Smart TVs are cool.
These sleek and stylish babies not only lend a certain "je ne sais quoi" to one’s living room, but they harness the power of the internet and bestows upon the viewer an infinite number of movies, series and other watchable content, all accessible with a few clicks remote while snugly ensconced in an armchair or sofa.
Having said that, it’s easy to understand the frustration and disappointment one would feel when—after excitedly unboxing your new smart TV and trying to hook it up to the World Wide Web, it fails to connect!
But this article might help you in finding a solution before you lose your temper and punch a hole in your new device.
Reasons Why Your Samsung TV Won’t Connect To the Internet (and How to Fix Them)
First step is to make sure your internet connection is working. If it is, but your TV still has no internet connection, then try out these possible solutions:
Worn Ethernet Cable
- If you’ve plugged your Smart TV in instead of using the wireless option, ensure that your Ethernet cable is working by plugging it in another device (such as your laptop), or try using another cable.
Wireless Router is Too Far Away
- Alternatively, you can connect to the internet via a Wi-Fi router.
- Still no internet connection? Your router might be too far away and you’re getting a weak signal. Try to move either your TV or router closer, or using a wifi booster.
- If that’s not an option, you may opt to boost your signal with a Wi-Fi booster or extender, or go for a wired connection - you can use a powerline adapter for this if it's more convenient. Or alternatively, you could investigate replacing your existing wireless router with a router that has better coverage or even just replacing the antennas of your existing router. Research this topic well, particularly if you have a fairly new router.
Change Your IP Settings (Applies to both wired and wireless connections)
In some models, you may opt to run the network test first to see what’s not working. If your Smart TV doesn’t have this option, follow the instructions below.
- Using the remote, go to your TV’s menu.
- Go to Network > Network Status
- If there’s a “Connected to the network, but not to the internet” message on your screen, click IP Settings.
- Change the DNS setting to “Enter manually” and change the DNS Server to either “8.8.8.8” or “8.8.4.4”.
- Click the OK button, and your Smart TV should start reconnecting to the internet.
- If this doesn’t work, try to manually enter your IP address. Don’t know your IP address? Here’s how to get it. Alternatively, you may contact your internet service provider.
Update Your Firmware via USB
Your unit’s firmware might not be updated, which is why your Smart TV’s is not connecting to the internet. But how do you update your firmware when your TV won’t connect? You can, via your TV’s USB port.
- First, go to https://www.samsung.com and click 'Support'.
- Select your product type then enter the model number.
- Scroll down, and download the upgrade file under “Downloads”.
- Transfer the file to your USB drive.
- Connect your USB drive to your Smart TV via its USB port.
- Using the remote, go to your TV’s menu.
- Go to Support > Software Update.
- Click “Update Now”.
- When prompted if you want to search the connect USB device for update files, click YES.
- Once the software is found, click YES again.
- Your Smart TV will start updating. Once finished, try connecting to the internet once again.
Do a Factory Reset (As a Last Resort)
Sometimes, a factory reset will do wonders if all else fails. Here’s how you do it:
- Using the remote, go to your TV’s menu.
- Go to Support > Self Diagnosis
- Click Reset, and you will be prompted to enter a PIN number.
- Use the remote to enter the PIN. The default PIN is “0000”. If this PIN doesn’t work, contact Samsung’s customer service.
- Click YES when prompted.
- Wait. The TV will automatically turn off and on again after it resets.
- Now try to connect to the internet once again.
If this does fix the issue, then proceed to upgrade your firmware as the TV will now be using the firmware it was shipped with—most likely an old version.
If you’ve tried everything but your TV still won’t connect, your unit might be defective. In this case, contact Samsung’s customer service for further advice.
Conclusion
We hope this article was able to help connect your Smart TV to the internet, and that you’re getting ready to settle in for the latest movie or your favorite shows.
To do a quick recap, if your Samsung Smart TV doesn’t connect to the internet, here’s a checklist the following most frequent solutions:
- Is your internet connection working? If it’s not, contact your ISP.
- The Hardware: If you’re using a wired connection, is your Ethernet cable working properly? If you’re on a wireless connection, are there any problems with your Wi-Fi router?
- Internet Settings: Your IP Address and DNS values.
- The Software: Is your unit’s firmware updated to the latest version?
- If all else fails—have your tried a factory reset?
Thanks for reading! Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a message in the comment section.
Very helpful!
Tried advice but still no connection. Was with sky then charged to plusnet, but can’t seem to get sky address off to put plusnet on.
i had same problem…was in fact a router issue. For some reason the router setting was to “block” this device. I managed to ID the device based on IP address and, using the router software, selected “unblock” and everything back to normal. who knows why the router decided to block this device…????
How did you do it
How to unblock.?????
I have the same problem: how do you unblock the device in the router.
I would appreciate it if you can provide the steps to unblock the device in the router: Thank you
I just solved the wifi problem. I tried everything. I called Samsung twice and they helped me try everything again. Finally, the second gal said I have a problem that they don’t know anything about and I needed to call a licensed Samsung repair facility. So I called. They said they would come out for $109 to assess the fix and charge me possibly more to fix the TV. I said thanks but no. I found a used wifi module on Ebay. I installed it today and wifi works perfect! The first Samsung tech gal was rude and unhelpful. The second gal was more knowlegeable and helpful, but lied through her teeth when she said Samsung has no knowledge of any wifi issues. THEY SHOULD STEP UP AND GIVE EVERYONE A NEW WIFI MODULE AS SOON AS THEY CALL. THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND SEEM TO BE USING IT AS A PROFIT CENTER FOR THEIR SERVICE REPS. BS.
Thank you so very much .Your help got my TV up and running again Cheers !!
Tom do have a model number for module. What model Samsung do you have? Thank-you
Video was very helpful. I’m connected. Thank you.
I tried several tips the article gave, nothing worked. I eventually tried unplugging the TV for a few minutes & it immediately re-connected to the internet, so Try unplugging it for a few minutes before factory resetting.
I struggled with it like all of you. I finally solved it. Here is how I did it: https://youtu.be/mcAjLcptmdo
My Samsung TV doesn’t give me the option to connect or setup the network it’s blank nor does it give me the fasctory reset they all blank.
What should I do to overcome this problem?
Thank you.
Thank you very much for your information you’re very helpful
SamsungTV Q60 82 is less than 2 years old. SamsungTV 7 series 75 is less than 6 months old. I don’t watch TV or Steam very much. The TV says I’m connected to internet. I am connected to Network. I do not have cable TV or Dish. I only stream. I have Xfinity (Comcast) as my provider for internet. My service level is the Blast! at $98/mo, plus equipment costs. Not the cheapest level and not the most expensive either. My streaming works intermittently. Every day I unplug the Modem and plug it back in to try and get it to work. TV says I’m connected, but the streaming doesn’t work. Called Xfinity. They came out, gave me a new modem, re-ran the wire to an upgraded cat 6, changed all the fittings, moved the modem into an office area of my home (about 10 feet away from the original location, they had to drill a new hole on the outside of my house into the brick to do this). They changed a filter (whatever that means), they changed the tap (whatever that means) 10 hours later, TVs still don’t stream. Laptop works. Alexa works (sometimes) Mr. Google Home doesn’t work. My kids PCs don’t work. My kids Echo dots work sometimes. This is so frustrating. I have two routers as well, the only equipment that has not been upgraded , they are less than two years old. Xfinity is trying to say I have bad TVs, bad PCs, and its my routers that are bad. So I’m getting two new routers because it can’t possibly be my TVs. I live in a rural area, 9 miles from Memphis TN. Any advice? I really only get a few days a month where everything is working. It’s very intermittent.