Roku Remote Kills Batteries - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 06:23:50 pm
content: I got a streaming stick and the remote batteries are killed in mere days. I measured current draw when the stick/tv is powered off, and it pulses from ~32mA to 90mA every second! My remote does not have the headphones feature, but does have some voice feature which should only listen when the mic button is pressed.Roku comments weekly on this topic:https://community.roku.com/t5/Remotes-Accessories/Enhanced-Remote-is-draining-batteries/td-p/511906A post here claims it's IP address conflicts, which causes his router to crash as well:https://www.quora.com/Does-your-Roku-remote-go-through-a-lot-of-batteries

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 04:08:10 pm
content: Hmmm, I thought the forum was big on this kind of engineered in waste.I had contacted Roku support in case this is just a one-off defect. So far they've asked for my full contact info and the serial number of the device. I can understand that they would want to check their DB to ensure they don't waste time on a previously addressed issue.I also read the old thread on wi-fi based remotes and would expect them to use more battery power, but didn't want to be a necroposter. This device was a pre-Christmas gift to enjoy during our work shutdown. The first set of batteries barely made it past Christmas day. I chocked it up to dodgy batteries - Duracell marked as Not for Resale (thanks forum for letting me know about their dubious means). But I was a fool because the brand new "Industrial Grade" set that I installed died just after New Years. Then I decided to play like I was smart and measure the current drain.I suspect Roku will at some point offer a replacement, but I am fully expecting this is an as-designed feature. The Irony is that I bought a bundle set with the streaming+ stick and the top end Ultra model, which has the uber customizable remote with "private" listening (headphones) feature. I installed the Ultra box where there is wired Ethernet, so I guess it is not having this 24/7 wi-fi polling problem, but then the headphones and "find lost remote" features don't work either.Further, I have come to a product opportunity here. You see, to "fix" this problem I have inserted a folded up piece of yellow sticky note paper between the contacts of one of the cells. I am imagining this could be two thin contact plates separated by an insulator, and each contact plate wired to a micro switch that could be inserted onto the battery cover, or where convenient. It would be fantastic if that switch could be a switched push-button, so you could turn the thing off completely. Imagine the millions of Roku remote, no, billions of battery operated device users that will be interested in saving money on weekly battery replacements for something that should last years. I think my Sony TV remote is 8 years old and still uses the same Sony branded batteries that it came with!

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2021, 04:17:43 am
content: Roku sent me a new remote. The old one actually pulsed up well over 100mA. The new one pulses more around 50 up to 120mA, but it shuts off after about a minute. I didn't measure the current draw on either when in use.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2021, 08:27:18 am
content: Maybe install rechargeable cells.No problem here with remote for Fire TV stick, and that's Bluetooth with voice connectivity - it's lasted over a year on the original Amazon-provided cells and will have Ni-MH cells installed when those are exhausted.On the other hand my Panasonic plasma TV remote control still has the original Panasonic zinc carbon cells installed. It's about 9 years old. Impressive.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2021, 06:02:38 pm
content: Leaky bypass capacitor, I had a inflato/tyre guage that killed the battery in days, they sent me a new one and told me ti bin the other so I took it apart, there was a cap right accross the battery so I removed it and it was a few hundred ohms only. I removed it and the inflator/guage worked fine without so I now have two.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2021, 09:09:47 pm
content: I had a remote that kept gobbling through batteries. It turned out it was because my wife was sticking it between the sofa cushion and arm such that the buttons were pressed.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2021, 09:33:27 pm
content: Well, this one would pulse the current continuously. I might take it apart and try to evaluate. I wonder if it could have been misprogrammed.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2021, 02:37:09 am
content: Well, I go back to my original position. The replacement remote kills batteries too, when not used just sitting during the work week. Two more sets dead.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2021, 04:20:58 am
content: I believe the streaming stick uses Wifi Direct, which is a direct communication between the stick and the remote - not involving your router. That probably uses lots of power just staying connected.Is the stick powered down when the TV is off? If so, does that affect the current the remote draws?One option might be to use the Roku app on your phone instead of the remote, assuming that works for the streaming stick.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2021, 05:32:04 pm
content: The Roku stick powers off when the TV is off because it's plugged into the TV USB port. And I think you are right that it communicates directly to the Roku stick because I have not seen more than the "one" Roku device on the WiFi. I say "one" because I bought the bundle package that included the Roku Ultra box. That one connects via hard LAN and never really shuts off. That remote has not killed it's batteries in the few months that I've had it, but it uses AA batteries so maybe it's doing the same thing, or maybe shutting down the stick leaves the remote trying to find its device, and maybe it's trying to connect to the Ultra box. I don't really have a good way to monitor what it's doing though, other than putting my DMM ammeter in-line with the batteries and watching it, or maybe I can put a couple ohm resistor in-line and log the voltage there with my o-scope, or use an Arduino analog in to create a log. But what would I do the data anyway

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2021, 01:37:44 am
content: What I found with my Model 3 Roku is that my phone's Wifi Analyzer showed a second network on the same channel that my router uses, and potentially interfering with it, and that was the Roku's Wifi Direct channel. Since I'm using an IR remote, I found a way to turn that off.In theory I think it's possible the remote may use more power looking for the stick when the stick is powered down. You should be able to test that theory. But in the end, you may just want to install a power switch on the remote. Or build your own Arduino Wifi Direct remote. :-)

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2021, 04:11:08 pm
content: It is a curious thing because there are probably millions of these remotes out there so I either have a solvable problem or most people are simply replacing their batteries more often.I suppose I could fire up my RTSA and see what's happening in the WiFi spectrum.

author: perieanuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2021, 04:17:26 pm
content: wifi remotes it's not serious stuff regarding power consumption, will never be, it's by design, that's why alternatives were born and that's why i love that nvidia shield + remotes, even the china gyro ones are ok with batteries

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2021, 05:21:22 pm
content: Got some images. First is 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi band. When the remote is powered up, it does this scan. There is always something on just above 2.45 GHz. When the remote connects or after some time, the scanning stops (but comes back periodically if it does not connect). It does not appear to use this band because it does something similar in the 5.8 GHz Wi-Fi band. Again, there is something always on 5.8 GHz, but that is the channel the remote uses because I can see the intensity increase when I use the remote. All three images are attached. I do not know what is using the Wi-Fi channels here as there is always something there and I turned off all of my devices. Next I will turn off my router and see if that stuff goes away - yep, that's just my router broadcasting stuff on its channels.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2021, 08:33:44 pm
content: Roku instructed me to connect the streaming stick to a permanent USB supply. That seems to help the remote turn off because otherwise it stays in a perpetual phone home mode. I had the Roku streaming stick plugged into a USB port of the TV, which turns off with the TV.If the batteries get too low, the remote will stay on and finish them off to nothing, rechargeables might get damaged. Likewise if it just cannot connect to home.I noticed that neither the Roku Ultra box nor the Streaming stick ever turn off and are always on. All that seems like poor design decisions. Aren't mfgs supposed to care about device efficiency, not wasting electricity, and helping to save the environment? However, the devices do go into a sleep mode and present a screen saver 24/7/365.25.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2021, 10:33:41 pm
content: They have to be able to respond to the remote. That's why they stay on. Your TV does the same.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2021, 01:13:58 am
content: That might be. I never bothered with a kill-o-watt thing to measure appliances yet. This thread on the Sony forums sheds some light, and sometimes it does not look too bad, but these are "smart" TVs, which I have only dumb ones or probably would not be messing around with a Roku...https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/android-tv/standby-power-consumption/td-p/2366025At least in my country, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandated that all TV manufacturers adhere to the EnergyGuide protocols, which requires that standardized energy use information be displayed on TVs that are for sale. I looked up a current Sony TV and it does say 0.5W in standby, or about $0.70 USD per year. The Roku streaming stick is drawing ~350mA when on, which is not bad really (less than two watts), but it draws the same when in stby too...But, we're talking about the pitfalls of wasted batteries and a dead remote. Their instructions do say you can use the TV USB port. Do TV's typically leave these ports on when in stby? I've seen they are getting some feedback on their site too and telling people to plug the device into an AC wall supply.