WebRomote

A Roku remote control made for desktop browsers

With more device compatibility to come.

Features

• Most of the features of a regular Roku remote
• Much faster typing on most Roku Channels
• Big, readable buttons
• Use your keyboard to control the Roku device, including:
  • “Home” key to go to home screen
  • Escape to go back
  • Arrow keys for movement
  • Enter to select an item
  • CapsLock to toggle pause
  • ”/” for an instant replay
  • ”?” for information (the star/asterisk button on a Roku remote)
  • PageUp/PageDown and “End” keys to control volume

How to use

Prerequisites

• You must know the IP Address of your Roku device (Roku Settings > Network > About > IP, Usually in the form of “192.168.X.XXX”)
• Your controller device must be on the same network as your Roku device

Option 1. Download the HTML file (Works offline)

Installation

a. Open the Roku remote HTML code

b. Save the page by pressing Ctrl + S and save to your desired folder

Usage

c. Open the downloaded “romote.html” in your browser

d. Enter the IP Address of your Roku, and Enjoy!

Option 2. Allow for Mixed Content (Requires internet connection)

Installation

a. Open “chrome://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https://stevenalexander44.github.io” in your browser

b. Scroll down for “Insecure Content”, and change the value from “Block (default)” to “Allow”

Usage

c. Open the remote

d. Enter the IP Address of your Roku, and Enjoy!

Why do I need to allow insecure connections?

Roku (by default) uses HTTP for their API system, which is okay for most local network connections. By contrast, Github Pages uses the secure HTTPS protocol, necessary for the wider internet, and most browsers don’t allow for insecure HTTP requests from a HTTPS website by default.

TODO

Make it work on mobile browsers

In the meantime Option 1 might work, or use an app:

• This project’s inspiration: RoMote
• The official Roku app.

Make a database system for different Roku devices (IP addresses)

In the meantime, to reset the IP, press the Delete key on your keyboard, or clear cookies for the webpage.

Make buttons and keyboard shortcuts easily configurable.

Currently one would have to change the source code to be able to do this. One might want to change their layout with drag and drop.