How to disable WiFi hardware on Roku 2 ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2020, 08:52:17 pm
content: I've got a Roku 2. It's OK, but even though I go through the menus to disable the WiFi, after a few weeks, perhaps after it updates the firmware, it will turn its WiFi back on. Usually on the same channel that I'm using for my home WiFi. I'm tired of this happening and I'm ready to disable the WiFi using a knife or soldering iron. The Roku 2 is old and I don't care about resale value. I'm thinking of removing as much as possible of the curved traces that connect to ANTEN1 and ANTEN2, or maybe one/some/all of the capacitors or inductors connected to the antennas. Would it just be easier/safer to cover the antennas with grounded copper tape? I don't have any, but it's easy enough for me to get in a few days online and I could do up my guitars with the leftovers.I was going to try to do this on my own, but then I thought "how often does anyone on the forum ask for help with breaking something?"EDIT:Oh, that's a Broadcom BCM11130IFEBG on there.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2020, 09:38:56 pm
content: I would search for the broadcom datasheet and try to find if it has somekind of a shutdown control signal / voltage

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2020, 11:10:32 pm
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on July 24, 2020, 09:38:56 pmI worry that the OS is going to cry if WiFi is enabled but the WiFi bits aren't responding.

author: TheMG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2020, 11:31:19 pm
content: See where there is an unpopulated connector P3, remove the jumper and in its place solder a 50 ohm resistor to ground, effectively terminating the trace into a dummy load.The other antenna appears to have solder pads for a similar connector (follow the trace back), though I can't see its identifier in the picture (bottom right).

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 03:16:43 am
content: Yep, +1 to pulling the resistor at the P3 and P17 test connectors . That alone should cripple it pretty badly, but I have a desktop PC where the an unterminated RP-SMA on the wifi module radiates well enough for it to connect to the router 6 feet away with decent signal. A 49.9 ohm smd resistor (standard value, 50 isn't, that 0.1 ohms won't make a difference here) to ground on the wifi module side of each test plug will make sure it's good and deaf, and mute.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 03:21:19 am
content: If you and the fellow in that thread trying to make a Farady cage could get together...

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 04:14:20 am
content: I have a Roku 2, model 4210X. I turned off wifi by going to Settings, System, Advanced System Settings, Device Connect, then selecting Disable Device Connect. That works fine on mine. Does it not work on yours?

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 05:07:43 am
content: Quote from: Peabody on July 25, 2020, 04:14:20 amItdoeswork on mine. It works great, and then a couple of months later the WiFi is back on again.

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 05:24:57 am
content: Quote from: TheMG on July 24, 2020, 11:31:19 pmThank you Mr. or Ms.TheMG. I've taken your idea and run (limped?) with it. It was perfectly obvious after you explained it to me. I'm laughing my tail feathers off because I know everyone was thinking I'd use some nice SMD resistors. Well, I'm a noob and I haven't got any and I don't want to wait on Digi-Key so just whacked in a couple of through-hole 51Rs. I did cut the leads short (probably not short enough) so as to minimize radiated RF. If this doesn't work I'll break down and buy some 3216 or 2012 parts and re-do it proper-like. I'm going to test it now and report back.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2020, 04:00:20 pm
content: Quote from: duckduck on July 25, 2020, 05:07:43 amOk, I checked mine, and sure enough, the disable box was checked, but the wifi analizer on my phone showed it broadcasting. So I went back and checked the enable box, then checked the disable box, and that turned it off. I wonder if a power outage could cause this. Well clearly the firmware is screwed up because the selection should be sticky, but lotsa luck getting Roku to fix it.Well, I will follow this and see what solution you come up with.Edit: One other approach to this is to send commands to the Roku to turn the radio off. This could be the sequence of remote buttons needed from the Home screen to enable, then disable, the radio, then go back to Home. That could be an Arduino IR transmitter. I've already built one of those, so if you go that way, I can help with the IR codes, etc.But the other way is to send commands to the Roku via your router. If it's already connected via ethernet, then it already has a network IP address, so you can send it commands. I've never done this, but it seems you could have a scheduled task that sends the commands once a day. If you have a Roku app on your phone, I believe it communicates with the Roku that way.

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 04:39:09 am
content: Nah, still showing up. I'll get some SMD resistors next time I order parts.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 05:02:21 am
content: Quote from: Peabody on July 25, 2020, 04:00:20 pmIt gets better - a Roku 3 configured as a wifi client and then disabled and plugged in will turn on the radio and stop using the wired connection all by itself. Garbage.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 02:16:26 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on July 27, 2020, 05:02:21 amBut I assume it will not do that if it no longer knows the correct WPA2 password? I've never given my Roku 2 that information, so it can't actually make that switch. So far as I know, it has never tried.I think what my Roku is turning on is Wifi Direct - so it can connect to non-IR remotes without that connection having to go through the router. It can't use that for the actual streaming, but it uses the same channel as my regular wifi, so it can get in the way, at least potentially.I haven't found a way to do a bug report, but it probably doesn't matter since they are unlikely to update firmware for devices this old. But I think I will see if I can write a script that my computer could run once a day to make sure Roku wifi is disabled.

author: wizard69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2020, 12:41:26 am
content: You could go the hammer and chisel route!Frankly if that damaged the uint beyond repair I'd consider that a good solution. I'm not a big fan of these streaming solutions that require special hardware.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2020, 03:02:57 am
content: I wrote a batch file to navigate to the Device setting, enable wifi, then disable wifi. You have to do it that way because the situation is that the setting is on Disable, but the radio is on, so you have to change the setting to Enable, then change it back to Disable, which turns the radio off, for now.But the last command in the batch file - to Disable - produces an error message on the TV screen saying that it can't disable wifi when a wifi device is giving the command. Of course that's wrong because a wifi device is NOT being used. The commands are going through the local network to the Roku via the Ethernet cable. So the firmware is wrong yet again.So the last command has to be executed on the IR remote, which is inconvenient, and requires human interaction. I was hoping for something that could be run once a day as a scheduled task.My Roku 2 4210X is on Ethernet at 192.168.1.8. Yours may be at a different address. This works on Windows 10 1909. It's a .bat file.Code:curl -d ' http://192.168.1.8:8060/keypress/HomeTimeout 5for %%x in (HomeUpSelectUpSelectUpUpSelectDownDownSelectSelectDownSelect) do (curl -d ' http://192.168.1.8:8060/keypress/%%xTimeout 1)

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2020, 12:18:32 pm
content: Quote from: Peabody on July 25, 2020, 04:00:20 pmIndeed. Years ago I had an Roku device that would pretty regularly crash in the middle of viewing a movie, numerous other people complained about the same problem but Roku never resolved it. I wanted a streaming device for Netflix/Prime etc. recently and went for the Amazon 4k Firestick and have been really pleased with it's performance and reliability. The user interface is so fast and slick it's a joy to use.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2020, 04:26:53 pm
content: I've confirmed that my Roku box reverts to turning on Wifi Direct every time there is a power outage, or enough of a glitch to cause the Roku to reboot. Apparently it preserves the Disabled setting, but ignores it when rebooting. So it might be that powering the Roku from a UPS would solve the problem.I guess there might even be some logic to this behavior since loss of power might coincide with giving the box to someone else, and you might want all remotes to work out of the box. But then they should change the setting to Enabled so you would know that it's been turned on. So it's probably just a screwup. I don't know if it's even possible to report a firmware bug for a Roku 2.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2020, 08:37:52 pm
content: I don't know anything about Roku...If you can set it's static IP address, try setting it to the NIC loopback address 127.0.0.1If you can't turn it off; maybe you can force it to talk to itself and block the outside world?

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2020, 11:19:11 pm
content: I just disconnect the antennas when I want to disable the wireless functionality. The power levels are not high enough to require 50 ohm terminations.