Sony TV Not Connecting to Wi-Fi: How I Fixed It

Last Friday night, I decided to welcome the weekend by staying in.

I put on my comfiest pajamas, made my favorite popcorn and parked myself on the couch to start an epic binge-fest. But to my surprise, Hulu wouldn’t load.

After refreshing Hulu multiple times, I realized the problem was with my Sony TV.

It was not connected to the Wi-Fi.

This was also the third time this week that this issue had happened. I was beyond frustrated! The appeal of a smart TV is that it can connect you to the internet. Without this feature, my ‘smart’ TV just becomes ‘dumb’!

So I took matters into my own hands. I scoured the internet searching for a solution to my problem. I spent multiple hours reading blog posts and forums and watching YouTube tutorials.

At the end of all this, my Sony TV was back online. Here’s how I fixed my Sony TV’s Wi-Fi problem:

If Sony TV is not connecting to Wi-Fi, power reset the TV by turning it off and turning it on 60 seconds later. Alternatively, reset your router/modem by turning it off and turning it on after 30 seconds.

Power Reset your TV:

Turn your TV off and unplug the TV from the power outlet
To remove any excess power, press the power button for 30 seconds
Wait for 60 seconds and reconnect your TV to the power
Turn your TV on and connect to the Wi-Fi

If power resetting your TV doesn’t work, the problem may lie with your modem/router. Resetting your modem/router can fix the issue most of the time.

Reset your modem/router:

Unplug your modem/router from its power source
Wait for 30 seconds before reconnecting it
Try to connect your Sony TV to the Wi-Fi
If your TV is still unable to connect and other devices also face the same error, contact your internet service provider for assistance

You have now reset both your Sony TV and your modem/router. If the Wi-Fi connectivity is still affected, the next step would be to check your TV’s Wi-Fi settings and ensure that those are in order.

Check if Wi-Fi is enabled on your TV:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Depending on your TV menu options:
Select Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > “On”
Select Network > Advanced Settings > Built-in Wi-Fi > “On”

Check your Network settings:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Network > Network Setup > View Network Settings
Check that your TV’s Network SSID, IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS server address are correct
If the network information doesn’t match the information in your router/modem, you need to manually correct it
You can do this by selecting the mismatched field in your TV and typing out the correct information so that it matches your router/modem

If the Wi-Fi in your Sony TV is still not connecting despite the above fixes, you may need to enable Simple IP Control on your TV.

Note that the Simple IP Control setting is not available in every Sony TV model.

If your Sony TV does come with the Simple IP Control setting, here’s how to enable it:

Enable Simple IP Control:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Network & Internet > Home Network > IP Control
Enable Simple IP Control

Outdated TV software may also cause glitches in connectivity. Keep your TV software updated with the latest versions to avoid any issues.

Updating your TV software:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Network > Software Update
Select Automatic Software Download or Download Update
Follow the prompts on the screen to update your TV software

Note: Given the spotty Wi-Fi connection, it is recommended to use a wired connection to update the TV software. This will ensure a smooth download, uninterrupted by unstable internet.

Another known Wi-Fi glitch in Sony TVs is due to incorrect Date and Time settings.

If your Sony TV is returning a ‘WiFi has no Internet access’ message or the display time is incorrect, you need to update your Date and Time settings.

Updating Date and Time settings:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Date & Time > Automatic Date & Time
Select Use network time
Go back to Settings > Network setup > Expert
Turn your Wi-Fi off and turn it on after 60 seconds

If none of the above fixes solves your problem, try factory resetting your Sony TV.

Sony TV Factory Reset:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Storage & Reset > “Factory Data Reset”
If prompted, enter your TV’s PIN
Select Erase everything > “Yes”

Note: A factory reset will erase all saved data from your TV. Make sure to back up any important information that you may have stored before resetting.

Basic Wi-Fi Hygiene:

Sometimes Wi-Fi connectivity is affected due to interference in the Wi-Fi setup. Make sure the following factors are taken care of to maximize your network connectivity:

Poor signal strength: The farther the router is from a device, the weaker the signal strength becomes. To ensure a strong Wi-Fi signal, place the router within 3 feet of your Sony TV.
Signal interference: Other wireless devices such as Bluetooth speakers, microwaves or wireless phones may electromagnetically interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Ensure that there are no other wireless devices or solid obstructions like walls in between the Sony TV and the router.
Too many devices: While most routers allow up to 250 devices to connect to it at the same time, multiple devices may bog down the Wi-Fi signal. Try to reduce the number of connected devices to improve your Wi-Fi strength.
VPN and firewalls: Check your router’s VPN and firewall settings. These may be interfering with the connection. Turn off the VPN and/or firewall to connect your Sony TV to the Wi-Fi.
Improper frequency band settings: Check whether the frequency band settings of both your router and Sony TV match. The frequency band information can be accessed in the network panel of both devices. In case of incompatibility, change one of the frequencies to match the other.
Check whether your internet issues appear with only one streaming service or if all apps are affected. If only one streaming service returns an error, the problem may not lie with your devices or the internet.

Did you try all the above, and yet your Wi-Fi refuses to connect to your Sony TV? In that case, the problem might be an incompatibility.

Sony TVs don’t support dial-up internet or connections by proxy. Additionally, VPN networks and PPPoE connections are also incompatible with Sony TVs.

Ensure that your modem/router complies with the above or simply connect your Sony TV to a wired network instead.

Connect your Sony TV to a Wired Network Instead:

Connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port of your TV and the other to your router/modem
Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Network & Internet > Network setup > “Set up network connection” or “Wired Setup”
Follow the on-screen prompts to set up your network

My Sony TV is back online!

A buffering internet connection is quite frustrating. It interrupts my relaxation time and causes stress.

However, as I discovered, the solutions to my frustration are quite simple. They can be easy fixes like resetting my TV or router.

Or sometimes the answers may be non-obvious – such as checking the Date & Time settings of Sony TV or updating the TV software.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on the built-in Wi-Fi of my Sony TV?

To connect your Sony TV to a wireless network, do the following:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > “On”
Choose your Wi-Fi network from the list of available networks
Enter your Wi-Fi password. Note: Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive. Take note of the characters while entering your password
Select Connect

How do I reset the Wi-Fi of my Sony TV?

Do the following to reset your network settings:

Select the Home button on your TV remote, open the Settings menu
Select System > Advanced > Reset options > Reset network settings
Select Reset Settings