Wondering why is the Roku Ultra blinking white light? Well, stay with us to find out!
The white light on your Roku Ultra typically indicates a connection error, but verify if the light is on the remote or Roku player before assuming anything.
There is a difference in what the light means based on where the indication appears, so continue reading to unwrap everything.
The blinking white light on the Roku Ultra player means your Roku is offline due to a networking-related fault. To fix soft reset your Roku setup, refresh the networking setup, and optimize the wireless connection to reconnect your Roku!
Let’s learn more!
Why is Roku Ultra White Light Blinking Twice?
Your Roku setup has a few places to observe white blinking light; on the Roku Ultra player or the Roku remote.
The white light on the Roku remote simply means that the remote batteries are weak or have a pairing issue. In those cases, you would only need to replace the batteries.
In contrast, when the blinking light is on your Roku player, the problem commonly resembles a networking-related problem.
Put simply, when your Roku is disconnected from the internet, or there is no internet on your WiFi, the Roku player will blink in white twice.
Here’s why Roku Ultra is blinking in white light:
- Your Roku is offline – disconnected from the internet.
- Software error or a bug involving outdated firmware.
- The monitor does not support your Roku resolution.
- A power problem is disabling Roku’s WiFi services.
- Loose or damaged Ethernet connection to the router.
We’ve prepared an entire solution guide addressing all possibilities, so let’s jump in!
How to Fix When Roku Ultra Blinking White Light?
Tip: Follow the steps chronologically!
1. Soft-Reset Your Roku Player!
The first and easiest step is to soft reset your Roku player by unplugging the device from the TV and the power outlet.
This will refresh the operating system and the WiFi services, after which your Roku will automatically reconnect to the network, and the white light will be gone.
Here’s how to restart your Roku Ultra player in easy steps:
- Using the Roku remote, press the “Home” button.
- Then, from the menu, scroll and enter “System.”
- Next, go to “System Restart” and select “Restart.”
- Wait until your Roku Ultra automatically restarts.
Note: It’s recommended to connect Roku directly to the wall outlet!
2. Reconnect Roku Ultra to WiFi
Sometimes, your Roku Ultra might get disconnected from the WiFi, resulting in a blinking white light on the front of the TV box.
Well, Roku should automatically reconnect to the network once it’s accessible, but just to confirm, go and try to reconnect your Roku to the WiFi manually.
Here’s how to reconnect your Roku Ultra to the WiFi:
- First, press “Home” and go to Settings.
- Select “Network” > “Set up connection.”
- Then, select “Wireless” and select WiFi.
- Finally, insert the correct SSID password.
Note: If you’re using an Ethernet cable to connect your Roku to the internet, select the “Wired” option after selecting “Set up connection.”
3. Change Roku Ultra Resolution
Many sources claim that the blinking white light on Roku Ultra sometimes appears when the TV or HDMI monitor does not support the current Roku resolution.
Navigating the Roku settings could be challenging without seeing anything, so you will need a secondary monitor.
When you can navigate through the settings, change to Roku resolution:
- Connect your Roku Ultra to a different HDMI monitor.
- From the home screen, go to Settings > Display Type.
- Then select a compatible resolution with the previous TV.
- Tip: We recommend selecting the “Auto Detect” option.
- Plug back your Roku to the original monitor and then test.
Note: If Roku doesn’t blink in white on your secondary monitor, then the issue is related to the HDMI connection or output monitor.
4. Power Cycle Your Roku Setup
Another quick and effective solution when your Roku can’t connect to the WiFi and the white light is blinking would be the power circulation.
This method will not erase any information on your Roku and will only discharge the power and fundamentally refresh your Roku Ultra player.
To power cycle your Roku, unplug the device for 60 seconds!
This is enough time for your device to cool down slightly, and refresh all services, and when you turn the Roku Ultra back on, the white light should disappear.
If the issue is persistent, keep reading!
5. Optimize Your WiFi and Internet
Optimization of your internet is necessary, so you can rule out this possibility, which is the primary reason why the white light is blinking on your Roku.
Here are a few ways to do so:
Restart the WiFi Router/Modem!
You should also quickly power cycle the WiFi router/modem that supplies a wireless connection to your Roku.
Simply unplug your router from the power outlet for 60 seconds, and then manually reconnect your Roku Ultra to the WiFi to resolve the white blinking light.
Optimize the Wireless Coverage
To boost the strength and coverage of your internet connection so Roku Ultra can connect securely, your router must be in a centralized spot.
We recommend elevating your router higher in the room and straightening the antennas to cover as much ground as possible.
Shorten the WiFi & Roku Proximity
Sometimes your Roku Ultra player will disconnect from the WiFi, not because your internet is weak, but because the WiFi signal is lost.
One way to solve this problem would be to relocate your Roku Ultra and wireless router closer to each other or install WiFi extenders in your home.
Connect Roku Ultra via Ethernet
Both the Roku Ultra and Roku Ultra LT have Ethernet ports that you can use to set up a wired Ethernet connection to your router.
This bypasses all WiFi limitations and will eliminate the blinking white light from the Roku player.
Note: You can purchase compatible Ethernet cables from any IT store!
6. Inspect Your Roku Wiring Setup
Sometimes the reason why Roku cannot connect to the WiFi is due to software issues, which typically appear due to power insufficiency or a loose Ethernet cable.
This is why the wiring of your Roku is essential to inspect and eliminate potential faults.
We recommend unplugging and securing all cables!
Those cables are the power cable and adapter, the HDMI cable from the Roku to the TV, and the Ethernet cable from the router.
We also recommend closely inspecting the connectors of the wires involved in the setup to find out whether something is defective and then replacing it.
7. Factory Reset Your Roku Ultra!
The factory reset is one of the most potent solutions against software bugs, glitches, or other complications, such as persistent white light.
If you’re confident the issue is not coming from your internet connection, it’s time to factory reset your Roku to default settings to try again.
Alert: Factory resetting your Roku will permanently erase all saved data, settings, and user configuration.
Here’s how to factory reset your Roku in easy steps:
- First, press the “Home” button on the remote.
- Then, go to Settings and enter the “System.”
- Next, navigate to “Advanced System Settings.”
- Then, choose the “Factory Reset” menu option.
- Select the “Factory Reset Everything” option.
Info: After factory resetting your Roku Ultra, you must complete the initial setup steps to set up your Roku and connect the player to WiFi.
8. Connect to a Different Power Source
If you’re still unsure why Roku is blinking white light and can’t connect to the wireless or wired network, then it’s probably a power-related problem.
Sometimes after a power outage or an electrical instance in your area, the A/C line could produce fluctuations.
Well, this is when essential features on your devices, including Roku, will start to shut down, and if your WiFi router or Roku reboots, that’s what’s causing all this fuss.
One of the most effective ways to resolve A/C fluctuations in your home is to flip the switch on your primary circuit or test connecting Roku to another fuse.
Put simply, connect your Roku Ultra to an outlet from another room just to check whether the white blinking light will disappear.
Well, if not…
Seek More Help!
In case you’ve attempted all of the solutions in this guide but nothing helped, then it’s likely that your Roku Ultra unit is faulty.
So, the best action would be to contact Roku Support, report the problem you’ve been facing, and/or take your warranty and Roku Ultra to the involved merchant.
Best of luck!
Quick Recap:
Whenever Roku Ultra blinking white light, the device is disconnected from the WiFi or internet and cannot reconnect.
In most cases, the origin is in your WiFi router setup, but sometimes it’s Roku-related, which you can resolve by power cycle or factory reset.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.