How to Change Internet Speed on Roku: Quick Fix [2023]

written by

Doug Stevenson

updated February 25, 2023

I have always wanted to manually set the connection speed of connected Roku devices, especially if I'm on a temporary or metered connection.

Unfortunately after skimming through all the options on the settings menu, I still couldn't find an option to manually set my connection speeds.

So I paid a visit to the Roku forums to find something that can aid me in my quest and figured I should share it with the world to help you with the same too.

To change the internet speed on your Roku, enable the Bit rate override option by inputting the code to access its hidden menu.

Read on to understand how exactly you can change the internet speed on Roku and how to fix a Roku that is consuming too much bandwidth.

Changing The Internet Speed Or Playback Bitrate On Your Roku

Fortunately, Roku does have a few hidden tricks that let you access a concealed menu that can help you manually set a playback bitrate of your choice.

This can also, in some cases, improve your internet speeds on your Roku in general.

This 'Bit rate override' screen is usually accessed with a code, which can be inputted using the Roku remote.

In order to change the playback bitrate or access the bit rate override screen, simply follow the following steps:

Navigate to the home screen of the Roku.
Using the Roku Remote, enter the code to access the Bit Rate Override screen.

This code can be inputted onto the Roku by pressing the following buttons on your Roku remote: Home button 5 times, Rewind button 3 times, and Fast Forward button 2 times.

From the resultant screen, select Manual selection.
From the list of bit rates on the resultant page, select your desired bit rate.

This will set your bitrate to that selected value.

This feature has been hidden in RokuOS for a very long time, under the name of connection speed. The change to the name Bit Rate Override has been a recent addition.

Unfortunately, users lately have reported that this setting is not working as intended and people suspect Roku has simply disabled this feature.

The Bit Rate Override screen is still accessible, but setting the bit rate won't work and Roku will default to auto on its own.

This has caused a lot of Roku users to rage, as many are still on metered connections. This makes Roku devices quite obsolete for their needs.

That being said, this could also be a bug on Roku's side that is barring people from setting a bit rate to watch their content.

All this public outrage can potentially be a catalyst for Roku to bring back the functionality on all their Roku devices.

Other Options To Save Bandwidth

Besides the Bit Rate Override menu, Roku doesn't offer much when it comes to saving bandwidth, aside from a straightforward option, aptly named Bandwidth saver in the settings.

According to Roku, this will save a lot of data by automatically shutting down the media stream after four hours of inactivity.

Roku determines the inactivity period by pushing a message prompt on the screen every 4 hours that the device hasn't received user signals from the Roku remote.

If you want to keep watching, you can simply press the 'Keep Watching' option that comes with the message prompt. If no input is detected, Roku stops playing the media, thus saving data.

To enable bandwidth-saver mode, simply follow the following steps:

From the Home menu on your Roku, navigate to the Settings option.
Tap on the Network option.
Navigate to the Bandwidth Saver option and toggle it on.

This will enable the Bandwidth saver feature and will help in reducing long-time bandwidth costs, especially if you are prone to leaving on media streams.

Roku Still Consuming Too Much Bandwidth? How To Fix

If the above steps don't work for you, then it's most probably an issue on your end, be it a faulty device setting or even a bug in some cases.

Set Playback Quality For Each Streaming Service

Each streaming service can have its own set of data bandwidth settings that might need to be configured in order to experience better data savings.

Since these settings are channel-specific, they are usually ignored. Also, these services usually have the highest settings turned on by default for the most optimal experience.

Streaming Service	Average Data Used Per Hour
Netflix	1GB (SD) 3GB (HD)
Prime Video	800MB (SD) 2GB (HD) 6GB (4K)
Hulu	680MB (SD) 1.3GB (HD)
Youtube	500MB (SD) 3GB (HD) 16GB (4K)

Average data used per hour by popular streaming services

Judging from the data used, setting the content quality on auto or high can burn through some serious bandwidth like a hot knife in butter.

Each service has its own method of accessing the quality settings. In most cases, it can be directly configured from the player menu itself while watching content.

Factory Reset Your Roku Device

If all else fails, then your only option might be to perform a factory reset on your Roku device.

A factory reset will wipe all data of the Roku, along with any misbehaving bugs and settings that might have been the cause of your high bandwidth usage.

This will also wipe out all streaming channels that might have sucked the bandwidth dry unintentionally and user accounts associated with the Roku device.

To perform a factory reset on your Roku, simply follow the following steps:

From the Home menu on your Roku, navigate to the Settings option.
Tap on System.
Select Advanced System Settings.
Tap on Factory Reset.
Confirm the selection by tapping on Factory Reset Everything.

This will wipe all your data and factory reset your Roku to just like it was when you first purchased the device.

Final Thoughts

Roku has its own share of cheat codes that lets it access various hidden menus. Despite them being intended for developers only it still is accessible in commercial units too.

Due to this, the capability of the device skyrockets to great heights, especially considering the price point it comes in and its target demographic.

Despite its shortcomings, the fact that Roku has left a hidden menu that enables users to take control of manually setting the appropriate bit rate is a commendable approach.

I hope my troubleshooting guide on how to change the internet speeds on your Roku device has been a fruitful read and helped you achieve the same.

Have a good day!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the recommended internet speed to run Roku devices smoothly?

Roku recommends a minimum download speed of 3Mbps for SD video streaming and 9Mbps for HD video streaming.

Internet speed is slow on my Roku. How to fix it?

To get faster internet on your Roku device, switch to a 5GHz wifi signal if you have a dual-band WiFi router. If the internet is still unstable, then connect an ethernet cable.

Do Roku devices disturb other wireless networks?

Some Roku devices have interference mitigation systems that can interfere with other wireless networks. It is recommended to not place any wireless devices in the near vicinity

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Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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