Having trouble using your apps? Do you see a message on the TV that says to check your network connection? Your TV might have a problem connecting to the internet.
Vizio smart TVs need an internet connection to use the built in apps, but if there is a network problem you won’t be able to use any of them.
Fixing internet connection problems is simple with a Vizio TV though. I’m going to show you how to fix all internet problems including the dreaded Download Not Available message.
Troubleshooting Steps For Internet Connection Problems
- Test the TV’s Internet connection
- Toggle DHCP settings
- Test a second device
- Reset the TV
- Verify the TV is connected to your network and retest the Internet connection
- Call Vizio for warranty service
Test The TV’s Internet Connection
When your TV’s internet apps are not working the first thing you want to do is use the TV’s built in tools to determine what is causing the problem.
How To Test Your TV’s Network Connection
- Press the menu button on your Vizio TV remote.
- Go to “Network” and press the OK button on the remote.
- Go to “Test Connection” and press OK.
Doing this brings up information about the TV’s internet connection.
The first thing you want to do is verify that the TV is actually connected to your WiFi network. Does this page say it’s connected to your Wi-Fi network. If it doesn’t then the TV isn’t connected to the network yet. Go back to the network settings page, highlight your Wi-Fi network name, then press the OK button. You might have to type your Wi-Fi password again. After you do this try using your apps or select “Test Connection” again.
If the TV does say it’s connected to your Wi-Fi network look for the Download section on this page. This is where the speed of the TV’s internet connection is displayed. Ideally you want the download speed to say 1000 Kbps (or 1 Mbps) or higher. If you do have a download speed of 1000 kbps or higher then your internet app problems are caused by something other than a network connection issue. Check out my article on Netflix troubleshooting to see how to fix these types of problems.
Download Not Available
If you test the TV’s internet connection but see a message that says “Download Not Available” this means the TV is not able to access the internet.
This is the most common reason that a Vizio TV might not be able to use apps. Continue to the troubleshooting steps below to find out how to fix this problem.
Toggle DHCP Settings
Toggling the DHCP setting off and on can sometimes fix internet connection problems. In layman’s terms this settings helps your TV understand how to use your Wi-Fi router to access to the internet.
How To Toggle DHCP Settings
- Press the Menu button on the remote
- Go to “Network” and press OK
- Select “Manual Setup” and press the OK button.
- DHCP is listed at the top of this page and it will usually say “On” next to it. Press the arrow button on the remote that points to the right to turn it off. Then press the arrow button that points to the left to turn it on again.
- Test the network connection again
When checking DHCP settings you might find that it is already turned off. This might be the cause of your internet problems. Turn DHCP on then test the connection again.
If you see a download speed after testing the internet connection again you will be able to use your apps.
Test The Internet Connection From A Second Device
Whenever there is any type of internet connection problem you want to determine if the problem is limited to a single device or if all the devices connected to the network are having the same problem.
You will want to use another wireless device like a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Check the Wi-Fi settings of the device to see if it’s connected to the same network the TV is using.
Use the wireless device from the same location the TV is in. Use it in the same room and open a new website. If your second wireless device is not able to open a website then this is a problem with your Wi-Fi network and not a problem with the TV. Contact your internet service provider to get help restoring your internet access.
If your second wireless device is able to open a new website then you have determined that the problem is the Vizio TV and not your home network.
Reset The TV
Resetting: The nuclear option!
Okay that’s a little dramatic but this is the best thing to do if your TV still cannot get online. This erases all custom settings from your TV and makes it just like it was when you first took it out of the box.
How To Reset Your Vizio TV To Factory Defaults
- Press Menu.
- Go to “System” and press OK.
- Go to “Reset and Admin” and press the OK button.
- Select “Reset TV to Factory Defaults” and press the OK button.
- You will see an option that say “Reset” and “Cancel”. Select “Reset” and press OK.
Your TV will power off then power itself back on again. The start up menu will guide you through connecting the TV to your Wi-Fi network and setting up cable TV.
Verify Your Network Connection And Check For Internet Access
If you have reset the TV you will want to test the network connection again.
Go to the Network Settings page and select your wireless network. Type in your password if the TV prompts you for it.
Go to “Test Connection” on the Network menu if the TV is already connected to the Wi-Fi network. If you see a download speed of 1000 Kbps or higher then you will be able to use your apps again.
Call Vizio For Warranty Service
If your TV is still not able to connect to the internet there may be a problem that needs to be repaired or the TV might even need to be replaced. Vizio technical support can help you determine the problem and help you with warranty service.
Vizio offers free life time technical support on all TVs. Call them to get assistance connecting your TV to the internet. A Vizio support representative will help guide you through troubleshooting steps to verify the issue and offer in-warranty and out-of-warranty solutions to fix the problem.
Contact Vizio at 1 (888) 849-4623
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or other suggestions for fixing internet connection problems please leave a message in the comments section below.
Thanks for posting this info. Toggling DHCP settngs worked for me. I was getting ready to return TV.
when I go to the settings, it wont show any networks to connect to and it wont let me click on the manual setup
When downloads weren’t available for my Vizio E550i-B2, Vizio support had me turn off the TV unplug it and hold the power button on the left side of the TV for 30 seconds. Then plug it back in and go back and start network settings again. In my case it did not work so I have to call Comcast and have them change my wireless mode to G.
What is wireless mode “g”?
Yep, me too.
Okay so my tv will randomly pop off and sometimes colors will be flashing but its very light colors but screen is blackish…i am able to turn it back on shortly after. Not sure what to do…
How can i reset the tv with out the remote
For me I have networks all around neighborhood but it says on my TV there is none how do I fix this
I tried everything. Finally started running a ethernet cable from my router to my TV. Would disconnect it after watching and roll it up. What a PITA. Then I found a Netgear WNCE2001 ethernet bridge. BINGO!! works great. No wires!!
I called technical support for the same reason and they set up a service request to have someone come out and replace the internet module because it is defective. This might be the same problem/solution you are having as well.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. My problem was the DHCP toggle was on. I must have entered the network security number 20 times in the last 2 weeks. Wireless was my only option at this time so thank you again. p.s. when entering security code every letter needed to hit capital toggle again making reentry x 20 that much more a pain in my back.
thank you thank you so much..2 hours on the phone with time warner 1.5 hours with vizio tv on the phone and finally your great article helped. its sad that no one knew to fix 🙁 dhcp setting .
Step 2 worked for me! Thank you so much. Cable guy didn’t connect my tvs when he installed my new internet and cable. I had to figure this out myself (through you!) now I need a glasss of wine.
Visio is a terrible company. I called them while tv was under warranted with networking issues and they have no case notes therefore they will not fix my tv under warrante. TV connects fine to wireless but I have no download speed. They want me to change my router to negotiate at G. This is bad because i have other devices &which negotiate at N and B. No one should change their router to do this. If we do this other devices will suffer in speed.
Wireless mode. B=11mbps g=22mbps and N is double speed. This is where wireless speeds are now. All routers operate in mixed mode so older devices can communicate. If you change your wireless setting to G all devices which use N will suffer.
THANK YOU!!! I had to reset to factory defaults…AND NOW IT WORKS!!! I can’t thank you enough.
FIXED ON ACCIDENT…
I just wanted share with everyone who is having this same problem with different models… If your apps suddenly stopped working (mine acted as if I wasn’t connected to the internet even though I clearly was), try this fix: turn off the tv, hook an ethernet cable to a laptop that is connected to the internet via wifi, turn on the tv and then go to internet settings. Switch the type to DHCP. Test connection. Reboot tv. –I was just screwing around with mine and this fixed my apps. I had reset it to factory several times while on the phone with Vizio tech support. Nothing worked that the techs suggested. I haven’t had apps for 3 months and one day I was trying to connect my laptop to the tv so I could stream youtube (because I hadn’t ever tried before) and this seemed to fix the apps. After the apps started working again I unplugged the laptop ethernet cord from the tv and it still is working. I know it may be a shot in the dark, but it worked for me, so I just had to share because I spent hours on the internet trying to find a fix and saw how many other people were suffering this issue.
Just had cable hooked up too..
How did u know they didn’t connect tvs? …what is tvs? :-/
televisions
Toggled the DHCP and it worked perfect! That’s all I had to do ..THANK YOU!
What I had to do is disable the firewall in my Internet router (Netgear 7550). Then my TV, a Vizio M50-C1 was able to contact the registration server. I confirmed this by going into System menu. Then I turned the firewall back on and the apps were still working.
The problem with my remote is. I have to keep clicking 4 to 5 times to get the programs or apps to appear on the screen. I read the instructions. I also do not have satellite and do not want one. I use Netflix, utube and other websites and apps to view my entertainment. Turning on the tv and off. works fine. So, what’s with this remote that supposed to be smart?
Thank you…thank you…after an hour I found this..DHCP setting toggle worked like a charm
Mine still says download unavailable. Every time I call technical support, it disconnects me.
thank you!!!!! I reset the TV like you said and all is ok now!!!!!
I tried everything, including resetting the TV. I’ve had issues from the beginning, but previously I could get it to work by turning my router off and on or toggling the DCHP settings. This time nothing works. I type in my security key and get an “unable to connect to ATT5347” error the second I click connect. If I try again I immediately get the error, like the TV isn’t even trying to connect. This is so frustrating. I don’t have cable on this tv so it’s totally worthless if I can’t connect to my WiFi. There isn’t anything wrong with my Wi-Fi, there are 2 other smart tv’s, multiple laptops, tablets, iPods, and iPhones that connect without any issues.
I have the same problem with my vizio tv I think it has a hard time to connect to an AT&T cpnnection I what I herd and did my research
Using FIOS ActionTec MI424WR cable modem with a M55-C2 Vizion. Many tries to connect to the wireless, passphrase was invalid. Accidentally typed in the letters in lowercase and BOOM! connected on the first try.
I can’t explain why, but it worked.
My VIZIO E470i 47″ smart TV suddenly started buffering about 2/3rds through a 2hr movie the other night. It pauses and buffers every 3 or 4 seconds of play. The network signal shows all bars but no matter how many times I run the test it always comes back with a speed from 7kbs to 240kbs. Even my cell phone test 70mbs to 90mbs when held behind my TV. I have TWC 300mbs service and my wired computers test 280mbs to 330mbs. I use Ookla to test speed on phones and computers. I have even changed out the TWC modem. No difference with TV speed. One day it was working fine, the next day all it does is buffer. I have tried everything I have read here and nothing changes it. Any fall-out-of-the-sky ideas?
I tried all the recommendations that was suggested above to get my wireless network to work and none of them worked for me. I then called Vizio Technical Support and the first person I talked had me try different things but none of those worked either. I was then turned over to another Technician who literally spent nearly 2 hours with me talking me through different things from changing Router settings to changing TV settings. Finally I could get my wireless to connect my TV and everything began to fall in place and I could get on the Internet with my TV like I had been able to do before. I can say that the Technicians at Vizio got me up and running and hung in there with me until I was satisfied everything was working ok. My thanks to them!
Vizio has complete morons for technical help. And arrogant. An aggravating combination.
802.11g is 54Mbps at 5GHz. 802.11n is 600Mbps at 2.4 & 5GHz
Great article! I did everything including resetting my tv and my password would not work. Very frustrating and even called tech support. Yea so my ethernet was not even plugged into the router. Geesh! Sometimes it’s just the little basic things. Ha!
I cannot get the tv past 1 bar I tried every thing except reset to factory default. If I do this will I lose all the picture color settings??? Getting the colors right tooka long time
THANK YOU!!
Oh my goodness! MONTHS of messing with this, haven’t had the time to call & was dreading it, but this worked great for me! Such a simple fix. I did reset just before seeing this post, and it’s still working fine without the 2nd reset. 🙂
If you have to do this write down all your picture settings before you do it….
Wow, this actually worked for me on Vizio M60-C3. Tried resets, DHCP…nothing. Then simply unplugged tv, hold power button for 30 sec, plug in and turn on and test – 1.54Mb/s.
Considering that I have connectivity and it sees “download” **AND** the stupid thing swears it’s “not connected to the Internet” (I’m on via WiFi and my best guess is that you shipped with **DEFECTIVE** firmware…) I am…unlikely to buy again. I strongly suggest a bit more muscle on your “smart” (or is that BRAINDEAD?) TV so that you can actually run a real OS such as Android, full on Tizen, etc. There is no excuse for a product that acts this stupid in this day and age.
Toggling the DHCP Settings did it for me
I fixed THIS JUST NOW, go to TV Settings about TV scroll down to end of info, there is a SERVICE RESET, choose that! it worked for me!!!!
*&%$# crap TV
Worst electronic purchase ever. Stay away from Vizio. They’re total garbage. Bought it 6 months ago. It’ll be on our fall garage sale list in another 6 weeks.
No screen mirroring. Constant problems with internet connectivity to apps. No browser. A complete and udder POS. Get out of the business of smart TV’s Vizio. You’re completely lost!
many thanks perhaps. But you did spend 2+ hours fixing a problem that should never have happened
Try Changing router’s security settings from WPA-PSK-AES to WPA-PSK-TPIK and it would start working again.
even though I have an Ethernet cable hooked up, the download still says not available. but sometimes if I use my phone as a personal hotspot and connect it to that, then later put in the Ethernet cable again, it has a great download speed. does anyone know how to fix it that the download speed is always good with the Ethernet cable as soon as I turn on my tv? because without the download being available I cant use Netflix
Same problem for me. Any chance you’ve found a solution in the last year?
Its an old Post – But I still wanted to thank you for this post – It helped me in resolving the internet issue in my Vizio TV.
I got a VIZIO a couple months ago. So far, it falls short of expectations. So far at least the cable works. At least for now. But the internet part, is incredibly bad. This “sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t” is not a good product. I did make contact with support. They send a TV Technician. They replaced the wireless chip and the motherboard. Got it up and running. Well that lasted for three days before it went out again. Talked to support again, 5-7 days for someone to contact me to arrange for another visit for Mr. TV man to replace the entire TV. I mean, really? They replaced the inside components that the problem and now replace the whole set? If that goes out again after it is replaced again, I will have serious issues.
Me 3! Thanks
Thanks! Great troubleshooting info; problem resolved!
AT LEAST ONE ANSWER: My new (September 2016) Vizio smart TV would buffer like mad when attempting to stream video directly from WiFi. Placing my iPad beside the TV there was no problem with streaming video and the WiFi signal tested at 17.6 mbps, more than adequate. I ran Cat 5 cable from upstairs router to ethernet port of the Vizio and all worked fine, no buffering with streaming video etc. Then i purchased an iOGEAR Universal WiFi adapter (you could use any brand I assume, I’m not selling) and EUREKA! Easy installation and perfect streaming without buffering etc. for $30. In my situation, and I suspect others on this thread, the WiFi receiver function of the TV is poor and, perhaps simplistically, unable to take advantage of what it picks out of the air. OTOH a WiFi to ethernet port adapter, using the TV ethernet port for input, gives your TV the full download power of your basic WiFi signal. Well, it worked for me.
I
My Visio TV says it is connected to my wireless network and the signal is max, but it says “download not available”. What is wrong ?
Thanks. I checked everything (OK that’s a lie) but this. You helped a lot.
Somehow my DHCP settings were wiped. DHCP was . Go figure.
Thanks. This was a huge help.
I need to know how to connect my I pad to my smart tv. I have internet to my I pad and tv but not together.
Fucking worthless piece of shit tv. Into the garbage where it belongs.
will the vizio smart tv work without internet
Dns 8.8.8.8. Second dns 8.8.4.4
My issue is that almost every time the TV is turned off, it looses it’s internet connection. I have to go through the set-up via the smartcast app to set the tv up again. I can’t cast from chrome on my computer unless I re set up the tv via the smartcast app. This is horrible! The only good thing is that the set-up is quick and easy. Also, the smart cast app is not available for ipads. Dumb.
yey! toggled the DHCP settings on & off and now I am connected thank you so much !!
worked for me!!!!! THANKS!!!!
thank you soo much!!! this worked for me after trying everything else vizio and these other people said …this is the only thing that worked…thank you for sharing….!!!! : )