You can connect your TV to the Internet by having an Internet-enabled smart TV. A smart TV is capable of doing things you can do with a normal TV—watch terrestrial antenna-based free TV, connect to cable/satellite TV, or play games via game consoles—as well as play apps and connect to the web.
A smart TV, like a smartphone or smart doorbell, has extra features included in it that turn it into a PC-like device. Let’s further delve into the details of how to connect a TV to the internet. It’s quite a fascinating topic.
How to Connect TV to the Internet?
To connect your smart TV to the Internet, you need to either connect to your home Wi-Fi or through wired Ethernet Internet. Most new smart TVs like most new smartphones have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks. They have built-in wireless adapters inside them.
It takes only a few minutes to connect to the web with an HDTV. It’s similar to when connecting to the web with your laptop. Just click on the Wi-Fi icon or the connectivity settings of your HDTV then put in the Wi-Fi name and password for your Wi-FI.
How to Connect to Wi-Fi
Connecting your smart TV to Wi-Fi varies from model to model and brand to brand. However, even when faced on a case-by-case basis in terms of Wi-Fi connection instructions, you’ll mostly have to do the following.
- Get your TV remote and hit the menu button for it.
- Choose the “Network Settings” options of your TV in order to setup the wireless connection.
- Select the wireless network name of your Wi-Fi router.
- Type in the Wi-FI password for your home Wi-Fi through your remote’s button or through the on-screen keyboard.
The option works best when your smart HDTV is in the same room as the router. The farther the router the weaker the connection becomes or you might not even be able to connect!
Benefits of a Wireless Connection
By getting a wireless Internet connection, you won’t have to keep tabs with your wires. You’ll keep your living room perfectly spic-and-span as well as with no mess or clutter. You’ll also have the freedom to place your HDTV or smart TV anywhere in your living room.
Furthermore, wall-mounting becomes more of a breeze if you don’t have to be wary of Ethernet cable placement. It’s also incredibly easy when it comes to setting. You’ll only have to press a few buttons on your remote control when push comes to shove.
What more can you honestly ask for in such a setup in terms of convenience? It’s not a terribly dependable connection though compared to a wired connection.
How to Connect to Wired Internet or Ethernet
You can plug your TV directly to your router to get the strongest and most stable connection possible. Get some Fiber Internet for good measure to really get dependable connections you can use for online gaming if you’re into solid connections with delay-based or rollback netcode for fighting games.
To connect to Ethernet, find the Ethernet port at the back of your HDTV or smart TV. From there, stick the Ethernet cable connector into the router and into the TV Ethernet port. Use your TV remote to select the menu then go to “Network Settings”.
Select the “Enable Wired Internet” option. You’ll still need to type the router or Wi-Fi password in order to access the Internet even though you did a direct wired connection to it, mind you.
Benefits of Wired Internet or Ethernet
Wired Internet is beneficial because you only have to plug it in to the Ethernet port of your HDTV in order to set it up. Yes, you still need the Wi-FI password even though you’re not using Wi-Fi but the setup offers a more stable and dependable connection compared to Wi-Fi.
This connection type ensures your streaming has zero buffering because wired Internet by Ethernet is faster than its Wi-Fi counterpart by leaps and bounds.
If you’re connecting multiple devices, it’s ideal to go for a beamforming router, Fiber Internet, and Ethernet cables to make sure your web connection stays through across multiple connections.
How to Connect to the Internet Using Powerline
If your TV isn’t close to your router like if it’s upstairs while your router is downstairs, you should think about investing in a powerline adapter. You can connect this to your electrical outlet and have your Internet connection travel through that outlet.
Here’s what you need to do in order to connect by powerline for an upstairs HDTV.
- Connect Router to First Adapter: Plug the first powerline adapter to an electrical socket in the same room where your broadband router lays. Connect the adapter to the router in turn by using an Ethernet cable.
- Connect Second Adapter to HDTV: Plug the second powerline adapter into an electrical socket in the same room as your smart TV or HDTV. Connect that adapter to the TV using an Ethernet cable.
- How Does It Work? Your Internet connection can travel through power lines as well as Ethernet cables through powerline technology, thus you can maintain a more solid web connection this way compared to investing in an extra-long Ethernet cable.
The Benefits of Powerline
Normally, the farther your HDTV is from the router, the weaker the signal becomes regardless if you’re using Wi-Fi or Ethernet wired connection. Thankfully, the powerline kit exists in order to extend your connection much further and farther than before. To wit:
- Easy to Setup: The powerline method of extending the coverage area of your wired Internet is easy to setup. It extends the Internet into the far corners of your home as well without your HDTV being in the same room as your router.
- Extended Coverage: Even when faced with thick walls or normal signal attenuation when the Ethernet cable isn’t directly connected to the broadband or Fiber Internet router, you can enjoy strong wired Internet care of the powerline method.
- Far-Reaching All the Way to Upstairs: Watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and what-have-you with a signal-expanding, consistency-ensuring powerline kit extender that can even reach the upstairs bedroom.
Why won’t my smart TV connect to the internet?
One of the most frustrating things about owning a smart TV is when it won’t connect to the internet. There are a few different things you can try to get your TV back online.
- First, unplug all components of your smart TV and router for five minutes to reset the system.
- Then, re-plug and try again. If that doesn’t work, go into the TV menu and select NETWORK RESET.
- You may also need to update the firmware on your TV to the newest version. Another thing to try is turning off all firewalls as a test to be sure this is not causing issues.
- Finally, if all else fails, you can restore the smart TV to its “default” setting. Scan for your Wi-Fi network and re-enter the password.
With any luck, one of these methods will get your TV back up and running in no time.
To Sum Everything Up
By connecting your smart TV to the Internet, you’ll be able to browse the web, buy and/or download apps for use with the TV’s own operating system, and run streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Peacock, HBO Max, WWE Network, and so forth.
References:
- “3 easy ways to connect your Smart TV to the internet“, Currys.co.uk, April 6, 2020
