KlikyTo connect a Roku to Wi‑Fi without a remote, plug in an Ethernet cable (models with a port), or create a phone hotspot with the old network’s name and password so the Roku reconnects, then control it from a second phone. If the Roku is still online, a phone remote such as Kliky changes the network in Settings.
Why this is harder than it sounds
Remote apps do not use infrared. They send commands to the Roku across your home network. A Roku that has been reset, or that still remembers a Wi‑Fi network that no longer exists, is not on any network your phone can join.
Roku’s support site states it plainly: the mobile app cannot detect a Roku that is not connected to the internet, and you need a Roku remote to connect a Roku to Wi‑Fi. The methods below work by getting the Roku onto a network first.
Case 1: the Roku is still online
If the old Wi‑Fi still works, for example you are about to replace the router, do this before you switch it off:
- Connect your phone to the same Wi‑Fi as the Roku.
- Open Kliky and pick the Roku.
- On the Roku go to Settings › Network › Set up connection › Wireless.
- Choose the new network and enter the password, with the on-screen keys or with the phone keyboard.
The app loses the Roku as soon as it changes network. Join the new Wi‑Fi on your phone and it appears again.
Case 2: the Roku is offline and has an Ethernet port
Roku Ultra, many Roku TVs and some Streambars have an Ethernet port. A wired connection needs no password, so the Roku comes online by itself.
- Run an Ethernet cable from the router to the Roku.
- Restart the Roku by unplugging it for a few seconds.
- Connect your phone to the Wi‑Fi from the same router and open the remote app.
- Set up wireless under Settings › Network, then remove the cable.
Case 3: the Roku is offline with no Ethernet (the hotspot trick)
A Roku that was set up before keeps trying to rejoin the last network it knew. If you recreate that network, it connects. You need two phones (or a phone and a tablet), and you must know the old network name and password exactly.
- On phone A, turn on the personal hotspot and set its name and password to match the old Wi‑Fi exactly, including capital letters. On iPhone the hotspot name is the phone’s name under Settings › General › About.
- Restart the Roku and wait a minute. It joins the hotspot as if it were the old network.
- Connect phone B to the same hotspot and open the remote app. The Roku appears in the list.
- On the Roku go to Settings › Network › Set up connection › Wireless and join your real Wi‑Fi.
- Turn the hotspot off and move phone B to the real Wi‑Fi.
If the Roku was factory reset
A reset Roku starts at the language screen and waits for a remote. Without an Ethernet port there is no workaround. The cheapest fix is a replacement remote: see Roku remote replacement. Once the Roku is back online, a phone remote covers you if the remote goes missing again.
