Wi-Fi & connectivity

[Angela74]

I want to know why on earth Roku will not let me use my new internet. I now have 3 boxes that won't work like this is ridiculous. Garbage. 😡🤬 I have 2 old Roku Express, and a brand new one. I'm about to toss them and switch to a better product that's not so difficult.

[Strega2]

More information about what is going wrong would help, but as a wild guess, most Roku Express models have been 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only, whereas some routers ship with only the 5GHz band enabled.  So, make sure 2.4GHz in enabled in the router, and while you’re in there, make sure it is set to all Wi-Fi modes, ie: b/g/n and not just g/n.  Some Rokus seem to have troubles with some routers if they are only running g/n modes.

[Angela74]

Hi when I go to my Roku app it will not allow me to connect to any one of the Roku's, I removed the older ones but the other I just bought about a month ago. I do have dual wifi both the 2.4 and 5 but it doesn't let me even attempt to set it up on the new Wifi at all. It just shows the box I have connected to the TV ad a previously connected device and says "Not available on this network".   I am connected to my 2.4GHz while trying to do this. I just changed my router so now the Roku will no longer work. I don't understand why they are locked to an internet name or router or why the remotes are locked to each device. No interchangeability at all. It's a waste of a perfectly usable device and money. So is my new box just garbage at this point?

[renojim]

@Angela74, it's not clear what you're trying to do, but you can't use the app until your new Roku device is connected to your network and to get it connected to your network you must use a physical remote.  To change the network a Roku device is connected to, you must use a physical remote.  Some remotes (voice remotes) have to be paired to a Roku device and others (simple remotes) will work with any Roku device except for sticks.

Give some more details about what you're trying to do including the model number(s) of your Roku device(s).

[Strega2]

You say you don’t understand why they are locked to a name or router, but that is the nature of Wi-Fi.  Each Wi-Fi network has an SSID and passphrase to keep your neighbors and their devices on their Wi-Fi and not yours.

The easiest method when moving to a new router/new internet is to set the SSID and passphrase of the new router to be exactly the same as the old router.  Then all of your Wi-Fi devices will not even notice that anything has changed and will just automatically connect as before.

[Angela74]

The problem with physical remotes now that I have about 4 of them is pairing the correct remote to the correct device they are not interchangeable as you say they are. Not one of the remotes I have will work for my current Roku which is just a newer model of the older ones. 

[Strega2]

I find that confusing because as far as I know, every model of Roku Express (just “Express” – not “Express+” or “Express 4K+”) came with (and works with) an IR remote.  IR remotes are not paired and should work with any Roku that they have a clear line of sight with.  (Specifically clear line of sight from the IR emitter at the end of the Roku remote to the IR receiver on the front of the Roku.)  IR remotes don’t pass through walls and typically won’t work if a Roku is behind something or the Roku is turned the wrong way, but they don’t need to be paired and as far I know, any one of them should be interchangeable with another.

I just took a remote from an old Roku Express (model 3900 from 2017) and pointed it my Roku Express 4K+ (model 3941 from 2021) and it works with it. 

Note that this is one of the exceptions listed above, but even though it shipped with a Wi-fi remote, it can be driven from an IR remote.  Now, what I’m not sure of is what would happen if I pointed the Wi-Fi remote at a Roku that it wasn’t paired with.  Ie: answer might be: nothing because not paired, or the answer might be: it sends both IR and Wi-Fi so it doesn’t matter?  I don’t know the answer, but if all your “Express”es have no “+”s at the end of their names, then I think they all have IR remotes anyway.

I assume you’ve checked the battery orientation?  Some roku remotes have two batteries that are oriented the same way and people aren’t used to that and flip one of the batteries.  (Grasping at straws.)

[jontalk]

@Angela74I have a few trouble shooting questions that may help resolve the issue.

1. Do you live in a house, condo or apartment and what is the square footage?

2. Have you analyzed the network congestion using an app like WiFi Analyzer for Android or something similar for Apple?

3. Are you using service provider equipment or your own modem and router? And if its your equipment are you savvy enough to make settings changes that improve performance, DNS and WiFi channel changes?

Regardless of the type of home, its not at all unusual for network congestion to cause problems. The simple remedy is identifying which channels are the most congested and changing to one that isn't. FYI, the 2.4 band is both slower and has better range but also has huge channel overlap. The 5 gHz band is faster but lacks the range of 2.4 though the best way to mitigate it is by knowing about the congestion.

[Angela74]

I live Ina. Townhouse but I rent so no idea the square footage. I own the router, service providers own the modem. I don't think congestion is the issue since the only thing that doesn't work is the Roku and only since I changed my network name. But to be fair I don't know enough about that to say 100%. I am not very tech savvy I am aged to set up my new router using the app and anything else I have no idea or am trying to figure out. I could try switching back to the old one to see if that fixes the issue temporarily but then how do I get the Roku to work with the new router? I removed my old rokus for the same issue now I am totally lost. I don't know why I can't just reset the box or something so I can set it up on the new network. It's so much more complicated than it needs to be. 

[Strega2]

Sure, you can do a factory reset.  You shouldn’t have to, but since nothing else seems to be working, you might as well try it.  The trick is to make sure you hold the reset button down for at least 10 seconds (some people would say longer.) The button will start a simple restart/reboot when you first press it, and that convinces many people they can release it and so the simple restart is all they get.  You have to keep holding for at least 10 seconds to get the second factory reset function.