How to Fix Broadband Internet Connection Issues With Your Apple TV

Anyone with an Apple TV knows that they can be a pain when trying to get them to stay connected to the Internet. This is because Apple TVs are still relatively new and use a large amount of bandwidth, usually over a WiFi connection that wasn't designed for transferring that much data. Because Apple TVs can use a large amount of bandwidth, they often get disconnected or your network’s modem forgets the IP address that it assigned to your TV. However, these problems can be quickly fixed. Some of the most common Internet connection issues involving Apple TVs and their solutions have been outlined below.

 

Cannot See Your Wireless Network In the List On Apple TV

If you cannot see your wireless network in the list on your Apple TV, don’t feel bad. This happens because the Apple TV does not automatically refresh itself when new resources become available in the range of your TV. Even if your Apple TV was previously connected to your wireless network, it may have lost track of it if your wireless network stopped working, even if it was just for a minute or two. To correct this issue, press the Menu button and go to Settings & General & Network & Configure Wi-Fi. Now press Select, Play, or Pause to display a refreshed list of your available networks. You should also make sure that there isn't anything sitting on top of your Apple TV, as it can cause interference with the TVs wireless antennas.

Cannot Connect To A Wireless Network

If you cannot connect to your wireless network, the problem may be caused by your modem or router. To rule this out, unplug both your router and your modem and remove the battery from your modem so that all of the lights go out. Now wait about 10 seconds, reconnect the modem’s battery, and plug the modem back in. After all of the modem’s lights come back on, plug your router back in and ensure that its WiFi light turns green. Now try to connect to your wireless network from your Apple TV. If the TV still doesn’t connect to your wireless network, your network may be using a static IP address. You can resolve this issue by pressing the Menu button and going to Settings & General & Network & Configure Wi-Fi. Once you have selected your wireless network and entered your password, click Done and choose Configure TCP/IP & Manually. Now enter your router’s IP address, Subnet Mask, Router Address, and your DNS Address then choose Done. If you don’t have this information, you can find it by accessing your router’s control panel, which can be located by reading the instructions on the back of your router.

Cannot Play iTunes Store Content

If your Apple TV refuses to play content from the iTunes Store, but connects to the Internet, your router may be blocking ports 80 and 443. To make sure that it isn't  you’ll need to login to your router’s control panel by following the instructions on the back of your router. Also ensure that you are not using a proxy Internet server to connect to the Internet, as the Apple TV needs a direct connection to the Internet in order to access the iTunes Store.

This article is brought to you by Brandon, who has extensive knowledge about Broadband DSL internet and  troubleshooting problems associated with broadband internet.