Have you ever wanted to power your Roku through your TV’s USB plug? Well, now you can thanks to the Mission Power USB Cable for Powering Roku 1, 2, and 3 (Note it does not work with the Roku Stick or the Roku 4).
At first we were skeptical whether it would work, especially as the Roku 3 needs more power than the USB can put off. However, the Mission Power USB Cable has an effective “power management system” that takes care of that problem.
Here is how Mission Power describe it:
Includes Special Power Management Circuitry
Mission Power USB cable includes proprietary circuitry that stores excess power from the USB port and then releases it during brief intervals when the Roku power load exceeds the power output capability of the USB port. In this way the Mission Power USB power cable is able to increase the peak power capability of your TV’s USB port. With Mission Power, even low power 500mA USB ports can support the peak power requirements required for downloading and watching videos, gaming, etc.
Sleep Timer
A great thing about this product is it uses your TV’s sleep timer to turn the Roku off shortly after the TV turns off. No longer do you have to stay up to stop your WatchESPN stream, or surrender to having it run all night eating into your data cap. With the Mission Power USB cable you just set your TV’s sleep timer and fall asleep.
The only shortcoming we can find in this product is your Roku will not auto update as long as you are powering it with the Mission Power USB cable. The Roku typically updates when it is not in use, but since this product turns the Roku off when not in use, there is no way for it to update. Therefore, you will need to randomly check for updates in the menu. However, this is a minor issue compared to the convenience of mounting your Roku behind your TV and not having to hide a power cable.
You can buy the Mission Power USB Cable for Powering Roku on Amazon here:
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