My Roku Can’t Find Wi-Fi: Causes & Solutions

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Your Roku is basically useless without an internet connection. So, when your Roku couldn’t find your home’s Wi-Fi, you knew you had to find a solution ASAP. 

You checked that your Wi-Fi router is turned on and have returned to your Roku’s network settings a million times in the hopes that your Wi-Fi name will magically pop up. 

Still, your Roku remains Wi-Fi-less. 

Why can’t your Roku find your home’s Wi-Fi? How can you connect your Roku to the internet when it has this problem? 

Keep reading to find out! 

1. Reboot Your Roku 

Have you ever turned on your computer and had some apps or features load incorrectly? The same thing can happen to Roku devices, making them unable to find a Wi-Fi connection. 

If your Roku is stuck on the setup page, then your only option may be to unplug it from your TV and power for a few minutes. 

However, if you’ve already set up your Roku and can access the home screen, we strongly recommend restarting it via the settings. This will reboot your Roku’s software and reload its interface, hopefully fixing the network issues. 

Step 1: On the Home screen, open the Settings found in the menu. 

Step 2: Open the System option. 

Step 3: Select System restart. You may have to select Power to arrive at this option, depending on your Roku model. 

Step 4: Press Restart to reboot your Roku. 

Once rebooted, see if your Roku can find the Wi-Fi. If it’s still struggling to discover the network, proceed to the next solution. 

2. Reboot Your Wi-Fi Router

Your Roku may be in perfect condition, but there could be a problem with your Wi-Fi router. 

First, observe your Wi-Fi router’s LED indicator lights. Are some of them yellow, orange, or red? Are all of them turned off?

Try connecting another device to the same Wi-Fi router and see the results. Can you browse the internet smoothly on your phone or laptop? 

If not, there may be something wrong with your router. 

Rebooting your router is an easy, but effective, way to establish a network connection. 

Step 1: Remove all of your router’s connected cables, including the power cable. 

Step 2: After a few minutes, plug everything back in. 

Step 3: Wait for your router to fully restart, allowing the LED indicator lights to light up green. 

Now that your router has rebooted, head back to your Roku Network settings and see if the router name appears. 

If it does, connect to it and get streaming! 

3. Update Your Roku

It’s no secret that Roku sometimes misses the mark on software updates. 

So, if you’ve recently updated your Roku, you could have installed a glitchy software update that disables certain functions, like your Roku’s ability to find Wi-Fi networks. 

If you’ve only recently installed this update, you may have to wait a while until Roku releases a new update that will fix these bugs. 

However, it still doesn’t hurt to see if there are any available updates and install them. 

If your Roku can connect to any network (even your mobile hotspot), you can update it from your Roku’s settings. 

Go to your Roku’s Home screen before following the steps below. 

Step 1: Use your remote to go to the menu on the left side of our screen. Then, scroll down and select Settings. 

Step 2: Head to System. 

Step 3: Click on System Update. 

Step 4: Select Check now and wait while your Roku searches for updates. 

Step 5: If your Roku has found any update, click Download and then Install. 

Watch the video below demonstrating how to update Rokus. 

4. Move Your Wi-Fi Router Closer to Your Roku 

Several Roku users have found that their Rokus struggled to find networks that are in other rooms, even if their other devices can easily connect to them. 

This demonstrates a possible weakness in Roku’s network settings. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. 

Move your Wi-Fi router close to your Roku, either by moving it into the same room or dragging the physical router closer to your Roku device. 

This solution may seem simple, but it’s also extremely effective.

However, placing your Wi-Fi router too close to your TV will degrade the signal. For the best results, place it at least one foot away from your TV. 

If your TV setup looks anything like mine, your TV is wall-mounted, creating some distance between the Roku device and your Wi-Fi router. 

So, you may need to use an HDMI extender to place your Roku device closer to your router. 

You can also try putting your router in different positions to see if that helps. 

Now, go back to your Roku Network settings to see if it can find your router. 

5. Scan for Networks

It’s possible that your Roku couldn’t find your home’s Wi-Fi network the first time. 

If this happens, you may have to have your Roku scan for networks a second time. 

Step 1: Click on the Settings tab found on your Home screen. 

Step 2: Go to Network. 

Step 3: Click on Set up connection.

Step 4: If your Roku can’t find your Wi-Fi, click on Scan.

If your Roku still can’t find your Wi-Fi router, try the next solution. 

6. Use a Wired Connection

Your Roku may be struggling to wirelessly connect to networks, but it could be able to support a wired connection. 

Try plugging your router into your Roku with an Ethernet cable. 

This is a great option if you have a Roku Ultra or Roku Ultra LT since these models come with Ethernet ports. 

If you have any other Roku device, you will need to get an Ethernet adapter. We recommend the Belkertech Ethernet Adapter , which plugs into your Roku’s micro USB port and has a USB cable to connect it to power. 

Your router should come with an Ethernet cable, but if it didn’t, check out the Amazon Basics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Internet Cable .

You may also need to change your Roku Network settings by following the steps below. 

Step 1: Open your Roku’s Home screen. 

Step 2: Click on Settings. 

Step 3: Open the Network settings. 

Step 4: Change the network settings to Wired. 

Now, your Roku will be ready to receive a wired internet connection. 

This gives you less flexibility when setting up your Roku, but it should provide a steadier network connection. If it works, you’ll also be able to update your Roku, which could solve your network issues.  

7. Disable Network Pings

Your Roku device’s network pings could be enabled, making it difficult for you to connect to any network. 

Disabling network pings won’t negatively affect your user experience and could solve this problem. 

To do this, you will need to access a secret menu using a combination of buttons on your remote. 

Let’s learn how!

Step 1: Press your remote’s Home (⌂) button five times. 

Step 2: Press the Fast Forward (») button once.

Step 3: Press the Play/Pause (▶॥) button once. 

Step 4: Press the Rewind («) button once. 

Step 5: Press the Play/Pause (▶॥) once more. 

Step 6: Finally, press the Fast Forward (») again. 

Step 7: Go to System Operations Menu. 

Step 8: Click on Network Menu. 

Step 9: Select Disable network pings. Once you’ve clicked on it, it should say “Enable network pings.” 

Step 10: Press your remote’s Home button to return to the Home screen. 

Step 11: Now, all you need to do is restart your Roku by disconnecting it from power and your TV, and wait a few minutes before plugging it back in. 

This process can be a little complex, so watch the video below demonstrating how to do it from start to finish. 

8. Change Your Router’s Channel

If you’ve tried all of the above and are confident in your tech skills, you may want to try changing your router’s channel.

Your router may be set to a channel that is incompatible with your Roku. 

Roku suggests changing your router to channels 1, 6, or 11. 

You should be able to change your router’s channel by entering its IP address into your computer’s browser, then changing the channel setting. 

However, this method will differ depending on which router you have, so we recommend contacting the manufacturer’s customer support for more detailed instructions. 

Once you’ve changed the channel, see if your Roku can (finally!) detect your Wi-Fi router. 

9. Factory Reset Your Roku

Let’s try starting fresh by factory resetting your Roku. 

This will only take a few minutes and can help to erase any custom settings you may have enabled that are causing your Roku’s network settings to malfunction.

Step 1: Click on your Roku’s Settings. 

Step 2: Go to System. 

Step 3: Head to Advanced system settings. 

Step 4: Click on Factory reset. 

Step 5: Follow the on-screen directions, which will prompt you to enter a 4-digit code into the text input. 

Step 6: Press OK on your remote to submit the code and begin the factory restart process.

Note: This process is irreversible and will delete all installed apps and user data. 

If you need additional guidance, watch the video below showing how to complete this process. 

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