I have two Hisense smart TVs that used to connect normally to my BT internet, but after switching to Virgin Media cable broadband, neither TV can even see the new Wi‑Fi network. Every other device in the house connects without a problem. I've power-cycled both TVs, performed factory resets, restarted and reset the Virgin router, tried separating the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, and moved the TVs closer to the router. I also tried entering the network name and password manually, but the TVs reported that the connection failed. What router or Wi‑Fi settings should I check?
4 Answers
Temporarily disable the 5 GHz band and leave only the 2.4 GHz network enabled. Connect both TVs to that network first, since many smart TVs have better compatibility with 2.4 GHz. You can turn the other band back on afterward if needed.
Try disabling any Smart Wi‑Fi, band steering, channel optimization, or similar automatic wireless feature in the router. Those settings can move devices between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, which sometimes makes older TVs unable to see the network or causes repeated disconnections. Splitting the bands and assigning separate names is usually more reliable.
If the TVs are older, they may not support newer security or wireless standards such as WPA3 or Wi‑Fi 6. In the router settings, try using WPA2 security and an older compatibility mode such as 802.11n/Wi‑Fi 4, then test the connection again.
Manually entering the Wi‑Fi name and password can sometimes bypass a network-listing problem, although it won’t help if the TV and router are incompatible.
I tried entering the network details manually as well, but the TVs displayed a “failed to connect” message.