IPTV on Roku: what works, what does not, and the cheap way round it

The honest answer about Roku

Roku is the hardest mainstream device for IPTV, and it is worth knowing why before you buy anything. Roku's channel store does not carry IPTV Smarters, TiviMate or the other usual players, and Roku does not allow sideloading the way Fire TV and Android do.

So there is no route where you install a player on the Roku and enter your login. Anyone who tells you otherwise is describing a workaround, an unofficial “private channel”, or a device that is not really a Roku.

What does work

Two routes work reliably:

• Screen mirroring from a phone or tablet. Install IPTV Smarters on an Android phone or an iPhone, then cast or mirror the screen to the Roku. It works, and it ties up the phone while you watch.
• Use a different stick in the same TV. A Firestick in the next HDMI port costs about $40, runs every player properly, and means the Roku keeps doing what it is good at.

For most households the second one is the answer. It is a small, one-off cost that removes the problem entirely instead of working around it every evening.

If you are buying hardware anyway

Do not buy a Roku for IPTV. Buy a Firestick, an Android TV box or an NVIDIA Shield depending on your budget — all three run the players natively. The best device for IPTV compares them honestly, including where the cheap boxes fall down.

Read next

The best IPTV apps covers the players you would run on that device, and IPTV USA covers what the American line-up actually includes.