Last Updated on February 13, 2023 by Ava
A few years ago, I upgraded my television. It’s nothing fancy. I have a 55-inch Hisense Roku TV. It was a heck of a deal for under $300. It was GREAT for about a year until I ran into the problem of the Roku TV not connecting to wifi.
I consulted Google. I tried everything:
“Press Home 5 times, press Fast Forward, Pause/Play, Rewind, Pause/Play, Fast Forward to…” I don’t even remember what that was supposed to do. Clear the cache or something.
I even did a factory reset on the whole shebang, but still the same problem: Roku TV not connecting to wifi.
I was baffled. Nothing changed as far as my wifi network. I hadn’t upgraded my modem or router. The TV simply would no longer connect to the network.
I resorted to plugging an old Roku stick into the TV and moving on with life.
For the last couple of years, I’ve Googled the issue periodically just to see if there was anything new I could try.
The Problem with the Roku TV not Connecting to Wifi
This issue is compounded by the fact that there is no hope of something like a firmware update fixing the issue. If you can’t connect to the Internet, you don’t get updates.
It’s really a pain to have additional remote controls and crap because you can’t get your Roku TV to work properly. You also get robbed of some really great features. For example, once I got my Roku TV working with the method below, Roku built out an amazing guide for all of my channels that is just stunning. I’m so pleased with it that I can hardly stand it. I recently cut the cord to DirectTV, so that guide is HUGE for me.
I specifically selected a television with Roku because I believe the Roku software is far superior to the other Smart TV options on the market.
My parents have a Samsung Smart TV and it’s painful to use. So much so, that I got them a Roku box to use instead.
So, when the Roku TV not connecting to wifi problem persisted with my Smart TV, I was worried I had been wrong about Roku altogether.
Most recently, the remote for my Roku stick stopped working. I’ve been scrambling for weeks trying to find a solution and fumbling with the Roku app on my phone. The Roku app is good, but it’s not as convenient as a dedicated remote. After all, you have to wait for the app to load, and when your phone screen times out, it causes issues with the connectivity. It’s just not the best solution.
The best solution is if the built-in Roku software for my television would work! Before going through the hassle of configuring a new remote for my Roku stick, I decided to give the Roku TV software one more go.
After consulting Google and YouTube for the latest round of remote button gymnastics, I finally found a solution for my Roku TV not connecting to wifi.
The Solution to Roku TV not Connecting to Wifi
Disclaimer: The Roku TV not connecting to wifi is still an issue. I just circumvented it.
I still can’t get my Roku TV to connect to my wifi network, but I noticed that my television has an Internet port there beside all of the HDMIs and other things.
This triggered my “light bulb over the head” moment.
I have a few of these lying around:
That is a wifi range extender and it happens to have a couple of ethernet sockets.
Could it work?
It was certainly worth a try.
It wasn’t too difficult to relocate this extender across the room and dig out an ethernet cable to connect the TV to it.
Bada boom, bada bing, the moment of truth.
My TV was still on the wifi connection screen.
I selected the option to set up a wire connection and BAM, my Roku TV connected to the Internet and started updating immediately.
I’m sure I danced a jig right there in the middle of my living room. My Roku TV not connecting to wifi was no longer an issue!
It’s been 2 days of bliss since I got this fixed. It’s so nice to have my TV working properly. The built-in software is so much nicer than that old Roku stick. I don’t have to use the phone app.
This method solves two problems:
- The Roku TV not connecting to wifi issue
- Worrying about a repeat performance of the issue once I did manage to connect via wifi
Even I had managed to get my TV reconnected to my wifi network, I would have been worried it would break again. Now that it’s hardwired in with the range extender, I don’t worry about that anymore.
Where to Buy a Range Extender?
Amazon is probably your best bet. That’s where I got mine several years ago. Here’s an updated model from TP-Link for just under 20 bucks.
Don’t like TP-Link? Choose your own adventure – https://amzn.to/3eSZRvT
You may feel like you shouldn’t have to buy additional equipment to get your Roku TV to work, and I understand that. This device also extends the range of your wifi, so your other connected devices in the room with your TV will work with the Internet more efficiently.
Did This Information Solve Your Problem?
I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.
If this is your first time at HeyYoAva.com, this website serves multiple purposes and this is actually the first post where I’m sharing from my personal experience. There is much more to come.
Keep an eye on this space – https://heyyoava.com/category/i-solve-problems/