Wi-Fi & connectivity

Having Roku connectivity problems? Get the help and troubleshooting tips you need for Roku wireless connection issues, ethernet connections, and more.
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Mishlz
Binge Watcher

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

I’m having the same problem as everyone else with the new ultra. I bought it for the Ethernet port. Before this I had the original Amazon Cube. You not only had the choice of resolution, but picture quality. The choices were “Best, Better, Good “. The three options were for data consumption. Amazon also offers a way to program an alert when the tv or streaming device has used a certain amount of data, that you set, for the month. On my 1080p tv with “Good” setting on the cube, I was using +\- 1Gb per day. That’s just for the tv. My Fire tv with the Ethernet port being the only connection, there’s no resolution change option. It uses whatever the streaming service uses or what I can adjust inside an app. This tv uses a little more data then the cube. With Xfinity 1Tb per month cap= approximately 33Gb/day you can use. I have my tv now at 720p, and after monitoring data consumption by the Roku, I go into my router settings and pause internet connection to the Roku when I’m not using it so it cannot INHALE any more data! I had the Roku on the home screen, watched local tv from my antenna for 6 hours, and 4Gb of data was used. My other devices on the network were not the culprits. A new generation Amazon Cube just came out, I’m considering trading in my Roku for it since I just bought the Roku two weeks ago.
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PE2019streamer
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

Been using my roku stick for about 2 months without issue.  Yesterday my wife was streaming like she does every day and I noticed our internet was extremely slow.  I called the ISP and they said something is pulling between 8 and 12 GPS. I checked and found only the roku stick using the most bandwidth.  Had my wife stop streaming and my speeds returned to normal. 

Found the hidden bitrate menu which is set to automatic. Tried setting it to 3, but there is no way to save it.  Each time I check it again,  it's back to automatic. 

Right now I'm back to using the fire stick which works fine. But obviously something changed a couple of days ago on the roku stick to cause it to consume all available bandwidth. 

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timetraveller
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

Here's the real problem:

Many people in the U.S. don't have access to hardwired broadband and get their internet via cell tower/phone tethering/MiFi-Jetpack devices. They all have data caps. Latest FCC survey shows 6% or 19 million of us don't have access. I am one of them. No cable, no DSL available. Forget satellite internet.

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/broadband-progress-reports/eighth-broadband-progress-re...

The simple solution:

Reinstate the ability to scale down the video resolution so we 19 million can have access to your service. YouTube does it, Amazon Prime has it. Even CBS All Access has it. It will be money in your (Roku's) pocket to include us.

I bought a Roku device for Christmas. I love it. But at 720p minimum and nearly 2 GB per 90 minute movie, I go over my 75 GB cap quickly. At 480p or even 360p I could run all month. So I use it rarely.

Please reinstate the ability to scale down video quality for those of us who need it.

Please.

Bill

Mroland
Newbie

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

I just bought a ROKU TV and was able to change the bandwidth just now using 

Home button x 5, << button x 3, >> button x 2. 

I'm not exactly sure why you are unable to change this on your TV. Did you try it exactly in order and use the rewind and fast forward buttons? If so maybe the option was removed on certain ROKU TV brands. Some companies want you to pay for someone to come out an service your TV. Therefore, ROKU technical support is probably required to tell you this cannot be done. 

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renojim
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

You might think you changed it, but it didn't do anything.

Roku Community Streaming Expert

Help others find this answer and click "Accept as Solution."
If you appreciate my answer, maybe give me a Kudo.

I am not a Roku employee.
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timetraveller
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

Mroland, Thanks for your input. Thanks to renojim too. I have a Roku Premier device not a TV though it doesn't matter. Late versions of the Roku OS have disabled that 5-3-2 hack. Mine will accept it, say it has changed, then the next time you check it it's back to "Automatic" again.

That's too bad. Wish Roku would have left it alone.

I've figured out another option. It's convoluted and complicated. I turn my laptop into a wifi hotspot and run the Roku off of that. I've found software that will allow you to set the laptop's hotspot streaming speed to whatever you want. The Roku will sense the reduced speed and throttle back accordingly. The app is SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager.

A pity we rural cell tower internet users have to go through this. And there's a lot of us too.

Bill

 

**edited for clarity

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PE2019streamer
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

I have the Roku stick.  

I have also contacted Roku Support more than 3 weeks ago now, with no response.  They like to refer everyone that has questions or needs actual support back to these forums.  

None the less, I switched back to Roku after 2 weeks and it seems to have settled (whatever it was) and is no longer consuming all available bandwidth.  The setting is still set to Automatic and has not changed.

I assume they did something and it downloaded a new software update that corrected whatever was consuming all the bandwidth.  But their support is horrible.  No response and only this community support forum for any sort of assistance. 

 

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timetraveller
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

Thanks for the tip. I'll recheck mine as I haven't been using it for awhile. Ditto on the lack of support. I searched and searched for an email address contact on the Roku site but never found one.
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dan10400
Newbie

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

 

Hi,

I have the same problem as the OP.   Got two Roku Ultra devices, and shortly after the Comcast nasty-gram on usage.   

So I get that Roku is a streaming device, and the analogy that just like your computer, if you turn off the monitor, YouTube or Netflix will just keep on playing.   

So I did an experiment:

    1.  Start streaming a program, turn off the TV via the TV remote.  Go back a bit later and confirm it has been streaming away (computer analogy).

    2.  Start streaming a program, turn it off via the Roku remote.   Go back a bit later and confirm that it also has been streaming away (same as experiment 1).   Hmmmm.

    3.  Start streaming a program, go to Roku home on the App, turn off the TV (via either method).  Go back a bit later, and all as is expected.   Can return to programming as it left off.

Experiment 2 is an issue.   If the Roku Ultra is capable of turning off the TV, it shouldn't take more than two brain cells to rub together and figure out that the device should turn off the streaming as well.

This is very disappointing.  

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gin1
Newbie

Re: Roku is eating up Bandwidth

I and my husband have to use our cell phone hotspot, we never have had to look into getting any sort of internet service because even him playing online on his xbox 360 never ran out of his hotspot as fast as the roku I just bought, I loved the idea of not having to hook my laptop to the tv for our kids to be able to watch a movie or shows that they like on netflix because we don't have satellite tv. I mentioned to him up talking the roku, of oh we can watch live tv and have all the apps in one spot. We had use my phone to set it up and update it and he hadn't used any of his hotspot, it took less data up do the roku's updates which were 3 of them, than it did for us to literally watch 1 movie.. he's like umm hun I have a text message that its already at 5gb, im like that is weird because i can run my laptop from 5 6pm until 1-2am watching netflix knowing our netflix is set at the lowest quality possible. and im like let me check to see if the roku has it.. I was not pleased at all, im like im not going to invest in internet if i can even get satellite internet with how rural we live to run just the roku.. I unplugged it from my tv, I was not happy to know that we could only literally watch 2 to 3 movies or 6 episodes of a show before my hotspot would run out.. yes it slows down after it runs out of the highspeed, so I dont get hit with the internet companies yelling at me, but it won't even connect to my hotspot once its slowed down. I'm like yep nope unplug it.. I'm really not one happy camper at all with it... And I found out I can run the same exact apps and control the speed on each app on my computer. If it wasnt over 30 days since I bought it I would wipe it clean and return it. I'm highly not happy with it. 

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