This can be annoying problem some Roku users have encountered, even after their device has been working fine perhaps for several years. They reset their Roku stick/box, and all of a sudden, it doesn’t seem to work any more.
This is an frustrating problem especially if there’s been no issues with the device up until this point, so what fixes are available for this problem?
In general, if a Roku device stops working after a reset, it’s best to quickly reboot or power cycle all devices again to refresh the connection. It is also advised to only re-connect it to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band on your router, as some Roku devices are not compatible with 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
And that’s really your main quick fixes for this problem, but let’s dive into more detail about all the possible solutions, since these problems usually have multiple possible causes.
Quick Fixes For Roku Not Working After Resetting
Let’s quickly run through some of the more commonly suggested fixes and diagnostic steps for this problem, so you can tick off and try what you haven’t already:
- Sometimes you might just have to wait a minute or two after resetting the Roku or your router, for everything to properly reconnect and signal to refresh. Give it a few minutes.
- Quickly Reboot the Roku device and/or your router again
- Try power cycling the Roku device and/or your router (fully unplugging them and restarting them after 1-2 minutes).
- Try factory resetting your Roku device and/or router (takes longer and you’ll lose all custom settings and revert to factory defaults for all devices).
- Try plugging the Roku into the router direct with a cable if it has an ethernet port.
- Try connecting to an alternate Wi-Fi network if there’s on in range.
These last two steps are good for diagnostics – if the Roku works fine with either of these two methods, it’s a sign that the issue is likely with your router rather than your Roku, and you can turn your attention to this (more troubleshooting tips below in this regard).
Also be aware that factory resetting your router can be exactly what knocks it off the settings/mode that made it work properly with the Roku before, so you may have to revert back to an old custom setting that works (we’ll cover this further below).
If none of these fixes work, we’ll cover some more advanced troubleshooting steps below, in order of the ones that appear to fix the issue most often first.
Advanced Fix #1 – Only Use Roku Devices With 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
This seems to be the most common cause for this problem if reboots/resets alone don’t work. Some Roku devices only work on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, so you need to make sure you reconnect it ONLY to this band after a reset to get it to work.
For non technical users who just want to stream content, we know this tech-talk can be infuriating, so I’ll try and simply explain what this means without using jargon:
How Dual Band Wi-Fi Works – Most modern routers are dual band enabled, meaning they broadcast two networks – a 2.4 GHz one and a 5 GHz one. In bottom line terms, this means that as long as both bands are enabled, if you scan for nearby networks near your router, you’ll actually see two different ones – one for the 2.4 GHz and one for 5 GHz (eg. something like “Comcast45678 2.4 GHz” and “Comcast 45678 5 GHz”). To make sure your Roku device works, always connect it to the 2.4 GHz network only, not the 5 GHz one (some newer models can connect to 5 GHz). The password(s) for each respective network will be on the sticker on your router.
Enabling 2.4 GHz broadcast – Some users run into problem not being able to find the 2.4 GHz network on their router. Assuming you’re within decent range, the most likely reason for this is it’s not broadcasting and needs to be turned on from the router settings. Here’s how you do this:
- Check the router label for login details (admin URL/username/password)
- Log into your router by typing the URL (eg. 192.168.0.1) into any browser address bar of a connected device.
- Enter the admin username/password to enter router settings
- Find Wi-Fi/Dual Band/Network settings or similar.
- Check the box/setting if needed to enable 2.4 GHz band broadcast if it’s turned off
- Once enabled, find it with your Roku device and connect.
Advanced Fix #2 – Change Your Wi-Fi Router Channel/Mode
While you’re in the router settings, it’s also a good idea to make sure the router is using the wireless mode and channel that’s compatible with Roku devices.
- Wireless Mode – Roku devices work on the 802.11 b/g/n wireless mode, so make sure this is enabled on your router. Find it under Wireless settings or similar.
- Wi-Fi Channel – Also make sure the channel is on 1, 6 or 11 for North American users, as this is the preferred channel.
Be sure to save/apply settings before exiting to make them take effect, then try rebooting and reconnecting the Roku device.
Advanced Fix #3 – Disable Firewall Blocking On Router
This is more likely to happen if you’ve factory reset your router rather than the Roku device, but sometimes the firewall in the router may block the Roku device and stop it accessing the internet.
In this, you just need to create an exception within the firewall settings to allow the Roku back onto the network. Here’s how you do this:
- Log in to your router’s settings using the admin URL/username/password on the label.
- Find Firewall settings in your router, often under Security or Advanced or similar.
- If the Roku is blocked by it’s IP address or MAC address (check within the Roku settings to find these), you need to create an exception to allow this device on the network.
- Save settings and reboot router when done.
Advanced Fix #4 – Disable Network Pinging On The Roku Device
This is another more advanced setting you can tweak on the Roku device itself. Sometimes network “pings” or back and forward data packet communication between the router and Roku can get too excessive and overwhelm the device. It’s fair to say this is less likely to be the issue, but it’s worth trying if none of the other fixes above have worked yet.
Here’s how you do this:
- Access the secret settings menu by pressing the following on your Roku remote – Home x 5, Fast Forward x 1, Play x 1, Rewind x 1, Play x 1, Fast Forward x 1
- Select System Operations and Press OK
- Select Network Menu
- Select Disable Network Pings
- Press Home to exit the menu.
Advanced Fix #5 – Update Your Router & Roku Device If Needed
Another thing to check off the troubleshooting list is to make sure both your router and Roku are updated to the latest version/firmware, to avoid any network errors. You need to be online to do this, which is a bit of a Catch 22 – precisely the problem is you can’t get online. But there are ways around this.
Here’s how you do this:
For Roku Devices:
- Either plug the Roku into the router direct if possible, or connect it to an alternate 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Go to System….System Update…Check Now
- Install any updates as needed, then reboot the Roku.
For your router:
- Access your router settings using the login URL/username/password on the label
- Go to Settings/Update/Version/Advanced or similar within the settings panel
- Install any firmware updates as needed
- Alternatively, look up your router model on the label, visit the router manufacturer’s website on another connection, download any updates for your model as needed to a device, then re-upload them to your router’s settings panel.
Advanced Fix #6 – Contact Roku Support
If you’ve tried literally all these steps and still can’t get the Roku device to work after reset, it’s advised to contact Roku Support and ask them to advise on further steps.
See here for their generic support page, which links off to troubleshooting guides for Wi-Fi and other problems. To actually speak to a Support Agent, see this page.
Be aware though that it can take a long time for a real person to respond as they get a lot of Support enquiries. Have as much details as possible about the issue ready, including what the problem is, when it started, and what steps you’ve tried so far to fix it.
