AT&T to ROKU streaming

[Camas Lilly]

In the last couple of years, we disconnected our DirecTV service and started streaming with a ROKU player and Netflix. Since then I have slowly expanded that across our household learning how (reading a LOT) to connect devices, one at a time, such as casting, mirroring, steaming channels, subscriptions, iMacs, and printers. I am fiddling with a repeater now, but that's another story. Our WiFi comes from the telephone line so was not associated with DirecTV when we cancelled.

I have an elderly friend of DH who wants me to come over and set him up for streaming. Went over yesterday with my Roku stick and plugged in to see if it would work, but it just said "no signal" once I got it to find the HDMI input, I think. The TV is 10 years old and the input selector really didn't specify what input it was looking at, only Input 9, but fairly sure I had it on the right one.

He is not sure what he has only that it is a fairly expensive AT&T package and it is fiber optic. He does have a modem in his office, but it seems that DirecTV controls everything in the house. He says he has WiFi. So is fiber optic cable and AT&T is providing WiFi in the house? Not sure he knows any more than that. Possibly not even WiFi?

Is anyone able to tell me what I need to do or to ask him to set up a Roku device and get him to try this before he cancels his service?

 

[MissMolly]

Once you plugged in the Roku, did you scan for networks and once his network was discovered did you enter his network password so the Roku could access his wifi?

 

[Animorph]

Just walked my DM through a "No Signal" problem between her cable box and TV.

If the TV says "No Signal" then it is looking at a tV input that probably has no connection, or a TV tuner channel with no broadcast station on it. That would suggest that the TV was not switched to the input the Roku was connected to. Try cycling through all the inputs on the TV and see if the Roku shows up.

It could be that the Roku is not powered up. All my Rokus have external power supplies. Make sure the Roku shows some sign of being powered up. I have a couple of devices that can be powered from a compatible HDMI port, but I'm not sure if any Rokus do that. If you are counting on power from an HDMI port, make sure the TV can do that. Usually it will be labeled with an extra MHL designation on the TV HDMI port.

It could be that the Roku has been manually set to a display format that the TV can't handle. In that case a reset should place the Roku back into automatic display detection mode. You'll have to look that up on the internet.

Even without internet you should get the Roku home screen on the TV if the connection to the TV is working.

 

[Camas Lilly]

Once you plugged in the Roku, did you scan for networks and once his network was discovered did you enter his network password so the Roku could access his wifi?

I never got the Roku home screen.

 

[REWahoo]

I never got the Roku home screen.

Sounds like you didn't have it on the right input.

 

[Camas Lilly]

Just walked my DM through a "No Signal" problem between her cable box and TV.

If the TV says "No Signal" then it is looking at a tV input that probably has no connection, or a TV tuner channel with no broadcast station on it. That would suggest that the TV was not switched to the input the Roku was connected to. Try cycling through all the inputs on the TV and see if the Roku shows up.

It could be that the Roku is not powered up. All my Rokus have external power supplies. Make sure the Roku shows some sign of being powered up. I have a couple of devices that can be powered from a compatible HDMI port, but I'm not sure if any Rokus do that. If you are counting on power from an HDMI port, make sure the TV can do that. Usually it will be labeled with an extra MHL designation on the TV HDMI port.

It could be that the Roku has been manually set to a display format that the TV can't handle. In that case a reset should place the Roku back into automatic display detection mode. You'll have to look that up on the internet.

Even without internet you should get the Roku home screen on the TV if the connection to the TV is working.

Yea I thought I should at least get the Roku screen, but I never got that. On the input, everything was greyed out except for Input1, Input3 and Input9 and even then I couldn't scroll between the inputs. Just got there by luck. I thought it was Input9 because it had been greyed out the first time around

He said DirecTV had everything connected in the closet, but can't imagine why unless it is directly behind the TV on the other side of the wall. This TV is mounted on the wall and I don't see any cords or cables lying around, so that's probably the case..

He does have a DVD player hooked up, but it is in the other room (office, I think). I don't think the TV remote was working very well, so not sure I can even do what I need to do with it. We were just punching buttons and once in a while one would work. I did find some on the TV itself, but still not able to scroll between inputs.

I had the Roku plugged in to the outlet and turned it on via remote, but now that you say that, I didn't really look behind the TV at the stick to see if the light was on. (LOL I'm not very good at this stuff). All the Roku devices we have can plug into HDMI and composite, except for the stick I took. Maybe I'll take one of the other ones and try connecting both ways. Also my iPad would probably come in handy to scan for networks and signal.