In a world full of devices that depend on a stable internet connection, WiFi connection problems are the worst.
As Apple TVs are becoming more and more popular in people’s homes, it’s very frustrating when your Apple TV won’t connect to WiFi or keeps disconnecting.
My Apple TV has had a few issues in the past, including times where there was no sound or the main menu didn’t appear. So it’s no surprise if your Apple TV keeps saying it can’t connect to the network.
Most of these WiFi problems are usually related to the strength (or lack thereof) of the WiFi. This may be due to a weak area Wi-Fi signal, network interference, or the Apple TV’s distance from Wi-Fi range. The latter depends heavily on the maximum range of your modem or router.
Apple TV won’t connect to Wi-Fi
If your Apple TV won’t connect to WiFi, you’ll need to restart your TV and WiFi router. Next, make sure your Apple TV and Wi-Fi firmware are up to date. If it doesn’t work, connect your TV to your modem with an Ethernet cable. If the problem persists, contact Apple Support.
Check if the Apple TV servers are down
Sometimes the problem may not be on your side. First you will make sure that the Apple TV servers are not down.
You can visit Apple’s status page for updates on their services. A red dot appears next to failed services. If the servers are down for some reason, you’ll have to wait for Apple to fix the problem.
If Apple’s ending seems to be working fine, the problem is on your side. You can follow the troubleshooting steps below to fix your Apple TV not working on Roku.
Is the router compatible with Apple TV?
Your home might have a shiny new Apple TV streamer, but your router might be old as dirt. The fact is, older routers can’t handle the demands of streaming devices like the Apple TV. So you need to invest in another router.
Before you start wondering if something is wrong with your WiFi, consider how old your router is. For example, the 4th and 5th generation Apple TV devices list their specifications as 802.11ac wireless with MIMO and require 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet or broadband internet.
Check if the Apple TV is within range of the router
You can use the… WiFi network test in which network section of your settings Menu to run a test of how stable the WiFi signal is.
If it has determined that it’s weak, your Apple TV may be just out, or almost out of range of your Wi-Fi network.
This can happen in larger homes where the router is on one side of the home on the ground floor (or basement) while the Apple TV is on the other end of the next floor on the opposite side of the home.
With your smartphone you can quickly see how strong the signal is. Connect it to Wi-Fi while standing next to the router and slowly make your way to the Apple TV device.
Carefully note the bars assigned to the WiFi signal, as they fall systematically the further away you are from the source.
It’s likely that you’re too far from your Apple TV if your signal strength is only a bar or two. Either move the router closer to you or move the device closer to the router. You can also buy a WiFi booster and plug it into an area midway between the two.
See Also: Is Apple TV Worth It? (Advantages and disadvantages explained!)
Reboot your wireless router
If the problem is with your router or modem, you can fix it by unplugging it for about 20-30 seconds, then plugging it back in and letting it reinitialize.
Once that happens, you can check if Apple TV connects to WiFi. These types of resets often fix most connectivity issues.
Restart AppleTV
The problem may be with the Apple TV itself. If you navigate to settings menu and select systemyou can choose Start anew the device.
Alternatively, you can simply unplug the Apple TV for about 30 seconds and plug it back in. Once it has run its initialization protocols, the connection problem might resolve itself if it was on the side of the device.
Check for Apple TV updates
If there are any connection issues, rest assured that many users have reported them to Apple. Surely the company has investigated most of these reported incidents and may have already fixed them in the available system update packages.
Often times, your Apple TV will not let you know or prompt you to update until you manually trigger the action.
To do this, navigate to the Settings menu and enter the system Section. Choose from there software update to see if an update is available. If so, it might contain the solution to the connection issue.
Check the router’s security settings
Sometimes network glitches are the root of the problem. You can check whether this is the case in the router’s security settings.
To make sure Apple TV isn’t being blocked from using your router, enter the correct password and check the router’s MAC address filter.
You can get the MAC address of the device in the Around subsection of General menu on Settings. Also make sure the router is set to WEP. If this is the case, you can also try the WPA or WPA2 options.
Update the router firmware
If the issue is with the router’s software and it’s been a while since you last tried to perform a firmware update on your router, it might be a good idea to try.
To do this, log in to the router console as an administrator (type the router’s IP address into a web browser) and look for an indication that firmware updates are available. If available, set the firmware update to initiate.
Final Thoughts on Apple TV Cannot Join Network
We have provided you with the most workable solutions to fix your Apple TV that won’t connect to WiFi.
- Check if the Apple TV servers are down
- Is the router compatible with Apple TV?
- Check if the Apple TV is within range of the router
- Reboot your wireless router
- Restart AppleTV
- Check for Apple TV updates
- Check the router’s security settings
- Update the router firmware
There is a good chance that one of the suggested fixes fixed the problem for you. You should note that it’s important to have a stable WiFi connection (not even with a hotspot from your phone) for Apple TV to work.
Let me know if this helped to fix your Apple TV WiFi connection problem. If you’ve had success with something else, leave me a comment below!
