Jessica Cooney

Just log into YouTube with your Google account, click your profile picture, and select “Create Channel.” Add a name, picture, and description. Boom, your channel’s live. Customize later in YouTube Studio.

I’ve had it for about three months now. Speeds are okay during the day, but evenings are hit-or-miss. I average 40–60 Mbps, which is good enough for my needs, but latency spikes randomly. I wouldn’t recommend it for competitive gamers. For streaming, it works well most of the time, but I’ve had a couple of buffering hiccups. Overall, it’s affordable and easy, but it’s not going to match fiber or high-end cable. It’s more like a “good enough” service.

Hey, connecting a Roku remote can feel tricky the first time, but once you know which remote type you have, it’s pretty straightforward. If you’ve got the simple IR remote (usually no microphone button), it doesn’t need pairing. Just point it at the Roku device and make sure there’s a clear line of sight. Pop in the batteries, and it should work right away.

If you have a voice remote (it’ll have a mic button), you’ll need to pair it. First, insert batteries and turn on your TV and Roku. On the back or inside the battery compartment of the remote, press and hold the pairing button for about 5 seconds until the light starts flashing. Your Roku screen should then display a pairing confirmation.

To control TV power and volume, go to Settings → Remotes & Devices → Remotes → Set up remote for TV control. Roku will guide you through testing volume until it finds the right code for your TV brand.

I once thought my remote was broken, but it turned out I just needed to hold the pairing button longer. A little patience and it synced up perfectly.