Struggling with a Second Roku

Support & Troubleshooting
1

Hi there,

Earlier this year I got started with a Tablo Dual 64 GB and a Roku Ultra. Everything worked perfectly!

Last week I added a Roku Express to another TV in our house. Everything mostly works, but I’m running into an issue. If I try to run live TV via Tablo on both TVs at that same time, the first TV (Roku) to connect to Tablo does just fine, but the second TV (Roku) struggles to make a connection, and then after the connection is made will struggle to keep the connection. (I get the black screen with the spinning icon in the middle.)

Either will work just fine on it’s own, but they just don’t play nice together. Suggestions?

2

I posted on a different thread that a foreign 2.4Ghz wireless device greatly impacted (and I mean greatly) my WiFi Tablo. I’m not sure what’s up with that. But I got similar behavior when the that foreign device was operating.

3

What does “foreign” mean? Are you thinking it’s something like a neighbor’s router?

4

Foreign meaning “not a Tablo, not a Roku”. In my case it was a set of wireless headphones (Ownzone, Sharper Image). When the base unit was plugged into my computer my WiFi connected Tablo would be virtually undiscoverable, but on my Roku, I would get the constant black screen and spinner all the time (it would play a second or two, and then black screen forever, then I might get another second or two…etc.)

Took me awhile to isolate the problem to that wireless headphone base unit… which is now (permanently) disconnected… however you never know when you might need a 2.4Ghz jammer…

2 Likes
5

Are you connecting wireless to the roku devices over wireless?

It sounds like you have a bandwidth issue with home wifi. Can you update the rokus to 5 g if your cable modem will support it?

Also make sure both roku devices firmware have been updated they just released a band width up date on Roku TV’s

6

The Ultra supports both wired and WiFi and also WiFi MiMO. The Express is WiFi only and non-MIMO.

It’s going to hard to fit all that bandwidth on 2.4Ghz - depending on recording quality.

It might work if both are move to 5G WiFi. Or sometimes two products can be split with one 2.4Ghz and one on 5Ghz. Some people actually pick a WiFi channel to use that is less busy.

7

Make certain when watching live tv you click on the far left tv channel number and not the program itself in the Guide.

I believe the Tablo starts a temporary recording session when clicking on the program title in the Guide which could affect the ability of a second TV to watch live.

Can’t confirm this hypothesis but it can’t hurt to try the procedure.