Roku is still secretly giving away this HDMI accessory for free ‣ Diverse Daily

Whenever I think of a streaming stick, two things usually come to mind: Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks and Roku’s Streaming Sticks. Both are arguably two of the most popular streaming stick brands on the planet, turning just about any TV into a streaming powerhouse in seconds. They also both offer an abundance of free streaming options, which, in today’s world of soaring streaming prices (looking at you, Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+), is something to appreciate.

But while Fire TV Sticks and Roku Streaming Sticks have a lot in common in design, functionality, and how most people set them up and use them, there’s one key difference between the two in what you get in the box. For a while now, Amazon has included an HDMI extender with its Fire TV Sticks to make them easier to plug in, and that’s still the case with the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, 4K Plus, and 4K Max, although its cheaper HD stick no longer includes one. Roku, on the other hand, doesn’t include an HDMI extender with any of its streaming sticks.

While that might not sound like a big deal, an HDMI extender can be surprisingly handy, especially if your TV’s HDMI ports are in an awkward spot and hard to reach. HDMI extenders are also useful if your TV’s HDMI ports are crowded or there’s simply not enough clearance to plug the stick directly into the port.

So, while it sucks that Roku doesn’t include an HDMI extender with any of its streaming sticks, if you already own a Roku stick and would like one, you’re not entirely out of luck. For years, Roku has offered a way to get an HDMI extender for your device for free, and all you have to do is request one. Here’s how.

How to get Roku to send you a free HDMI extender

You only need your device’s serial number

To get a free HDMI extender from Roku, the only requirement is that you actually own a Roku Streaming Stick. If you do, all you have to do is fill out a simple online form that asks for your name, email, shipping address, phone number, and your Roku device’s serial number. Once you’ve filled in all those details and submitted it, Roku will then mail you an HDMI extender for free that you can use with your device.

If you need help finding your Roku Streaming Stick’s serial number, there are two ways to find it. Your best bet is to use the serial number listed directly on the back of your device, labeled after “SN:” (as you can see in the image above).

Another method is to check on your TV by going to the Roku home screen and navigating to Settings > System > About. From there, you’ll see all the information about your device listed, including its serial number. However, some users have reported having issues using the serial number listed in Roku OS, with the online form saying it’s invalid. So, using the serial number labeled directly on the back of your device is the most reliable option.

Once you have your device’s serial number, visit https://my.roku.com/hdmi to fill out the form and have your free HDMI extender mailed.

Do you need an HDMI extender?

It’s nice to have, but not always necessary

If you’re hemming and hawing about whether you want an HDMI extender for your Roku Streaming Stick, chances are that if you’re already using your device with your TV just fine, you don’t necessarily need one. An HDMI extender is primarily designed for situations where your device has trouble plugging into your TV’s HDMI port, whether that’s because the stick blocks access to other ports or there simply isn’t enough clearance for it to plug in properly.

Why Roku doesn’t include one in the box, just in case situations like this arise, is likely because the odds of it happening aren’t that high. Roku’s Streaming Sticks are quite slim and narrow, and most TVs have fairly spaced-out HDMI ports. So, the chances of a Roku Streaming Stick not plugging in properly or blocking another HDMI port are pretty low, though certainly not impossible.

That’s in contrast to Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks, particularly the 4K Select, 4K Plus, and 4K Max, which are much wider than Roku’s Streaming Stick and therefore far more likely to run into clearance issues or block access to a neighboring HDMI port. This is likely why Amazon continues to include an HDMI extender in the box with these Fire TV Sticks, while its newer Fire TV Stick HD, which has a much thinner design similar to a Roku Streaming Stick, doesn’t include one.

Personally, I use an HDMI extender with my Fire TV Stick 4K Max because it makes it much easier to reach behind my TV whenever I want to quickly unplug it. So, I can definitely see the value of having an HDMI extender on hand, even if your device doesn’t have any issues plugging in. I recently picked up a Roku Streaming Stick Plus, so I’ll be requesting one purely to make it easier to access behind my TV.

Ultimately, if you have a Roku Streaming Stick and want to use an HDMI extender with it, or you need one to make it work with your TV, requesting one from Roku is easy and, most importantly, free.