Sony TV Not Connecting to WiFi: Read This FIRST

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Is your Sony TV not connecting to WiFi?

Either way, it’s usually very easy to fix WiFi problems and takes only a few minutes of your time to get your TV back up and running again.

Whether your Sony TV WiFi is not turning on, your Sony TV WiFi keeps turning off, or some other Sony TV WiFi issue, you’ll find the solutions in this complete guide.


sony tv not connecting to wifi

Sony TV Not Connecting to WiFi

To fix a Sony TV not connecting to WiFi, you need to reset your TV by power cycling it. Unplug it, hold the power button down for 15 seconds, then plug your TV back in after waiting a further 2 minutes. You can also try reserving your TV’s IP and changing your DNS, and resetting your WiFi network.


If your Sony TV won’t connect to WiFi after trying the above, then you should go through every step below in order, and I’m confident we will get it working again for you.


1. Sony TV Reset Network Settings

Although this might seem a basic step, power cycling your TV is often the best way to fix your Sony TV not connecting to Internet.

Resetting your TV will clear out any issues with non-permanent memory and reset your main board without losing your personal settings.

This is quick and painless and won’t cause you to lose any of your saved settings.

  1. Make sure your TV is switched off and unplug it.
  2. Hold down the physical power button on the TV for at least 15 seconds.
sony tv power button
The power button is usually beneath the Sony logo or on the side of the TV
  1. Wait for at least 2 minutes for any residual power to drain from the TV’s capacitors (which are capable of storing charge for several minutes).
  2. Plug your TV back in and try switching it on. You should see a red light if you have been successful.

Make sure you do wait for the full 2 minutes before plugging your TV back in – you would be surpised how long the components within your TV can hold charge, and you want to make sure it has fully reset.

Although this seems a very basic step, don’t overlook it because in the vast majority of cases a simple soft reset fixes most issues.

Most people will now have their TV fixed and back up and running, but if your Sony TV is not connecting to WiFi after resetting, then we’ve got a few more basic fixes to try before getting into the hardware fixes.


2. Sony Smart TV Keeps Losing Internet Connection

If your TV WiFi keeps dropping, and it is working on other devices, then check for an issue with your TV’s IP and DNS addresses.

In most cases, your TV should be setup to automatically select an IP address from your router, and usually also automatically pulls a DNS address, which is used to resolve IP addresses that your TV connects to, creating the URL that you see in the address bar of your browser.

But it’s possible that IP address lookup might have been set to Manual, and your DNS settings might be conflicting between your TV and WiFi router.

To fix this on a Sony Android TV, press Home on your remote, then go to Settings -> Network & Internet -> [Click on the Connected Network].

sony android tv change ip address

If the IP Setting Mode is set to Manual, then change it to DHCP and restart your TV. This will make your TV select an IP address automatically from your router.

If the IP Setting Mode is set to DHCP, then change it to Manual, and change the DNS Server to 8.8.8.8, which is one of Google’s DNS servers that we know definitely works.

Restart your TV and try your apps again.

For Sony Bravia TVs, press Home on your remote, then go to Settings -> System Settings -> Set-up -> Network -> Network Set-up and change your IP and DNS settings from here.


3. Sony TV WiFi Authentication Problem

If your Sony TV is not connecting to WiFi at all, this could be a sign that the password you are entering is incorrect, or the WPS setup failed.

If you used WPS, where you press a WPS button on your router and your TV automatically discovers the network and login details without any further input than you, then try entering your password manually.

tv wifi connect with wps

If you entered it manually before, try re-entering your password, but this time make sure the Show password option is selected so that you can confirm this is correct.


4. Check Your Router is Not Set for MAC Address Filtering

MAC address filtering allows you to specify which devices are allowed to connect to the Internet using their unique MAC addresses, which every Internet capable device has.

If you, or someone in your family, has switched this on at the router level, your Sony TV won’t connect to the Internet even if it can connect to your WiFi.

Login to your router by typing the Admin IP address into your phone’s or computer’s browser. This is listed on a label on your router (usually 192.1.1.1 or similar), along with the admin login info.

Go to Advanced or Expert Settings and find MAC Filtering. Make sure this is turned off.

router switch off mac filtering

5. Sony TV WiFi Keeps Turning Off

If your Sony TV keeps disconnecting from WiFi, then you need to make sure that your router is switched on and working properly, and that there is no interference or blocking of the WiFi signal between your router and TV.

The easiest way to check that your router is working is to use another device, like a phone or iPad. Make sure this is using the same WiFi network as your TV, and check you are fully able to access the Internet.

WiFi interference can be a bit harder to discover, but if you can, try moving your TV as close to your router as possible, ideally within the same room.

If your TV and router are in separate rooms, then try taking another device with WiFi capabilties like your phone up to your TV, and see if you are able to successfully browse the Internet from the same location as your TV, on the same home network.

If your TV won’t connect to the Internet but other devices will from the same location, then you can assume your router’s WiFi signal is good, and the problem most likely lies within your TV.


6. Update Sony TV Firmware

If your Sony TV WiFi is not turning on, then updating your firmware is the best option.

Software and firmware issues have been known to cause problems with the WiFi on Sony TVs.

As with any product, you should ensure that you have updated your Sony TV’s firmware to the latest version, even if it is new.

To update firmware on most Sony TVs:

  1. Press Settings on your remote control.
Sony Tv remote settings button
  1. Go to Customer Support, Product Support or Setup.
  2. If available, select Automatic Software Update or Automatic Software Download and check that this is switched on. (Note that you must agree to the Privacy Policy to receive automatic updates – go to Help -> Privacy Policy to find it).
  3. Otherwise, select Software Update.
  4. Choose your Network, then press Yes or OK to start the update process.

For Sony Android TVs:

  1. Press Home on your remote.
  2. Go to Help.
  3. Choose Status & Diagnostics.
  4. Then System software update.
  5. You can check that Automatically check for updates is switched on, and manually check for updates using the Software Update button.

For Sony Google TVs:

  1. Press Settings on your remote control.
  2. Go to System.
  3. Then About.
  4. And System Software Update.
  5. Confirm that Automatically check for update is On. You can also manually check for updates using the Software Update button.

Sony Android and Google TVs will automatically update firmware if connected to the Internet. If your WiFi has been broken for some time, then your Sony TV may not have the latest firmware, which you will have to install manually via USB.

  1. Go to the Sony support site on your computer.
  2. In the Search box, enter your TV’s model name. (Take a look at Sony’s help page if you can’t find it).
sony tv usb update firmware
  1. Go to the Downloads tab and click the most recent Firmware update and download it to your computer.
sony tv manual firmware update
  1. The update process varies depending on your TV, but full instructions for each model are provided on the firmware update screen. Follow these to complete the update process.

7. Sony TV Not Detecting 5GHz WiFi

It’s possible that your Sony TV won’t connect to WiFi because of an issue with your 2.4GHz WiFi channel or 5GHz WiFi channel.

Login to your routers landing page, usually found by typing 192.1.1.1 or 192.1.1.0 into a browser on your phone or computer (the exact IP will be on a label on your router).

Find the login info on your router’s label, and take a look at the overview page to see whether your TV is connecting on 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

router wifi 2.4ghz setting

If it is connecting on the 5GHz channel, try changing the settings in your TV’s Network page to connect only on 2.4GHz.

You can also update the channel frequencies in the router itself, usually found under Expert Settings or Advanced Settings, changing these values and retesting your TV’s Wifi connection to see if they make any difference.

router wifi settings

8. Sony X90J WiFi Issues

Because your router will automatically assign an IP address for a fixed period of time, if your TV’s time and date is wrong, it can cause the IP address to “expire” and prevent connection to the router.

IP addresses set by your router will have a Lease Expiration of at least several years (and this can be checked within the settings page for your router), so if your TV has a time and date several years away from the current date/time, this can cause the IP lease to expire.

Go into the Settings for your TV and manually update the date and time to today if it is not already showing this.

If your TV’s time and date is correct but your connection keeps dropping, then it’s possible that a changing IP address from your router is the problem.

Log into your router, find your TV’s connection and click Reserve IP to make sure that your TV always connects to your router on the same IP address.


9. Factory Reset Your Sony TV

Returning your TV back to its factory settings is a more extreme step, as it will delete any personalization features, downloaded apps or connected devices, but it’s always worth a shot when other methods haven’t worked.

To factory reset a non-Android Sony TV:

  1. Unplug the TV.
  2. Wait for 1 minute, then plug your TV back in.
  3. If it doesn’t switch on automatically, press the Power button on the remote or TV itself.
  4. Once switched on and fully loaded, hold the Up arrow on the remote and at the same time, hold the Power button on the TV until “Reset” appears on-screen.
sony tv factory reset
  1. Once you see “Reset” on-screen, or after a count of ten, release the Up arrow and then the TV’s Power button.
  2. Your TV will now reset itself and return to the initial setup screen.

You can see these steps in the video from Sony below.

To factory reset an Android Sony TV and if your Sony TV remote is working:

  1. Press Settings on your remote.
  2. Go to System.
  3. Then About.
  4. And Reset.
  5. Choose Factory data reset.
  6. And Erase everything, and confirm you want to do this. If asked for a PIN, use 9999.

You can see details for how to reset other models of Sony Android TV in the video below.

If you don’t have the remote, then you can factory reset your Sony TV using the guides for TVs that have either one or three buttons or four or more buttons.


10. Reset Your Router

If you’re still seeing Sony TV poor Internet connection, then you can first try a soft reset of your router – unplugging it for 30 seconds – to see if that fixes your issue.

If not, try a hard reset of your router, pressing a paperclip or similar into the small reset hole usually found on the back of your router.

You will need to hold the paperclip on the reset button for at least ten seconds to be sure your router is fully reset.

reset router

This will remove any personalisation settings you have made on your router, such as a changed WiFi password or network name, so be sure you still have the default WiFi logins for the router. These are usually on a sticker on the router body.


11. Use an Ethernet Cable

Finally, if you are still unable to get the WiFi working on your TV, you might have to resort to using an Ethernet cable.

Either your TV or router should have come with one, and this will give you a wired Internet connection which will bypass your WiFi.

If your TV is in a different room from your router and it isn’t practical to use an Ethernet cable, or if your Sony TV keeps dropping the wired Internet connection, then there is still one final hardware fix that will get your WiFi working again.


12. Replace the WiFi Module

If none of the previous steps have worked, then you are most likely suffering from a failed WiFi module which is pretty easy to replace yourself.

Take a look at the video below for a step-by-step guide to do this. You will need to open up your TV which will invalidate it’s warranty, so this is really only a solution for TVs that are over one year old.


Sony TV Support & Warranty

It goes without saying that if your TV is under one year old, then you should contact Sony customer support to get it replaced under warranty.

You can call Sony directly on:

  • 239-245-6354 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 9pm ET, Sat – Sun, 10am – 8pm ET)

Or text them on 239-245-6354, or ask for a callback.

Even if Sony won’t fix your TV, they might still offer you a discount off a future model if you pester them hard enough! This is always worth a try in my experience.


So, How Do You Fix a Sony TV Not Connecting to WiFi?

To fix a Sony TV not connecting to WiFi:

  1. Power cycle your TV to reset it.
  2. Update your IP to obtain automatically and your DNS to 8.8.8.8.
  3. Make sure your WiFi password is correct.
  4. Confirm your router isn’t MAC address filtering.
  5. Check for signal interference.
  6. Update your TV’s firmware.
  7. Switch your TV to the 2.4GHz WiFi channel.
  8. Check your TV’s time and date and reserve its IP address in your router.
  9. Factory reset your TV.
  10. Reset your router.
  11. Use an Ethernet cable.
  12. Replace the WiFi module.

Hopefully you’ve now got your TV’s WiFi back up and running. If not, leave me a comment and I’ll see what more I can do to help.


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2 Responses

  1. Garth P. Salona
    | Reply

    Not working for me. I tried most if not all applicable (and it feels like the non-applicable as well) to fix this issue. Obviously the article is a bit out of date, but I figured I would leave my own message of support for other people suffering from this dumb TV.

    My issue – sorry googlers who are just looking for this phrase, no solution here – is the wi-fi switch won’t turn on/being enabled on my Sony Google Bravia TV. It stays in the gray off switch, and when I hit it, gives me a status message of “Turning on Wi-Fi” for 10 seconds and then turns off again. Frustrating.

    This problem began after I installed the latest firmware. So I doubt that that’s the solution.

    Thanks in advance

    • Kadhir
      | Reply

      Yep! Iam having the exact same problem right now. Ive tried all of these steps (other than contacting Sony because theyre closed now), but when I try toggling the wifi button on, it gives me a “turning on wifi” message for about 5 sec, then the wifi button goes grey again. So incredibly frustrating 🙁

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