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Samsung TV Won’t Connect to WiFi? (Try THIS!)

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Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

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It’s frustrating when your Samsung TV won’t connect to WiFi since you need an internet connection to access content from streaming services. So what do you do when the WiFi your Samsung TV relies on can’t connect? 

Well, the good news is, you’re not just stuck with an oversized, expensive paperweight. There are several reasons your Samsung TV might not be connecting to WiFi, and we’re going to walk you through each of those possibilities now. 

Samsung TV Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi

If your Samsung TV won’t connect to WiFi, you need to reset it. Unplug your TV for 60 seconds, then press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. Plug your Samsung TV back in after 60 seconds, and it should connect to WiFi.

If your Samsung TV still won’t connect to WiFi, don’t panic. There are several other steps you can take to fix this issue. Follow every step below, and I’m sure you’ll get your TV to connect to WiFi again.

1. Unplug Your Samsung TV

This is such a common fix for electronics that it has become a longstanding joke, but it does work most of the time. Unplugging your Samsung TV can also fix problems when your Samsung TV won’t turn on, or the volume is not working or is stuck.

unplug Samsung TV from a power wall outlet
Unplug Samsung TV from a power wall outlet.

Simply unplug your Samsung TV, wait sixty seconds, and then plug it back in. This can “reset” the TV as it boots up, and it gives it a chance to initialize things that it might have failed to initialize on the last attempt. 

If this doesn’t do the trick at first, don’t immediately go to one of our other solutions. Most people mess this up a few times, and it’s usually because of impatience. You need to wait 60 seconds.

This ensures that the entire system turns off completely, and you’ll get a full reset instead of potentially firing up systems that still have a little power left in them by immediately plugging it in again.

Also, it’s helpful to hold the television’s power button for thirty seconds. This will drain the rest of the residual power and help ensure everything is completely unpowered before you plug it back in. 

Note: You have to hold the power button ON THE TELEVISION. Holding the power button on the remote won’t do anything in this case. 

Yes, this can get annoying if your TV experiences this issue for a prolonged period of time, but it’s simple enough that anyone can do it, and it does reliably work unless there isn’t another, more serious issue causing the problem. 

2.  Update the Software on Your Samsung TV

The meat of your Samsung TV is its software. The software makes every convenient little thing it does possible, and it handles every aspect of your television.

As such, if it’s not updated properly, a lot of things can start going wrong; that goes for your WiFi connection, too. 

Usually, you’re not going to have to worry about this. Your TV is designed to automatically download software updates as they become available and you’re connected to the internet.

However, if something goes wrong and your television can’t automatically download a software update, this is likely the solution you’ll need to fix it. 

Note: This typically happens if you lose your internet connection while it’s attempting to download an update. However, other circumstances can cause the auto-download feature to mess up, too. 

Updating your Samsung TV software is fairly easy. We won’t walk you through every step, but here’s a brief rundown. 

  • Make sure your TV is connected to the internet. Even if it’s not connecting for streaming usage, if it can pick up an internet signal, you should be able to update your software. 
  • Navigate to your TV’s settings, and search for Update Software as an option. 
  • With just a couple of prompts, your TV will begin to determine if there are any new software versions available. If there are, the TV will download the updates and install them automatically. 

This isn’t the most likely issue you’ll face, but it is something that occurs often enough for it to be a reasonable solution to try. 

3. Change Your TV DNS Server Number

This option is only viable if your other WiFi-enabled devices are functioning normally. If they’re also refusing to connect, you’ll need to use another solution because the problem is with your internet connection. 

You can find your DNS server number by going to Network > Network Status and then IP Settings in the menu. You’ll hopefully find one of two number sequences when you navigate there: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

These are the two DNS server numbers that will actually work on your home network. If yours is set to something else, you need to click it and change it to one of the two numbers listed above. 

This should easily fix your internet connection problems. 

There are two notes regarding this fix, though. First, if your DNS server number is already matching one of the two examples we provided, and you tried switching to the opposite, this is not the problem, and you can skip this solution. 

This also isn’t a common issue. So, try to take a brief look at your server number when you first start troubleshooting.

If this is the problem, you’ll notice it immediately, and you can fix it right off the bat. If it’s not, you’ll have saved your time messing with it at all. 

Also, a good sign that this is the issue is that your TV says you have an internet connection, but the internet is not available. That’s because the TV picks up on the internet connection, but it doesn’t have the right qualifications to use it. 

4. Set IP Settings to “Obtain Automatically”

Now, we’re getting into things that are a little more complicated than the good old “unplug it and plug it back in” fix.

However, with a little guidance, they’re still not all that difficult. The jargon is what tends to confuse most people who aren’t tech-literate. 

First, you should check your IP settings. Your IP address is essentially your TV’s version of a street address, and it’s necessary to use the internet. 

Usually, this isn’t a problem. Your TV is set to automatically obtain its IP information upon launch when you purchase it.

Sometimes, your WiFi can switch to the manual position and get disrupted. This might happen if you accidentally flip an option while changing settings or if your kids get a hold of the remote. It could also occur if the software malfunctions during an update.

To check this:

  • Go to Menu on your remote
  • Select Network Settings
  • Then go to Network Status.
  • You’ll find Obtain IP Address as an option.

You should be able to highlight the option and switch between Automatic and Manual with the directional buttons on your remote. If it’s on Manual, set it to Automatic and exit the menu. 

This should allow your TV to start connecting to WiFi right away. Just wait a few seconds for the connection to be made.

If it doesn’t, try turning off the TV the same way we described in our first solution, and everything should be fixed. 

5. Factory Reset Your TV

This is the end of our simple fixes, and it’s probably the most extreme measure you can take outside of replacing the TV. 

A factory reset is a built-in feature that allows you to return the television to the state it was in when you took it out of the box. This is made possible by a recovery partition built into the television’s storage system. 

This is an easy task, but it’s also one that has a major drawback. You definitely don’t want this to be your first solution, and you might even want to try some of the more complicated solutions we’ll provide later before trying this.

Why? Well, it deletes everything you’ve added to your TV. When you do a factory reset, the apps you added, accounts you set up, and the settings you’ve meticulously picked through and set to your liking will all be gone. 

If you get signed out of an account, you can always redownload the apps you added or log into any of those accounts.

However, redownloading the apps takes a lot of time, and you’ll have to go through a time-consuming recovery process if you forget your login information.

To reset your Samsung TV to its factory settings, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Home button on your remote.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Select General.
  4. Then, select Reset.

The steps might be different if you own an older TV model. If that’s the case, go to Settings > Support > Self Diagnosis > Reset.

Once you click the reset button, you’ll be warned about what it does, and then you’ll have to confirm that you want to go through with it. 

Good luck setting your TV up all over again, and hopefully, your Samsung TV connect to WiFi, and you won’t have to do it again. 

6. Reset Router and Modem

You may have an issue with your router rather than your TV. If none of the solutions we’ve provided work, it’s time to try resetting your modem and router. This is simple, and it’s a lot like the first solution we provided. 

Go to wherever your internet modem and WiFi router are located. Unplug them both, and let them sit for a full sixty seconds.

If either device has a power button, hold it for 30 seconds while they’re unplugged. Then, plug the devices back in. 

It will take a fair amount of time for your modem and router to reconnect entirely. So, wait next to the units and see if all the appropriate lights come on and stay a solid positive color. Usually, this is green, but some devices use other color codes. 

Bigger Problems You Cannot Solve

If none of the options we listed are working, there are two possible problems, and you won’t be able to do much about either of them. 

Here are some details. 

7. ISP Issues

Of course, before returning your television, try to call your ISP (internet service provider). This is especially true if your other WiFi-enabled devices aren’t connecting and a simple modem or router reset didn’t work. 

There are a lot of situations that can cause the internet to go out in a way that has nothing to do with you.

The ISP might have an issue at its headquarters that has caused a blackout. A line might have been taken down by a storm in your local area, or old lines might have malfunctioned.

If you call your ISP or contact them online, they’ll notify you of any outages they’re experiencing in the area and give you an estimated time for services to return. 

Twitter, for instance, might be a good place to follow your ISP (like Xfinity) for updates on when the internet may be up and running again. There are also sites such as Downdetector where you can find outage information.

Xfinity support on Twitter
Xfinity support on Twitter.

8. Damaged Television

It is possible that your television has suffered damage without you knowing it. If everything is working just fine besides the WiFi, there is likely a problem with the WiFi card.

It could have been installed improperly and fell off while you shifted the unit, you could have bumped the television too hard and jostled it out of place, or the card might have malfunctioned over time. 

In any case, you won’t be replacing the WiFi card on your own. Even tech-savvy folks will have trouble getting past Samsung’s security measures.

And if you do, you’ll still have to have the skills to install a new WiFi card. Even after that, you’ll need to have the right replacement card, or you won’t achieve much. 

If it is in any way possible, simply return or exchange your TV at the establishment you purchased it from. With online stores, you might need to pay a restocking fee as well as return shipping for this action. 

Final Thoughts on Samsung TV Not Connecting to WiFi

Samsung TVs are amazing, and they’re definitely a huge upgrade over the old-school TVs a lot of people are still running. However, they are known for experiencing this issue.

Luckily, most of the solutions on this list are extremely simple, and even the more complicated solutions are easy if you follow instructions well. 

Issues can pop up where none of these solutions work, though. Always see if it’s an ISP issue before trying to return your TV, but don’t be afraid to reach out to Samsung or the store you bought it from if the issue persists. 

Also, this issue sometimes comes and goes frequently. Some users report having to fix their connection at least once a week.

If that sounds like you, it could be a problem with the most recent software update, and you will simply have to wait until Samsung fixes that. 

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Herby Jasmin

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