HDMI-CEC has quietly done a lot of heavy lifting for BetterSTR TV: it's the reason the TV in a room wakes up the moment a guest checks in, and drops to standby the moment they check out, with nothing to configure. It works over the same HDMI cable that's already carrying the picture, so there's no pairing, no app on the TV, nothing to break.
It's also not something we control. CEC is a spec every TV manufacturer implements a little differently, and every extra piece of hardware between the box and the TV — an HDMI switch, a soundbar, an AV receiver — is one more place the signal can get dropped. Most rooms never notice. A few do, and until now the only fix was rewiring the room.
What changed
TV Network Control gives the box a second path to the TV: over Wi-Fi, instead of the HDMI cable. Once you link a TV, the box mirrors its own power state to it directly — wake the box, and it tells the TV to turn on over the network at the same moment it would have sent a CEC signal down the cable. Same trigger, same timing, just a different route that doesn't care what's plugged in between them.
On a TV whose brand exposes real volume control, the same link lets you go further than CEC ever could: set an exact safe volume for new guests, or push a volume change to the TV live from the dashboard.
Supported today
- Roku TVs — power on/off over the network.
- Samsung TVs — power on/off, plus setting and reading the TV's actual volume level.
We're adding brands as we go — if there's one you'd like to see, tell us.
Setting it up
- Open Edit on the device in your BetterSTR dashboard and find the TV Network Control card.
- Switch on Sync power with a TV on this property's network and click Scan for TVs.
- Pick the TV from the results. Roku attaches immediately; a newer Samsung set may ask you to accept a one-time prompt on the TV screen first.
- Save, and you're done — power sync starts on the box's next check-in.
One setting worth checking on a Roku before you scan: Settings → System → Advanced system settings → Control by mobile apps needs to be on Default or Permissive, or the TV won't answer at all.
Volume that actually holds (Samsung)
The classic vacation-rental volume problem: the last guest left the TV blasting, or on mute, and the next one has no idea why the remote "isn't working." With a Samsung TV linked, Advanced Settings › Audio gets a second safe-volume option — set a level, and the box resets the TV's real speaker volume to it on every new check-in, the same way it already resets the box's own output.
You can also reach in and adjust it live any time, from the dashboard's speaker icon on a selected device, or from the new Connected Devices screen (left-hand menu), which lists every linked TV across your whole account in one place and lets you control any of them without opening the Edit modal.
Common questions
Does this replace HDMI-CEC?
No, it runs alongside it. If a room's CEC already works, linking a TV just gives you the volume option on top; the two power-sync paths don't conflict with each other.
Does the TV need to be on the guest Wi-Fi?
It needs to be on the same local network as the box — the same network your Android TV devices already use. Nothing leaves the property network for this to work.
Why is there no volume control for a Roku TV?
Roku's own remote-control protocol only supports pressing volume up, down and mute — there's no way to ask it what volume it's at, or tell it an exact number. Power sync works the same as Samsung; the volume features are specific to a brand that actually exposes them.
Does this cost extra?
No, TV Network Control is included free, on every plan, the same as the rest of BetterSTR TV.
Full setup walkthrough in the help article, or see everything else the TV does on the BetterSTR TV page.