you can't use the Roku app on a phone or tablet. 

Dorm/Hotel has a single function: it allows connecting a device with a browser (phone, tablet or computer) through the Roku to authenticate the Roku onto the network. Most hotels or dorms require entering information that allows you to access the network, which is done via a web page. When you registered the MAC address, that placed the device in a "whitelist", or authorized device, so the hotel/dorm option never appears since the device has Internet access. You can't turn on hotel/dorm manually. It only appears when you connect to a restricted network that requires authentication. Your Roku being whitelisted bypasses this step, so you'll never see that option.

[renojim]

To add to what @atc98092 said, if they didn't isolate Wi-Fi clients from one another your daughter could control the TV with the app, but so could everyone else in her dorm.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you how college kids can be.

[Streamer9]

Hi,

Did you get this solved? I have a similar issue - in a college dorm, can connect to the Internet, but cannot connect to the Roku mobile app or use AirPlay or Chromecast

[atc98092]

@Streamer9 you will likely never get the app to work on a college network. They always run a security function that blocks connected devices from seeing other connected devices. And you want it that way. You don't want an open network with so many different users attached. But for the same reason, Chromecast or AirPlay won't work either. They all need to be on the same private network with no security blocking devices from seeing each other.