Although devices Roku can not be hacked, like other modern smart devices, there are many features, workarounds, and «hacks» that can expand Roku’s content reach and operating flexibility.
Let’s check out 20 ways to improve your Roku experience.
Roku works with TVs from a variety of manufacturers, including but not limited to LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and Vizio.
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Watch free movies and series
Roku list of the best free channels.
Roku
You can find free movies and TV shows on Roku in the following ways:
- Roku Channel offers a wide selection of free movies and TV shows.
- Roku provides a periodically updated list of the most popular channels that offer free content. To see this list, click the » Home» on your Roku remote, go to » Streaming channels» and select » Top Free» . From there, you can add any of the channels to your list.
- If you know the name of the free channel you want to add, you can go to section «Streaming channels» and enter it into option » Search» and see if it’s available on Roku.
- Another way to find free movies and TV shows is to go to the search category on the homepage, type in the name of the movie or program, and see if that channel is offered on a channel available on Roku and if there are any viewing fees required.
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Find 4K content
Roku 4K UHD Content available.
Roku
if you have Roku device with 4K support you can find out what to watch in 4K by clicking Streaming channels and choosing UHD Content Available .
This provides a list of channels that offer 4K content. However, not all content offered by these channels is in 4K. You will have to check what they offer. To make it easier to find content in 4K, you can also install 4K Spotlight app from the Roku channel store and find available programs and movies offered in 4K across multiple channels.
Available UHD content and 4K Spotlight options are only visible on 4K Roku devices such as Roku 4, Premiere, Premiere+, Ultra, Streaming Stick+ and 4K Ultra HD Roku TVs.
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Watch live TV
Scoreboard for Roku OSD menu.
Image courtesy of Tablo and Roku
You cannot connect an antenna directly to Roku (except Roku TVs), but you can use a Roku stick or box in combination with digital OTA (Air-The-Air) DVR such as Tablo or external tuners such as AirTV and Clearstream. Television .
These devices will accept television signals through an antenna and then transmit them wirelessly to streaming flash drive or box Roku by installing related Roku Apps .
In addition, if you choose Tablo in combination with a USB hard drive, you can also use Roku to schedule and play any content that Tablo can write to the accompanying hard drive.
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Add secret or uncertified channels
ROKU — Add channel with code and warning.
Roku
One of the most popular Roku hacks is adding uncertified, private, or secret channels. These channels do not appear in list Roku streaming channels . To add these channels, you need to log into your Roku account on a PC or smartphone, enter a special code.
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Eliminate video buffering or freezing
Roku secret baud rate override menu.
Roku
Some streaming services automatically adjust their channel’s video quality based on speed your his channel but some don’t. This means that sometimes you may encounter buffering, skipping, or hanging some content because your internet speed is not fast enough.
In addition, you may have a monthly data limit, which means that if you watch too much streaming content in a particular month, you may be charged overage.
You can go to a secret menu and change the «bitrate» at which your Roku receives a streaming signal. This can reduce issues such as buffering and freezing, as well as save on any data writes. However, you may have to settle for a lower quality video stream.
To make this setting, click Home Five times, RW three times, FF twice on the Roku remote. You can then leave the setting at Auto (default) or set it to a specific speed.
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Check Wi-Fi signal strength
Roku Wireless Secret Menu.
Roku
In addition to broadband speed issues, another cause of problems when playing streaming content on Roku can be a weak WiFi signal.
Roku has a secret menu that allows you to check the exact strength of your Wi-Fi signal relative to your Roku device. To see it, grab your Roku remote and press Home five times, then up , way down , up , way down , up .
This code will call the secret menu wifi, to see things like signal strength.
You can then use this as a guide to see if you need to move your Roku device closer to your router, your router closer to your Roku device, or if you need a better router with better signal strength.
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Use the Roku mobile app
Roku Mobile App — Screenshots.
Roku
Instead of using the Roku remote, you can control Roku with the companion mobile app which is available for iOS, so and for Android .
- The app provides voice search capability in addition to other Roku features.
- For Roku TVs the mobile app controls streaming and TV functions such as input selection, OTA channel scan, and picture and sound settings.
- Mobile app also provides the option to privately listen to your Roku channels. using the speaker or earpiece of your smartphone.
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Mirror your smartphone
Roku Screen Mirroring.
Roku
If you have a compatible Android smartphone ( process for iOS a bit more complicated), you can use option Screen Mirroring . This displays everything you can see on your smartphone screen (including streaming services, platforms such as KODI , photos, videos, webpages, and more) on your TV using a Roku device (or Roku TV). On some phones, this setting may be referred to as Miracast (not to be confused with Screen Casting — this is discussed in the next section).
Screen mirroring does not require a network connection, the signal is sent directly from your smartphone to your Roku or Roku TV device. However, you cannot perform any other tasks on your phone while your content is being mirrored. If you click on another icon, the content will stop.
To enable screen mirroring on Roku, first enable the Screen Mirroring/Miracast feature on your Android phone through your phone’s settings. Then on your Roku remote, press the » Home» press » Settings» » System» » Screen Reflection» and choose one of several screen mirroring modes .
- Clue — Your Roku device will display an on-screen prompt confirming the screen mirroring request.
- Always Allow — Screen mirroring turns on every time it is detected. There is no prompt on the screen.
- Never allow — mirroring of all screens is blocked without a prompt on the screen. This setting disables mirroring features when selected.
- Screen mirroring devices. You can select Allowed Devices or Blocked Devices. If the Always Allow or Never Allow options have already been selected, you will not be able to use this option.
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Use screen casting
Roku Screen Casting.
Roku
Another way to watch content from your smartphone on your TV with Roku is to use the Cast feature. This works for select apps as well as self-taken photos and videos. With the casting feature, when selected content is playing on your TV, you can still do other tasks on your phone at the same time. In addition, Casting is supported on Android and iOS devices.
For Cast, your mobile device and Roku must be connected to the same networks WiFi .
Unlike Screen Mirroring, not all applications support Casting. If the smartphone app is compatible with Casting (YouTube and Netflix are two examples), the Cast logo (see photo above) will appear at the top of the smartphone screen. Click on the logo and casting will begin.
Your smartphone may need to set up or install an additional app before using the Casting function.
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Playing content stored on a PC or other storage devices
Roku Media Player menu example.
Roku
In addition to streaming channels, Roku Media Player App allows you to access and play music, photos and videos from computers and media servers connected to the same home network. The app is also compatible with media server software platforms such as Play On , Plex , Serviio , Tversity , Twonky and Windows Media Player .
Also, if your Roku device or Roku TV has a USB port, you can play content from USB drives.
For details on setup and use (including compatible digital media file formats), see Roku Media Player support page.
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Play games
Danger for Roku.
Roku
In addition to watching movies and TV shows, you can also play games, using your Roku. We’re not talking about Xbox or PS4 difficulty, but there are some fun games to play. Best to use Roku Enhanced Voice Remote or Gaming Remote (depending on which Roku model you have), which is offered as an optional accessory with purchase.
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Take control of Roku with Alexa or Google Home
Quick remote for Roku — Alexa and Google Home.
Appestry
Roku has its own voice control system that requires the use of a portable voice remote control. However, you can also control some Roku features in hands-free mode with Alexa or Google Home .
For this you need to use a third party app from Appestry called Quick Remote . For Alexa, the app is available for Android and iOS, but for Google Home, the app is only available for Android.
To find out what to do after downloading the Quick Remote app, just follow the instructions for Alexa and Google Home (also includes examples of voice commands you can use).
The Quick Remote app limits you to 50 free commands per month, which runs out quickly. To access more than 50 commands per month, the subscription fee is $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year.
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Enable instant playback with closed captions
Roku signature settings menu.
Roku
Just like your TV offers closed captioning for the hard of hearing, Roku offers that too, but with an extra twist. In addition to traditional subtitles for entire programs or movies, you can set it to work for «instant playback» only.
If you missed or didn’t quite understand the last few seconds of the show or movie you’re watching due to interruption or background noise, or if the lines weren’t clear, you can use the Roku play button to go back and repeat it. with the addition of not only hearing the voice, but also displaying the text of what was said (if available).
To set this up on your Roku, go to the OSD menu, click » Settings» then » Signatures» (on some models you may be prompted to click «Accessibility» then «Signatures») and then » Instant Play» .
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Choose screensavers
Roku Aquatic Life 4K Screensaver.
Roku
If you’ve selected your Roku, but watch content for a while and leave your TV on, Roku will default to its own splash screen after a while. However, you also have the option change or choose your own splash screen including a fireplace (great for winter), a selection of art or NASA and fantastic space images .
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Listen with headphones on select Roku devices
Roku Ultra with headphone remote.
Roku
Some Roku models have a remote with a headphone jack and headphones.
Once activated, your Roku device sends audio wirelessly to the remote so you can listen to them through your headphones. It is great for late night private listening and for listening to music. You can even move around the room (just put the remote in your pocket).
If you want your Roku device to send audio to both your headphones and TV audio system at the same time, you can access a dedicated menu by pressing the following buttons located on the right side of the remote: Volume up (twice), Volume Decrease (twice), turn up the volume (three times), turn down the volume (three times) and activate audience audience .
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Use Roku with a home theater receiver for the best sound experience
Get the best audio for Roku vis HDMI and speakers on your home theater receiver.
Pioneer Electronics
If your setup has a home theater receiver, you can connect a streaming stick or Roku box to the receiver ( via HDMI ) instead of a TV. The receiver will transmit the video stream through to the TV (or video projector) and also provide:
- Access to more surround sound formats such as Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos, offered to select content from services such as Netflix, Vudu and Amazon.
- The best sound for music streaming. Roku offers many music streaming channels such as Pandora, iHeart Radio, Sirius/XM, Amazon Music, and more.
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Personalize your Roku screen
Roku Theme Examples.
Roku
Change themes are one way to personalize your Roku experience . From menu colors and styles to the image that appears in the background, a theme defines the overall look and feel of a Roku interface.
To select or change a theme, click Home on your Roku Remote, go to » Settings» go to » Topics» select » My themes» . Here you will be able to choose one of the preset theme options, but if you choose Get more themes you can select one of the additional options that you can add to your selection list. Some themes may require a modest fee to use.
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Set up your order channel
Setting Roku Home Menu Channel Order.
Roku
Every time you add a channel to the home screen, it is automatically placed at the bottom of your lists. If you add many channels, you may need to scroll through the entire list to find one or more of your favorites.
However, you can arrange your list to better reflect your viewing preferences by moving your favorite channels to the top of the list.
To do this:
- Click the button Home» on the Roku remote.
- Press the right button on the navigation bar to access the channel list. The directional pad is plus shaped and sits in the center of your Roku remote.
- Using the directional pad, highlight the channel you want to move.
- Click the button Star», to open Options menu .
- Select Move channel .
- Move the channel to a new location using the direction keys and press button OK on the remote control.
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Web browsing with Roku
X Search Page web browser example.
X web browser via Roku
Roku doesn’t have a built-in web browser, but there are a few workarounds.
One workaround is to mirror your smartphone screen and use whatever web browsers you have installed there, or you can install Web Browser X application from the Roku Channel Store, which provides access to the Google web browser.
However, since Roku does not provide the ability to connect a wired or wireless keyboard, using the buttons and scrolling capabilities available on the Roku remote is quite cumbersome. However, the Roku mobile app has a virtual keyboard.
The Web Browser X application requires a subscription fee of $4.99 per month.
It should also be noted that while Roku provides a video-only Firefox app, Firefox for Roku does not support actual browsing.
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Traveling with Roku
Roku Dorm and Hotel Connect settings windows.
Roku
Going to college or just relaxing? Roku has a feature called Hotel and Dorm Connect .
To get ready, make sure your Roku has the latest firmware update and you’ve collected all the necessary accessories: cable HDMI, if you use the boxed version (streaming joysticks have a built-in HDMI connection), power adapter and remote control, and don’t forget your smartphone.
Also, find out if the hotel or hostel you’ll be staying at provides WiFi and that the TV you’ll be using has an available HDMI input that you can select from the TV’s remote control.
Plug in your memory card or Roku box, click Home on the Roku remote, select «Settings» » Net» then » Set up a connection» and select » Wireless connection» .
Once the network connection is established, select » I’m in a hotel or college dorm.» after which a few additional authentication prompts will appear on the TV screen, such as entering a WiFi password to use a specific network and a Roku server (which may require a smartphone, tablet, or laptop).
Roku 1 is not compatible with hotels and Dorm Connect. Roku TV compatibility varies by brand and model.