Roku offers plenty of products that make our lives easier.
This is especially true for those of us who enjoy binge-watching shows on Netflix or Hulu.
Unfortunately, Roku TV remotes are often misplaced — and if you don’t have the right remote, how do you turn on a Roku TV?
Here are 3 easy steps to turn on a Roku TV without a remote:
- Turn on the Roku TV with the power button.
- Power on the Roku TV with the Roku app.
- Connect to Roku TV with a WiFi Hotspot.
In this article, I’ll teach you how to turn on a Roku TV without the remote.
In addition, I’ll cover one way to connect to your Roku TV and turn it on without a WiFi connection.
Finally, we’ll discuss how to find a lost Roku remote if you lose one again in the future.
Read also: Why Is Your Roku TV Screen Black? 5 Reasons & Quick Fixes
1. Turn on The Roku TV With the Power Button
When you lose a Roku TV remote, you can power on the television using the built-in power button.
Where the power button depends on the brand of Roku TV you’re using.
To locate a Roku TV’s power button, look behind the TV. If it’s not there, check along both the left and right sides of the television.
Finally, if you’re still unable to find the power button, look near the front center of the Roku TV.
In some cases, a Roku TV might have a “joystick” button that users can move and push to perform various tasks.
2. Power On The Roku TV With the Roku App
If you’re missing the remote to your Roku TV but have WiFi, you can still power on the TV.
To stream your favorite shows, you can substitute your smartphone as a remote to operate the device.
To start, all you need is a smartphone. Connect it to the same WiFi as your Roku TV, and follow these steps:
- Download the official Roku app from your app store.
- Open the Roku app and do a quick initial setup.
- Once complete, click Devices at the bottom of the app’s main page.
- Select the remote icon that’s shaped like a big plus sign.
Voila, that’s it! You remember the smartphone and Roku TV need to stay on the same network.
If one gets disconnected, it won’t work as a remote anymore.
You can use this aspect of the app to control your viewing experience.
Something else you should know is this: when you turn the Roku TV off, it will disconnect from WiFi after 10 seconds.
You’ll have to turn it back on before you can use your smartphone as a remote again.
3. Connect To Roku TV With a WiFi Hotspot
What makes Roku TVs unique is that their remotes require WiFi to work with the TV.
This is supposed to be for the sake of convenience; the user can turn on the TV and hit up Netflix within a few seconds.
When you don’t have the remote or WiFi, even turning the TV on can be tricky.
If you don’t have WiFi but have a smartphone with data and another smartphone, you’re in luck.
With some clever thinking and a mobile hotspot, you can still watch your favorite streaming service on your Roku TV.
You’re probably wondering why you need two phones. It’s because you can’t connect a phone running a hotspot to the Roku TV, for some reason.
You can use any device as your second device, as long as it has a data connection with hotspot capability.
It’s important to note that you’ll need the exact name and password of the WiFi network the Roku TV was most recently connected to.
This helps the Roku TV smoothly connect to the hotspot.
With this in mind, let’s get started.
Follow these steps to use your Roku TV With a hotspot:
- Change the name of your hotspot to the name of the network the Roku TV most previously connected to.
- Change the password to match that network’s password.
- Connect your 2nd smartphone to the WiFi hotspot and download the official Roku app.
- Go to Devices on your 2nd device and select your Roku TV.
- Tap the remote icon to use your 2nd device as your Roku remote.
- Use your device to go to Settings on your Roku TV.
- Select Network, then Set up connection, and wireless. Click OK to confirm.
- Select your newly renamed mobile hotspot. Click ‘scan again’ if it doesn’t immediately appear.
- Enter the password and click OK.
That should be it – you can now use your mobile hotspot to fuel your next Netflix binge.
One caveat to using a mobile hotspot with Roku TV is that it often uses a lot of data.
Some streaming services can run as much as 1GB per hour depending on quality settings.
Many data providers charge extra per GB for mobile hotspots, so check your plan.
What if I Don’t Have a Remote, WiFi, or Mobile Hotspot?
If you have none of these, I’m sorry to say you can’t use your Roku for streaming media.
You can still use your Roku as a normal HDTV.
This means you can use it for cable TV, Blu-Ray player, computer, or video game consoles.
For streaming, you need a replacement Roku remote.
If you wish to get your streaming services back, you’ll have to look up the exact model of your Roku TV.
You can find this on the TV’s packaging or on the back of the TV. Most times it’s on a label with barcodes, in very small lettering.
Once you have the model number, go to Roku and find your model.
Some remotes are only compatible with certain models, while their Voice Control Pro is compatible with all types of Roku products.
Alternatively, you could use an off-brand replacement remote. This Replacement Remote for All TCL Roku TVs is available on Amazon.com.
It requires no setup, pairing, or voice search. It uses two AAA batteries and is compatible with all TCL Roku TVs.
You may also wonder: Do you need a smart TV for a Roku stick?
How To Find a Lost Roku Remote
You may be here because you lost your Roku remote.
If you have a certain kind of remote, you may be in luck: there’s a feature for some Roku remotes that lets you speak a command to find them.
Lost remote finder works on any Roku remote that has a built-in speaker on the back.
You can tell by the small speaker holes on the back of a compatible remote.
There are two ways to trigger the remote finder feature: by voice or mobile app.
If using voice, the ‘hands-on’ setting must have been turned on for the remote, to enable voice commands.
To find your remote by voice, simply say, “Hey Roku, where’s my remote?” in a loud, clear voice.
If it hears you, you’ll hear a loud beeping sound alerting you to the remote’s location.
If the remote is buried in a couch somewhere, for example, it may not be able to hear you. If so, you’ll have to use the next method.
To find your Roku remote with the mobile app, remember the following steps:
- Select Devices in the Roku app.
- Click the three dots beside your device.
- Tap Ping remote.
Now you should be able to find your Roku remote anywhere in your home, as long as it didn’t get accidentally thrown in the trash!
Final Thoughts
Roku TVs are convenient ways to keep all your streaming services in one place, but turning one on without a remote is initially tricky.
Thankfully, all of them typically have a manual power button as well.
Check out: 7 Reasons Why Your Roku TV Keeps Turning Off by Itself