It’s really frustrating when your Roku won’t connect or even see your Wifi network.
What can you do? It was just connected! Here are some easy fixes that should get your Roku connected to your Wifi again.
You’ll be back to streaming in no time.
How to Fix Roku Not Connecting to Wifi
How to Fix Roku Not Connecting to Wifi
Restart Router
If you’re having issues connecting your Roku device to WiFi, the first thing you want to do is restart your WiFi router. This is a simple, yet effective troubleshooting step that can resolve many connection issues.
To restart your WiFi router, simply unplug the power cord from the back of the router for about 30 seconds. Plug the router back in, wait for the lights to return to a normal state, and then attempt to connect your Roku device to WiFi.
Restart Roku
If restarting your WiFi router doesn’t resolve the issue, you’ll want to restart your Roku device. To restart your Roku device, press the Home button on your remote, and select Settings, Power, and System Restart.
Wait for the Roku to completely reboot. From there, try connecting the Roku to your Wifi once again. Hopefully, it will work this time.
Factory Reset Roku
You may want to consider performing a factory reset on your Roku device. To perform a factory reset, press the Home button on your remote, and select Settings, System, and Reset. Wait for the Roku to reboot. Remember, factory resetting will remove all of your apps and data.
Reset Roku Express:
- Press Home Button 5 Times
- Fast Forward 3 Times
- Rewind 2 Times
- An option to factory reset will pop-up
Unplug Power to Roku for 30 Seconds
Whether you have a Roku TV or a streaming stick, unplug the power to the device and let it sit for 30 seconds. This will power cycle the device which can fix many software issues. Plug the power back in and see if it connects to Wifi.
Reset Roku Network Settings
If the previous steps didn’t resolve your issues, you may have to reset your Roku network settings. To reset your Roku’s network settings, press the Home button on your remote, and select Settings, Network, and Reset. P.S. This usually helps when Roku can’t connect to the hotspot.
Change Wifi Channel
If you’re having issues connecting your Roku device to WiFi, you may want to try changing the channel on your WiFi router. To change the Wifi channel, you need to access your router’s configuration page.
Check your router for an IP address and login information, it’s usually printed on the side of the router. Enter the IP address in a web browser and log in. Locate the Wireless section and look for an option to change Wifi channel.
Use 2.4 GHz Wifi
Most Rokus can connect to 5 GHz Wifi but it can be problematic. If you’re having issues connecting to Wifi, try switching to 2.4 GHz Wifi. To change this you will need to enter the router’s configuration again and switch the broadcast settings to 2.4 GHz. Now try connecting the Roku again.
Use a Simple Wifi Password & Security
Don’t use any special characters in your Wifi password and use a simple encryption method such as WPA or WPA2.
Disable Router DFS Channels
You may want to try disabling the DFS channels. If you’re having issues connecting to WiFi, try disabling DFS channels. After you have logged into your router, you should see a list of channels.
Find the channel that is labelled “DFS”. If you can’t find it, it may be under a different name. This feature is only available on some routers. Now try connecting your Roku device to WiFi again.
Connect Your Roku with an Ethernet Cable
If you’re having issues connecting to WiFi, try connecting the Roku to the router via an Ethernet cable and entering the IP address into Roku’s network settings. It will be much faster and more reliable than a Wifi connection.
Make a New SSID
For some reason, a Roku will refuse to connect to a certain Wifi SSID network.
To narrow down the issue, I would open the router’s SSID settings and make a new SSID. If your router only allows you to have one active SSID at a time, try renaming the primary one. Roku (and other devices) don’t like networks with numbers and symbols.
Disable Network Pings on Roku
Now moving on to the Roku device. Disabling Network Pings usually fixes the issue with Roku not connecting to Wifi. This solution works on Roku TVs too. To disable Network Pings you need to open a secret screen on your Roku by pressing a sequence of buttons on the remote.
It’s fairly simple but you need to press them quickly. Press the Home button on your remote five times, then fast forward, play, rewind, play, and fast forward again. The Platform Secret screen should pop up on your device.
Now use the remote to select System Operations Menu, then Network Menu, and disable Network Pings. After that, I recommend restarting the Roku through the System Settings panel.
Router Out of Range
Try moving the Roku closer to the router. It could be not connecting because the Wifi signal is too weak.
Change Router’s Wifi Wireless Mode to B/G/N Mix
Another router setting you can change is the Wireless Mode. While certain modes are faster, not all Roku’s are compatible. Luckily, on most routers, there will be an option to enable all Wireless Modes, to accommodate older devices.
In your router’s SSID settings, look for a drop-down menu labelled Wireless Mode. Select B/G/N mixed. It will allow any device that supports those modes to connect. Many routers have the Wireless Mode set to G or N only, which won’t let any devices that support the other modes connect.
The channel and channel bandwidth shouldn’t affect Roku. I would leave both those options on auto and the channel bandwidth on 20/40 MHz. In most cases, changing your router’s Wifi settings to 2.4 GHz and Wireless Mode to B/G/N will let your Roku connect.
P.S. Roku made our list of recommended products. Read the full list of recommended products over here.
Conclusion
It’s really frustrating when Roku is the only device in your home that refuses to connect to your Wifi. Hopefully, the above solutions should get your Roku back online. I would also go through Roku’s official network troubleshooting guides for additional tips.
For me, rebooting the router and restarting the Roku did the trick. If any of these tips helped you, leave a comment below and mention which one solved it for you. Thanks!
Note: These tips also help when Nintendo Switch won’t connect to a hotspot.
