# Is my Roku failing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092 "2016-03-06T03:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/1 "2016-03-06T03:48:30Z")
Sometimes it just won’t respond to remote commands, i.e., freezes up. If I unplug the power and reconnect, then it works again. Should I replace it, or is something else going on? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/2 "2016-03-06T05:24:42Z")
Have you replaced the batteries in the remote? There is a Roku website IIRC with a community and tech support. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/3 "2016-03-06T05:38:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Sometimes it just won’t respond to remote commands, i.e., freezes up. If I unplug the power and reconnect, then it works again. Should I replace it, or is something else going on? My father’s was doing this for a while too, but I believe it was merely a phase and it’s OK again. Mine will say it has an excellent connection but then be unable to actually connect with any of the sites. Frustrating! ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/4 "2016-03-06T06:07:59Z")
I’ve been having this same problem with my Roku 2 XS. Mine would intermittently freeze right after I hit a button on the remote. I tried numerous refreshes and factory resets and nothing seemed to fix it. I eventually just bought a Roku 3. I even tried the Roku remote app on my iPad but that didn’t work either when the Roku was frozen. So it wasn’t my remote. It was something in the Roku that got stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/5 "2016-03-06T15:26:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Have you replaced the batteries in the remote? > > There is a Roku website IIRC with a community and tech support. It’s not a tumor! No, not the batteries, just an annoying problem. I’ve had it for several years, so perhaps it’s just losing its mind, like its owner. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/6 "2016-03-06T15:31:11Z")
Mine’s been doing this for the last six months or so. I don’t use the remote…my phone is connected. I have to reboot the thing to get it to accept commands again. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/7 "2016-03-06T15:31:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s not a tumor! > > No, not the batteries, just an annoying problem. I’ve had it for several years, so perhaps it’s just losing its mind, like its owner. Tumor…? (Sorry, haven’t had coffee yet this morning.) [Troubleshooting a non-responsive Roku remote-- second choice](https://support.roku.com/hc/en-us/articles/208755708) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/8 "2016-03-06T16:44:02Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Tumor…? (Sorry, haven’t had coffee yet this morning.) > > [Troubleshooting a non-responsive Roku remote-- second choice](https://support.roku.com/hc/en-us/articles/208755708) It’s a lame reference to the movie Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold S. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/9 "2016-03-06T20:48:55Z")
Oh…I’ve never seen that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/10 "2016-03-06T20:49:18Z")
Have you checked to see if it works better when you use a smartphone app as a remote? We bought a Roku at Christmas and the remote quit working a couple weeks ago. I replaced the batteries in the remote, and that solved it… for a day or two. It works fine with the phone app. So, see if that solves the problem; at the least, it will pinpoint whether it’s the remote or the roku itself. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/11 "2016-03-06T21:09:22Z")
I read a number of posts from people on the web who are having the same problem. I bet it’s a hang in the Roku operating system. Does anyone know if the channels you have loaded do anything when the home screen is started? I’m wondering if it’s Roku itself or some sort of startup code on one of the channels. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/12 "2016-03-06T22:11:09Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I read a number of posts from people on the web who are having the same problem. I bet it’s a hang in the Roku operating system. > > Does anyone know if the channels you have loaded do anything when the home screen is started? I’m wondering if it’s Roku itself or some sort of startup code on one of the channels. I’ve had my channels for quite awhile. The newest one would be Netflix, but that’s many months old and the problems started cropping up only in about the past month. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/13 "2016-03-07T02:59:11Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > My father’s was doing this for a while too, but I believe it was merely a phase and it’s OK again. > > Mine will say it has an excellent connection but then be unable to actually connect with any of the sites. Frustrating! Excellent connection means it can talk to your wi-fi or router. Lack of connecting to sites is after your router upstream. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/14 "2016-03-07T14:39:27Z")
There is a recall for some Roku’s due to overheating. Some [sites](http://zatznotfunny.com/2016-03/roku-4-recall/) refer to a fan glitch. [Others](http://www.aftvnews.com/roku-4-being-recalled-possibly-due-to-missing-cpu-thermal-pad/) refer to a missing heat sink pad. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/15 "2016-03-07T14:51:46Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Oh…I’ve never seen that movie. Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger surrounded by a kindergarten class and saying “Be quiet - I have a headache!” “Maybe it’s a tumor.” “IT’S NOT A TUMAH!” Classic. The “best” was when a co-worker mentioned a headache and I said “Maybe it’s a tumor”, and THEN remembered her husband had been treated for a brain tumor. Classic gigi. /hijack ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/16 "2016-03-07T18:14:12Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > There is a recall for some Roku’s due to overheating. > > Some [sites](http://zatznotfunny.com/2016-03/roku-4-recall/) refer to a fan glitch. > > [Others](http://www.aftvnews.com/roku-4-being-recalled-possibly-due-to-missing-cpu-thermal-pad/) refer to a missing heat sink pad. I’m also noticing buffering going on (program pauses), which I never had a problem with before. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/17 "2016-03-07T18:23:50Z")
This has been happening to my Roku too! Actually, we have two Rokus, and it only happens to our Roku 2. Our Roku 3 doesn’t have any problems at all. It’s also possible that I’ve forgotten which is the Roku 2 and which is the 3. But it’s happening to one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/18 "2016-03-07T19:40:26Z")
For the last several weeks my Roku 2 XS has been freezing up about once a day, and must be rebooted. Otherwise it’s working perfectly. It’s more than 4 years old. I was having similar trouble with it a couple of years ago, but the problem went away, and I assumed they pushed a software fix. I’m waiting to see if they fix this soon, otherwise I’ll go buy a Roku 3. I’m not sure there is much motivation for them to push a fix to the older models. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/19 "2016-03-07T19:43:29Z")
Weird, mine too, even with the phone app. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092/20 "2016-03-07T20:12:18Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > For the last several weeks my Roku 2 XS has been freezing up about once a day, and must be rebooted. Otherwise it’s working perfectly. It’s more than 4 years old. As an experiment, you could try removing channels and see if it changes the behavior. Sometimes you can reboot using the remote buttons. I think the pattern is 5xHome, 1xUp, 2xRew, 2xFwd. After a few seconds it should reboot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-roku-failing/748092.md?page=2)