
Just as the season finale comes out…
My ISP cut my internet.
Darn it. I knew I should’ve paid my bills earlier.
Ugh, what can I do?
Wait, I’ve got a great idea:
I’ll use my phone as a hotspot.
Let me turn it on and…
Nothing happens.
What now?
Keep reading to discover:
- How to diagnose network issues using your TV.
- An in-depth guide on replacing a faulty Wi-Fi module.
- 11 easy ways to fix a TV that can’t connect to a hotspot.
- Which settings do you have to turn off to use your phone as a hotspot.
- And so much more…
Why won’t my TV connect to my hotspot?
Your TV won’t connect to your hotspot because of a bad Wi-Fi module, outdated firmware, or interference. Another reason could be the frequency that your hotspot is emitting. Your mobile hotspot also needs to turn off Power Saving mode and VPN.
TV won’t connect to hotspot: 11 easy fixes
#1: Diagnose network problems
Instead of wasting time figuring out what’s the source of your problem…
Why not let your TV diagnose its network issues?
Yes. It can do that.
How?
Samsung
- Open your Settings menu.
- Go to General.
- Select Network.
- Under Open Network Settings, choose Network Status Test.
Sony
- Press the Home button on your remote.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Network.
- Choose Advanced Settings.
- Under Network Status, pick Check Connection.
- Press Yes to confirm.
#2: Update firmware

Firmware is the reason why your TV works.
How so?
Think of the hardware on your TV as soldiers.
They’re equipped with the tools to do their duty.
But, without a captain handing out commands, they’re lost on the battlefield.
And, in your TV, the firmware is your captain.
Got it? Good.
Now, here’s how you can update the firmware on the 3 mainstream TV manufacturers:
Samsung (Tizen OS)
- Press the Settings button on your remote.
- Go to Support.
- Select Software Update.
- Press Update Now.
- Then, OK to confirm.
Sony (Android TV)
- Press the Settings button on your remote.
- Go to System.
- Select Device Preferences.
- Press About.
- Select System Update.
LG (webOS)
- Press the Home button on your remote.
- Go to your Settings menu.
- Select All Settings.
- Under General, go to About this TV.
- Press Check for Updates.
- If an update is available, select Update Now to confirm.
You may also be interested in: LG TV Not Connecting To WiFi: 11 Ways To Fix It
#3: Remove signal interference
Walk around your house.
Do you notice any of these around your TV:
- Walls.
- Mirrors.
- Any container filled with water.
- Radio devices such as baby monitors, walkie-talkies, or radios.
If so, remove them. They’re known to block Wi-Fi signals.
Or, if you can’t, don’t make things complicated for yourself.
It’s a phone. Place it next to your TV.
#4: Replace the Wi-Fi module
Let’s move on to the reason why your TV can connect to the internet in the first place:
The Wi-Fi module.
This module is located at the back of your TV.
While it’s generally well-kept, age and use can still damage the module.
When that happens, here’s how you can replace it:
Warning: Process at your own risk. Making a mistake in this process can harm both you and your TV.
First, buy a replacement that’s compatible with your TV.
Done? Great. Now we can start disassembling.
Pro tip: Before every step, take a picture. This will help you remember how things look when you put everything back.
- Lay your TV down on a smooth surface with its back side up.
- Using a screwdriver, loosen all of the Phillips screws at the back of your TV.
- Pry open the TV using a thin blade.
- Remove the back cover.
- Locate the Wi-Fi module.
- Press the tabs that hold your module to remove it from its place.
- Gently unplug the ribbon cable.
- Place the new module by locking it with the tabs.
- Reconnect the ribbon cables.
Now, it’s okay to be confused when reading these instructions. Here’s a video so that you can understand this process better:
#5: Power cycle your devices
“Turn it off, then on.”
Since I was a kid, that’s been my go-to fix for everything.
And it works.
Now that I’m an adult, I finally learned why.
The complete restart of your device is called a power cycle.
A power cycle gets rid of all the residual charge on your device.
And helps unclog processes that are stuck on your software.
Note: Do this for both your phone and TV.
- Turn your device off.
- If applicable, remove its battery or unplug its cord from the socket.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Put everything back.
- Turn it on.
#6: Switch from 5GHz to 2.4GHz
We all want fast internet.
But, sometimes, that means trouble connecting to a network.
You see, Wi-Fi has 2 main frequencies:
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
5 GHz offers faster speed, but it has low coverage. This means that some devices will have trouble connecting to a 5 GHz source.
So, in this case, switch to 2.4 GHz for better connectivity.
Android
- Go to your Settings.
- Select Connection & Sharing.
- Under Tethering, open Personal Hotspot.
- Press Personal Hotspot Settings.
- Tap AP Band.
- Select 2.4 GHz Band.
iOS
- Go to your Settings.
- Select Personal Hotspot.
- Toggle on Maximize Compatibility.
Warning: Turning on Maximize Compatibility will make your hotspot slower. It’ll also make you more vulnerable to security risks from devices connected to your hotspot.
#7: Turn off VPN

On your smartphone, do you have a VPN service turned on?
I do too.
I mostly use a VPN to watch content not available in my country.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to turn it off when using your phone as a hotspot?
Why?
Let’s put it this way:
VPN services redirect your IP address to a different place.
But, the thing is, your TV has region settings of its own.
So your TV starts to get really confused when, for example, it’s receiving a Wi-Fi signal from Singapore in the USA.
So, to avoid giving your TV a headache, stop using a VPN on your hotspot.
#8: Reduce the devices connected to a hotspot
Now, let’s try removing connected devices on your hotspot.
Having too many devices using your network can spread your bandwidth too thin.
Now, I know you’re wondering:
“But nobody is using my hotspot.”
And you might be surprised.
Mobile network passwords are notoriously easy to steal.
Unless you check it, you won’t notice people connecting to your hotspot when it’s on. Especially in public spaces.
So, when in doubt?
Kick people out.
Android
The only way to remove a device for Android phones is to add it to your blocklist.
This method will also prevent them from connecting to your hotspot. Forever.
To do this:
- Open your Settings menu.
- Go to Connection & Sharing.
- Under Tethering, select Personal Hotspot.
- Tap Connection Management.
- Press Blocklist.
- Select the devices you want to block from your hotspot.
- Tap OK to confirm.
Note: Under Connection Management, you’ll see an option for ‘Maximum Allowed Connections.’
Make sure you turn this option off. It may be what’s blocking your TV.
iOS
Okay, here’s the thing.
You can’t manually remove devices from an iOS hotspot.
But, you know what you can do instead?
Change your hotspot password.
This will kick all connected devices to your iPhone or iPad:
- Open your Settings menu.
- Go to Personal Hotspot.
- Press the Wi-Fi password field.
- Type and enter your new password.
- Tap Done to confirm.
#9: Disable Power Saving Mode
I get it. We want our phones to last longer…
But that shouldn’t come at the expense of your hotspot.
Power Saving mode prolongs our phone’s batteries.
However, to do that, it disables or minimizes other functions of our phones.
This is how you can turn off Power Saving mode.
Android
- Go to your Settings menu.
- Open Battery settings.
- Press Power Saving Mode.
- Toggle it off.
iOS
- Open the Control Center.
- Tap the Battery logo.
#10: Update your phone
If outdated firmware can stop a TV from connecting to Wi-Fi…
Your phone’s outdated software can also impair its ability to become a hotspot.
Fortunately, it’s easy to update a phone.
All you have to do is:
Note: It’s always good to back up your phone when updating. This ensures that you can recover any lost data in case of an update failure.
Android
- Open the Settings menu.
- Go to System.
- Select System Update.
- Press Update to confirm.
iOS
- Open the Settings menu.
- Go to General.
- Select Software Update.
- Choose the update you want to install.
- Enter your passcode.
- Press Install Now to confirm.
#11: Reset network settings
As a last resort, you can also reset your network settings.
Doing so will remove any settings changes to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and hotspot.
Don’t worry. This process won’t take more than a minute:
Android
- Open the Settings menu.
- Go to either General or System.
- Select Reset.
- Press Reset Network Settings.
iOS
- Open the Settings menu.
- Go to General.
- Select the Transfer or Reset iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Reset.
- Press Reset Network Settings.