Datacaps? Stop Roku and Fire TV from Streaming When the TV is Turned Off

Exceeding data caps will costs more money. Easily prevent Roku and Fire TV from chewing through your data when they are turned off

Stop Roku and Fire TV from Streaming when turned off

Use these simple tips every time you turn off a Roku and Fire TV

Data caps are back and there is more content available than ever to watch free online. But it could get expensive when a Roku and Fire TV continues streaming if the TV is turned off. And this could quickly exceed a monthly data cap.

The good news is there are some simple steps to take before turning off the TV which will stop both a Roku or Fire TV from using any more data at all.

Stop Roku From Streaming When Off

On a Roku media player or Roku TV, do this each time before you shut off your television and it will stop most data usage in its tracks.

Every time the television is turned off be sure the Roku player or Roku Television is turned to the Home Screen first. Otherwise, if left on a live TV channel like Pluto TV, it could continue consuming data. Even though your TV may be turned off.

The same is true for other Smart TVs as well. They need to be left on a home screen which does not show any video feeds streaming in the background.

It's important to note that while performing the step above will cut down on data usage considerably. A Roku or Fire TV still uses data for updates, and other system tasks.

One forum user tracked almost a gigabyte of data that was used by his Roku in a 30/day period while it was turned off and set to the home screen.

And if you don't plan on using your Roku for a while, the best way to stop if from using any data at all, is simply unplug it from the wall. If it uses an Ethernet cable, you can unplug that instead to stop all data usage.

NOTE: Some Smart TVs are so smart that even if you unplug the Ethernet wire or disconnect it from WiFi they will jump on any available open WiFi network to continue transmitting its data. Read: If you choose to not connect your Samsung "Smart" TV to WiFi, it will secretly connect to your neighbour's passwordless WiFi

The Clapper Stop Roku and Fire TV Streaming

For Roku Televisions or Streamer if the power cord is hard to reach, "The Clapper" is a low cost sound activated On/Off switch. And it's just the ticket for easily turning off data swallowing devices.

The Clapper can be found on eBay for as little as $8 and has two power outlets which will turn off lamps, media streamers or televisions by the sound of a clap.

Stop Fire TV From Streaming

Using The Clapper is also works great to stop a Fire TV completely from using any data at all.

But if you only want to stop a Fire TV from streaming just press the home button and then press and hold the home button down for several seconds agin. Then press "Sleep" which disables it from streaming and using data while the television is off but not from sending and receiving data from Amazon.

Just getting into the simple habit of a performing these few extra button clicks on the remote each time you turn off your TV will greatly cut down on data usage. And the money saved could just as easily be spent on another nice streaming site rather than handing over more money to greedy cable companies that impose data caps.

By plugging in a media streamer and smart television to The Clapper. They can easily be turned off completely so they use zero data each time you're done watching TV.

Check For Updates Manually

Roku and Fire TV media players typically check for updates automatically in the early morning hours. By turning them off completely, you will need to remember to check for updates manually. So you won't miss out on any new software features and updates.

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