TV keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi? Causes and fixes

Many readers arrive here after restarting everything twice. The test below still helps, because it stops the guessing. Do not skip it.

Find which side is at fault

Your phone hotspot removes your router from the path. If the TV holds the hotspot, your router or signal is the problem. If the TV drops the hotspot too, the TV is the problem.

1. On your iPhone, switch on Personal Hotspot.
2. On the TV, open the network settings and join the hotspot.
3. Play a video for a few minutes and watch the connection.

If the hotspot holds: fix the home network

The TV is fine. Something between the router and the TV breaks the connection. Work through these steps in order.

Restart the modem and the router

Unplug the modem and the router from power. Wait 60 seconds. Plug the modem back in first, then the router. Wait until the router finishes starting, about two minutes. Then reconnect the TV. This clears most temporary faults, and it costs nothing.

Check the signal path

Move the TV and the router closer together for a test. Thick walls, metal furniture, tiled bathrooms, fish tanks, and microwaves all weaken Wi-Fi. Place the router in a central spot, off the floor, away from metal objects and electronics. If the TV connects in the same room but drops in its corner, the distance or an obstruction is the cause.

Use the 2.4 GHz band for the TV

Most routers send two bands with similar names. The 5 GHz band is fast but short-range. The 2.4 GHz band reaches farther and passes through walls better. Older TVs only use 2.4 GHz. In the router settings, give the two bands separate names if they share one, then join the TV to the 2.4 GHz network. Also switch off band steering if your router has it. Band steering pushes devices between bands, and some TVs hold neither band well when pushed.

Rule out guest networks and isolation

A phone and a TV can show the same Wi-Fi name and still be unable to reach each other. Guest networks isolate clients by design. Some routers and landlord networks block devices from talking to each other. If the TV joins but apps stall, or your phone cannot see the TV at all, read phone and TV on the same Wi-Fi but not connecting. It shows how to confirm this cause.

Check congestion and outages

A network with many active devices can starve the TV. Pause large downloads and test again. Then check with your provider whether your area has an outage. A provider app or a short call answers this. If other devices in the house also drop, the fault is with the service, not the TV.

Use a cable if you can

Ethernet beats Wi-Fi for stability on every brand. If the TV has a LAN port and the router is close enough, run a cable and switch the TV to its wired setting. Samsung lists this as an official fix, and LG and Roku owners report the same result.

If the hotspot drops too: fix the TV

The TV itself drops connections. The steps differ by brand. Find yours below. Menu names move between model years, so treat each path as the area to search, not an exact route.

Samsung TVs

Samsung's own connection guide (updated October 2026) gives this order, and it matches what works in practice:

1. Restart the TV and the router. Unplug the TV, unplug the router, wait 30 seconds, plug both back in, and give the router about two minutes.
2. Update the software. Go to Settings, then Support, then Software Update, and install what it offers.
3. Reset the network settings. Go to Settings, then General, then Network, and reset. You must rejoin Wi-Fi after this.
4. As a last step, reset the TV. Go to Settings, then General, then Reset. The default PIN is 0000. A reset erases all settings and apps, so use it only after the earlier steps fail.

If the reset wipes the network and you have no remote handy, read connect a TV to Wi-Fi without a remote before you start.

LG TVs

LG's own help pages block automated readers, so the steps below come from a verified 2026 guide that collects LG owner reports and LG's own menu labels. Try them in order:

1. Switch the TV Wi-Fi off and back on. Go to Settings, then General, then Network, then Wi-Fi Connection. Switch it off, wait a few seconds, and switch it on.
2. Check the TV software and install updates first, since firmware bugs cause drops on several model years.
3. In the Wi-Fi Advanced Settings, try switching IPv6 off and setting the DNS server to 8.8.8.8. Owners report both as fixes. Neither is guaranteed, but both are quick.
4. Confirm the TV location matches your country. Under General, then System, then Location, set the broadcast and services country to where you live.
5. On the router side, move the TV to 2.4 GHz and use WPA2-AES encryption.
6. Reset the TV only as a last step.

If none of this holds, the Wi-Fi module itself can be loose or broken. That is rare, and it needs a service center. Do not open the TV yourself while it is under warranty.

Roku TVs and players

Roku's official guide (updated September 2026) gives these steps:

1. Check the password and the network name. Codes in the 14.40 range mean the password is wrong.
2. Test another device on the same network. If it fails too, call your provider.
3. Restart the Roku. Go to Settings, then System, then Power, then System Restart. Or unplug it for 10 seconds.
4. Restart the router and modem. Unplug both for 10 seconds, plug them back in, and wait.
5. Move the Roku closer to the router. Codes 14.20, 14.62, 14.64, 016, and 017 mean a weak signal.

Google TV and Android TV

No single Google page covers every drop, so use the same restart, rejoin, and update sequence the Samsung and Roku guides above prescribe:

1. Restart the TV by holding its power button or unplugging it for 30 seconds.
2. Open the network settings, forget the Wi-Fi network, and join it again with the password typed fresh.
3. Install system updates. An update often fixes drops that started after the last one.
4. If the box has an Ethernet port, use a cable.
5. Cheap uncertified boxes sometimes lack a proper network stack. If nothing holds, the box itself is the limit, and a certified stick solves it.

If the TV drops Wi-Fi only after you switch it off

This pattern has its own cause. Many recent sets use a deep standby that shuts the network card down seconds after you switch off. The TV then leaves Wi-Fi every night and rejoins when switched on. That is normal behavior, not a fault.

Look in the power or eco settings for a network standby option and switch it on if you find one. The label differs by brand. If your set has no such option, expect a short reconnect delay after switching on, and do not factory-reset a TV for this alone.

Your phone remote and the Wi-Fi drops

A phone remote only works while the TV stays on the network. Every drop breaks discovery and control, and no remote app can fix a TV that keeps leaving Wi-Fi. Fix the drops first with the sections above. Then, if the TV still does not show up in the remote app, that checklist takes over where this one ends.

One confusion is worth clearing. If the remote app itself keeps disconnecting while the TV streams fine, the fault is on the app side, not the TV side. This article covers the reverse case: the TV drops the network for everything.

Once the TV holds its connection, use your iPhone as a TV remote. Tivi, a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps, finds Samsung, LG, Android TV, and Google TV sets on your Wi-Fi and controls them with no account.

The short version

Test with your phone hotspot first. If the TV holds the hotspot, fix the home network: restart the modem and router, shorten the signal path, use 2.4 GHz, and rule out guest networks. If the TV drops the hotspot too, fix the TV with its brand section above. Drops that happen only after switching off point to deep standby, which is normal. A stable TV connection is also what makes a phone remote work.

Common questions

Sources

• Samsung (2026). Solving Wi-Fi connection issues on your Samsung TV.
• Roku (2026). Why won't my Roku streaming device connect to Wi-Fi?
• BGR (2026). If Your LG TV Keeps Disconnecting From The Internet, Try This.
• HighSpeedInternet (2025). 5 Reasons Why Your Internet Keeps Disconnecting and How You Can Fix It.