Lost Your Roku Remote? Here’s How to Turn on Roku TV Without Remote!

by Anne B. Robinson
1.4K views

Just like any other streaming TV player, Roku TV comes with a remote that allows you to control and access all the available services it provides. But what if you lost this remote?

Be it by misplacing it and forgetting where it was, or taking it with you on a trip only to end up coming back without it. There’s also the chance of it breaking or not working for any reason.

In these cases, you’ll have some trouble getting your TV to work. Thankfully though, there is an easy solution to this problem!

How to Turn on Roku TV Without Remote

To use your TV without its remote, you’ll need a working Wi-Fi network and a smartphone.

Having access to both these things will allow you to download the Roku TV app —from either the PlayStore for Android mobiles or AppStore for IOS devices— and control your TV through it.

In the following section, we’ll provide a step-by-step walkthrough to explain how you can get your TV working without encountering any further issues.

Step-By-Step Walkthrough

As we’ve mentioned above, you’ll need to download the Roku TV app on your mobile device.

  • Once you’ve got the app running, make sure your mobile is connected to the network your TV is connected to, with both the network’s name and password matching.
  • If everything matches, then you can go ahead and open your app. For first-time users, you’ll need to accept terms and conditions to proceed forward.
  • Now that you’re inside the app, you’ll notice a TV icon on the bottom right of the screen with ‘Devices’ written under it. All you’ll need to do now is click on this icon, and it should show your Roku device.
  • Once you’ve selected your device, you’ll find three icons showing up on the screen. The first icon should be labeled as ‘remote.’ Tabbing this plus-shaped icon should open up a virtual remote.
  • And that should be it! Now you can control your TV by using your Roku app!

What to Do If the New Wi-Fi Network Doesn’t Match?

If your Roku TV is connected to a different network from the one you’re currently working on, then there are two solutions you can try.

Connecting Using a New Wi-Fi Network

wi-fi network

For the new Wi-Fi network, you’ll need to make sure that you create a brand new one using the same exact name and password as the one your TV is already connected to.

So, for example, if the network your TV is connected to is called ABC, and its password is 123, the new network should also be called ABC and with a 123 password.

Things should work smoothly after.

If for any reason, you’re unable to create a new Wi-Fi network, you can try to connect using a hotspot instead.

How to Connect Using HotSpot?

  • Much like the Wi-Fi, you’ll need to rename your hotspot similarly to the one connected to your Roku device and the same password as well.
  • Once you’re done, bring another mobile you can use as your new remote. Connect this new mobile to the hotspot you just created. You can do that by simply finding it in the Wi-Fi section in your settings.
  • After you’re connected, you can repeat the previously mentioned steps and open the Roku TV’s remote on your mobile.
  • Your remote should be working as expected now. Before you go ahead with your streaming, make sure to change your TV’s network to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi, as streaming will consume a lot of data if you continue using your hotspot.

How to Connect to a New Wi-Fi Network

  • You can change the TV’s network by going to the settings. Do that by tapping the ‘home’ button on your remote. Then choose ‘network.’
  • You’ll be asked to choose between wireless or wired connections. You can choose the wireless one to connect to your Wi-Fi.
  • A list of all the available networks will show up on the screen. All you’ll need to do now is choose your home’s Wi-Fi and write down the password, and you should be done!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Did my Virtual Remote Stop Working After Connecting to a New Network?

As your mobile was connected to the old Wi-Fi/hotspot, it’s not unusual that it’ll disconnect from your TV once you connect it to another Wi-Fi.

There’s nothing to worry about, though! All you’ll need to do to get it working back again is to connect your smartphone to the new network, and everything should go back to normal.

What to Do If The App is Not Working On Your TV

You might notice that even though you’ve followed all the steps and got the remote to appear, your TV is, for some reason, not turning on.

This is a normal occurrence as the app sometimes will need you to have your TV already turned on for your virtual remote to work. So then, how can you turn on your TV?

The answer is quite simple; just like the good ol’ days, you’ll need to find the control panel on the back of your TV.

Most, if not all Roku TVs, will include a control panel on the back to allow simple control functions. Such as turning on and off the tv, increasing and decreasing the volume, and so on.

You’ll be able to find these buttons on the bottom middle part of your TV screen, usually under the TCL logo.

There are three buttons located in that area. The middle button is the power one. You can also open up the settings menu by holding it for a few seconds. And as I’ve mentioned before, the other two buttons are for volume control.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve tackled the different ways you can connect back to your Roku TV, you can now go back to enjoying your favorite streaming player without having to worry about your lost remote any longer!

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