Vizio TV Connected to WiFi But No Network Detected: Do This…

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You’ve got your Vizio TV connected to WiFi, but it says “No network detected” and you can’t get a working Internet connection?

There’s a few possible causes from both your TV and your router, but all of them should be easy for you to fix with only a few minutes of your time.

I’ll go through every fix below, and I’m confident that by following them, you’ll get a fully working connection in no time at all.


vizio tv connected to wifi but no network detected

Vizio TV Connected to WiFi But No Network Detected?

If your TV is connected to your router but won’t connect to the Internet, make sure DHCP is set to “On” on your TV, your router isn’t set for MAC address filtering, and there is no RF interference blocking the WiFi signal.

These are the most common reasons why you can’t get Internet on your Vizio, so I’ll go into each of these in more detail below, along with the full range of possible fixes.


1. Change Your TV DHCP Settings

If your TV WiFi is showing as connected but is not working, 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, press Settings on your remote, then go to Network -> Manual Setup.

Vizio TV Connected to WiFi But Apps Don't Work

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

If DHCP is On, then try switching it Off, and change the Pref. 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 connection again.


2. Check Your Router’s 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 TV will not 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 with any of the 1s replaced with 0s), 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

3. WiFi Interference

If your Vizio TV is not connecting to the Internet, 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.


4. For Older Vizio TVs, Change Your Router Password Type

If your Vizio is around ten years old, then it may not support the latest protection algorithms that your router uses to secure its WiFi connection.

Log in to your router through its admin page (on the label beneath your router, and usually something similar to 192.168.0.1), and go to General WiFi Settings or similar.

Look for the Protection Mode, which will most likely show WPA2. Change this WPA or WPA + WPA2 and try to reconnect your TV to your WiFi.

wifi router password protection

5. Update Vizio TV Firmware

Software and firmware issues have been known to cause problems like your Vizio TV not connecting to Internet.

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

Most Vizio TVs support auto-updating of firmware, but you can’t assume that this is turned on for you, unless you are using a Smart Vizio TV, where auto-updates are always on.

It’s important to note that automatic firmware updates will only run when your TV is turned off but still plugged in. If you leave your TV switched on, it will not update the firmware.

For older Vizio TVs, to update firmware:

  1. Press Menu on your remote.
  2. Go to Admin & Privacy or System, depending on your model.
  3. Click Check for Updates.
  4. If updates have been successfully applied, your TV will restart 2 times.
vizio tv firmware update
Vizio TV firmware update screen

If you are using a Smart Vizio TV, then there is no option to manually update firmware – this is done automatically as long as your TV has an Internet connection, in which case you might want to connect an Ethernet cable to your router at least temporarily.


6. Soft Reset Your Vizio TV

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

With modern electronics, it’s possible that the problem is caused by something stuck in your TV’s flash memory or by a gremlin in the electronics that simply switching your TV on and off won’t resolve.

Power cycling your TV will clear out any issues with non-permanent memory without losing your personal settings.

  1. Unplug your TV.
  2. Hold down the physical power button on your TV for at least 15 seconds to drain any residual power from the capacitors.
  3. Leave your TV unplugged for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Plug it back in and switch back on.

nb. Make sure that you hold down the physical power button on your TV, not the one on the remote and make sure you time 15 seconds when holding the power button down.

vizio tv power button

Make sure you do wait for the full 30 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.


7. Check Your TV’s Time and Date

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 Internet.

IP addresses set by your router will have a Lease Expiration of 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.


8. Vizio TV Factory Reset

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

To factory reset a Vizio Smart TV:

  1. Turn the TV on.
  2. Hold down the Volume Down and Input buttons on the side of the TV simultaneously.
  3. After a few seconds, a message will pop up on screen telling you how to reset your TV. You can release the two buttons you are holding.
  4. You will usually then hold the Input button for 10 seconds for a factory reset.
  5. Another message will pop up on screen about the reset.
  6. Your TV will re-boot and return to the original setup screen.
vizio tv factory reset

For older Vizio TVs, you can perform a factory reset by using the remote to go to:

  • Menu -> On screen display go to Admin & Privacy or System -> Reset to Factory Settings

9. Reset Your Router

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.


10. Use an Ethernet Cable

Finally, if you are still unable to get the Internet 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 Vizio TV keeps dropping the wired Internet connection, then there is one workaround that may help.


11. Use a Streaming Stick

Although it’s a bit annoying, if you haven’t managed to get your connection working properly using the steps above, then the next simplest option is to use a Firestick, Roku or similar.

Plug one of these into your TV’s HDMI port, with the power cable plugged into the TV’s USB port, then follow the on-screen instructions for your streaming stick to connect to WiFi.


Vizio TV Support and Warranty

You can check your warranty information direct with Vizio.

Unfortunately, warranties typically only last a year unless you have already paid to extend it.

Because problems with the Internet can occur at any time, if your TV is under one year old, return your TV under warranty and get it fixed.

You can use the Vizio support site to help diagnose your problem, but if you are at this stage, then you are better off calling them direct on:

  • 844-254-8087 (Mon. – Fri., 8am – 11pm CST, Sat. – Sun., 9am – 8pm CST)

You can also contact them directly through live chat, or text them a short description of your problem on 205-301-3729.

Even if Vizio 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 Vizio TV Connected to WiFi But No Internet?

To fix a Vizio TV not connecting to the Internet:

  1. Update your IP to obtain automatically and your DNS to 8.8.8.8.
  2. Confirm your router isn’t MAC address filtering.
  3. Check for signal interference.
  4. Change your router password type.
  5. Update your TV’s firmware.
  6. Power cycle your TV to reset it.
  7. Check your TV’s time and date.
  8. Factory reset your TV.
  9. Reset your router.
  10. Use an Ethernet cable.
  11. Use a streaming stick.

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


Read More:

How to connect Vizio TV to WiFi without remote

Fix Vizio TV not connecting to WiFi

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Follow Tim Daniels:

Hi, I'm Tim Daniels, photographer and photo trainer, founder of Lapse of the Shutter and creator of the totally free Lightroom Develop System. I've travelled to (probably) 30 countries over the last few years, taking photos and licensing them around the world, and creating lots of free photography learning resources. Read More ...

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