After purchasing a Samsung smart TV, the first step is to connect it to the Internet. In this article, I will show you how to connect your Samsung Smart TV to a Wi-Fi network. Otherwise, Smart functions will not be available. The menu itself will open and function, but we will not be able to watch videos, download sites, install applications, etc. All modern Samsung TVs are connected to the Internet using both a network cable and Wi-Fi (via a router).
If you have a TV with Smart TV, then it definitely has the ability to connect to the Internet using a network cable. The TV has a LAN input. I wrote how to make such a connection in the article Connecting a Samsung Smart TV to the Internet via a network cable. And if you have the opportunity to connect the Internet via cable, and not via Wi-Fi, then it is better to use a cable. The cable connection will be faster and more stable. This is very important for the TV. If the router is installed far from the TV and there is no way to stretch the cable, then we will connect the Samsung TV to the Internet via Wi-Fi. The wireless connection speed is sufficient for most tasks. Of course, a lot depends on the speed of the Internet connection (tariff) and the router. If your TV supports Wi-Fi 5 GHz (802.11c standard), and your router is dual-band (distributes Wi-Fi at 5 GHz), then it is better to connect to this network.
If you are confident that your Samsung TV has built-in Wi-Fi, then you can proceed to setup. If you are not sure, it is better to check right away. You can see the characteristics of the TV on the manufacturer's official website. There, this feature is referred to as "Built-in Wireless Networking".
It is a pity that the site does not indicate the Wi-Fi standards that the TV supports. One could immediately see if there is support for the 5 GHz band (802.11ac standard).
It's just that there are TV models with Smart TV (mostly old models) that do not have a built-in Wi-Fi module. And you can connect them to Wi-Fi only through a proprietary Samsung USB adapter, or by cable. But, since it is almost impossible to find this adapter now, you can use a router or repeater as an adapter (receiver). I talked about this in this article: how to connect a TV without Wi-Fi to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Almost every modern Samsung TV with Smart TV has Wi-Fi built in.
Connecting Samsung Smart TV to a Wi-Fi router
Consider the connection process on a TV that runs on the new Smart TV Tizen OS system. You need to open the Smart TV menu. To do this, on the remote control, press the button with the house icon. You may have a different remote control. It does not matter.
Hover the cursor over the "Settings" item, go to "Network" from above and select "Network Settings".
Or open "Options" and go to the "General" - "Network" - "Open network settings".
Next, you need to select the type of network. Since we want to connect the Samsung TV to the router via Wi-Fi, we select "Wireless".
After searching, the TV will display a list of Wi-Fi networks available for connection. Choosing your wireless network. In the screenshot below, my network is called "iPhone" (I was distributing Internet from my phone).
If you need to connect to a Wi-Fi network with a hidden SSID, then at the very bottom of the list of wireless networks, select "Add network".
Enter the network name (SSID) and password.
Enter the password for the Wi-Fi network and click on the "Finish" button. If you want to see the password that you enter, check the box next to "Show password".
If the connection was successful, then a message should appear that the TV is connected to the Internet.
If for some reason you need to disconnect the TV from the Wi-Fi network, then you can do this in the settings, in the section "General" - "Network" - "Network status". You need to click on the "Disable" button.
You can now return to the Smart TV menu and use your internet connection in different applications. For example, browsing websites through a browser. On Samsung TV, it is called "Internet". Or watch YouTube on TV through a separate app.
You can also set up playback of movies from a computer, laptop, or mobile devices via DLNA. The main thing is that the TV and the other device are connected to the same network. I am leaving a link to the instructions for setting up a DLNA server in Windows 10. You can also display photos and videos on a TV from an iPhone or iPad. From Android devices, you can also configure the broadcast of media content via DLAN.
Connecting a Samsung TV with an old Smart TV system is similar. In the settings you need to go to the "Network" section and start the network setup. Select the wireless network type. Then select your network from the list of available networks and enter your password.
If your TV does not have a wireless network, then most likely your TV does not have built-in Wi-Fi. Or you need a proprietary USB adapter. But in this case, it is easier to make a cable connection.
Possible problems with connecting Samsung TV to Wi-Fi
I think it will not be superfluous to consider the most popular problems and solutions that may arise in the process of connecting a TV to the Internet via a wireless network.
- The TV has no wireless settings. I already wrote about this above in the article. Most likely, your Samsung TV does not have a built-in Wi-Fi module. Your model may support the connection of an external receiver. It looks something like this:
But it is better to check this information with Samsung support. - The TV does not see the Wi-Fi network. This problem is rare. Perhaps, in the place where the TV is installed, it does not catch any wireless network. This needs to be verified from another device. You also need to remember that not all TVs can connect to Wi-Fi networks at 5 GHz. By the way, if your TV does not see Wi-Fi networks only at 5 GHz, then try to apply the solutions from this article: why Smart TV TV does not see Wi-Fi at 5 GHz.
- An error appears when connecting to a wireless network. The first step is to reboot your router (by turning it off for a minute) and try to re-establish the connection. Make sure you enter the correct Wi-Fi password. If you forgot your password, then try to remember it according to this instruction. For Samsung TV to connect to Wi-Fi, the password must be at least 8 characters long.
Try connecting your TV to a different network. So we can figure out what the problem is. In the TV itself, or on the side of the router. - The TV is connected to Wi-Fi, but the internet is not working. There can be many reasons. I recommend that you first check if the Internet works on other devices that are connected to the same network. If it does not work, look for a malfunction on the side of the router, or the Internet provider. If it works on other devices, try on a Samsung TV, register static DNS in the properties of the Wi-Fi network.
In the settings, open the "Network Status" item and select "IP Settings". Then "Configure DNS" - "Enter manually" and enter 8.8.8.8.
Click "Finish" - If you have any problems with the connection, you can try to reset the network. This will restore the factory default network settings.
After selecting this item, you need to confirm the reset. Nothing bad will happen. The TV will disconnect from Wi-Fi. You need to re-enter the password when connecting.
But it is better to check this information with Samsung support.
Click "Finish"
After selecting this item, you need to confirm the reset. Nothing bad will happen. The TV will disconnect from Wi-Fi. You need to re-enter the password when connecting.I will be glad to answer your questions in the comments. If you still have any questions - write. Don't forget to share information on the topic of the article. Perhaps I missed something, or I was wrong somewhere. Always ready to correct or supplement the article.
