Make sure your network name and password are correct chromecast

If you can't connect to Wi-Fi or play movies, songs, or other content on your Apple TV, learn what to do.

Follow the steps below if your Apple TV can't connect to Wi-Fi. After each step, try to connect to Wi-Fi again. 

If your Apple TV connects to Wi-Fi but you can’t watch and stream movies or TV shows in the Apple TV app, find out what to do. 

Learn how to connect to Wi-Fi

Make sure that your Apple TV isn't connected to an Ethernet cable — if you're using an Ethernet cable, you won't see the option to connect to Wi-Fi. Then go to Settings > Network. Or on Apple TV (3rd generation), go to Settings > General > Network. Choose the name of a compatible Wi-Fi network to join. If asked, enter your Wi-Fi password. If you don't know your password, get help. 

Apple TV supports captive networks, which are networks that require an additional or secondary login. To connect to one of these networks, use the steps above to connect to Wi-Fi. During setup, your Apple TV will prompt you to continue on your iPhone or iPad. Select Continue on iPhone or iPad, then follow the onscreen instructions on your device to complete setup.

If there's a problem connecting to the network, or if you get a password error

On the Apple TV menu, go to Settings > Network > Wi-Fi. Select your current Wi-Fi network and click Forget Network. Press Menu or the Back button on your Apple TV Remote. Then select Network again and select your Wi-Fi network to connect.

If you want to switch from an Ethernet connection to Wi-Fi

Unplug the Ethernet cable from your Apple TV. You might have to wait several minutes for the Apple TV to notify you that you can join a Wi-Fi network. 

Apple TV might be able to join some education or business networks that use a profile. Ask the network's system administrator for more information.

Check that everything's on, connected, and in range

Make sure that your internet router is connected to your modem and that both are powered on. If your router and modem are combined, make sure that the device is powered on. 

If possible, keep your Apple TV and Wi-Fi router in the same room, but don't place your Apple TV directly on or within a foot of your router. Try to avoid physical obstructions in the path of your wireless signal, especially metal surfaces. For the best experience, connect your Apple TV directly to the modem with an Ethernet cable.

Restart your Apple TV, router, and modem

After you restart each device, see if you still need help. Go to Settings > System and select Restart. Or on Apple TV (3rd generation), go to Settings > General and select Restart.

Unplug your router and your cable or DSL modem from power. Then plug them back in.

Use an Ethernet cable and check for software updates

Try connecting your Apple TV directly to your router, or cable or DSL modem using an Ethernet cable. Apple TV connects to internet with either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. When you use an Ethernet cable, Apple TV automatically uses that connection instead of your Wi-Fi network. 

Join your network and check for software updates. Go to Settings > System > Software Updates. Or on Apple TV (3rd generation), go to Settings > General > Update Software. If there's an update, install it. Then unplug your Ethernet cable and try to join your Wi-Fi network again.

Published Date: March 14, 2022

If your Wi-Fi at home has been acting up lately, your Google Home ($74 at Walmart) speaker or Chromecast ($80 at Walmart) might be the culprit. On Jan. 13, Android Police reported several instances where a Google Home Max ($300 at Walmart) speaker was knocking TP-Link Archer C7 routers offline.

Since then, other devices have been affected by the bug, including other Google Home speakers and Chromecast dongles, as well as additional TP-Link router models and routers from Asus, Linksys, Netgear and Synology. According to comments on Reddit, some Google Wifi ($98 at Amazon) users have also been affected.

Editors' note: Originally published Jan. 16, 2018, this article has been updated to reflect an official statement and forthcoming fix from Google.  

TP-Link explains that the issue is caused by the Cast feature, which allows your phone, Google Home speakers and Chromecast devices to communicate. This feature "sends an MDNS multicast discovery packets to discover and keep a live connection with Google products such as Google Home," says TP-Link. Normally, the packets are sent out in 20-second intervals. Following a recent firmware update, for some unexplained reason, when exiting a sleep state, the devices would sometimes send an excessive number of packets (exceeding 100,000, in some cases) to the router, causing it to crash.

TP-Link says the longer the device sleeps, the "larger this packet burst will be."

Now playing: Watch this: Google Home speaker crashing routers

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So what can you do to keep your Google Home or Chromecast from crashing your wireless network?

A fix by Google has not yet been released, though the company told 9to5Google it's "working quickly to share a solution." CNET reached out for comment but Google has not responded.

For TP-Link users, the manufacturer has released official patches for the bug to most of the hardware versions affected and beta firmware for the Archer C1200. Log in to the admin panel for your router and check for firmware updates. For the Archer C1200, you will first need to download the correct beta firmware to your computer and follow these instructions from TP-Link. Installing the incorrect firmware can damage your device and void the warranty, so make sure you download the correct version for your device. 

For anyone else affected, there's no official solution yet, but Google says it will be rolling out a fix Jan. 18. Until then, Google suggests rebooting your Android phone and making sure your router is running the latest firmware. If that doesn't work, unplug your Google devices when they're not in use.

According to the Google Home Help article, the fix will come in the form of an update to Google Play Services update, so keep an eye on the Google Play store for the update. 

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