Why Is SmartThings Not Connecting to My TV?

Find out whether the TV is online first

SmartThings needs two things from a Samsung TV: a working internet connection on the TV, and a phone on the same Wi-Fi network and Samsung account. We'd run the TV's network test before anything else, because the result tells you which side to work on. If the TV already connects to an internet app, you can skip the network fixes and go straight to pairing and reporting.

Your phone and TV need the same Wi-Fi and account

Before the TV can show up, SmartThings has to be installed on your phone, and the phone and TV have to be on the same Wi-Fi network and signed in to the same Samsung account.

The account matters. The TV needs a Samsung account for its network-based smart features, and without one signed in, it only handles things like HDMI devices and over-the-air channels (on TVs with a tuner). You might need a separate computer or phone to create the account or sign in.

Most newer Samsung Smart TVs work with SmartThings, but not every Samsung device does. To check yours, open SmartThings, tap the Devices tab, then Add (+), then Add device. Tap the By brand tab, then Samsung, then TV.

Next, tap View by model name and swipe through the list. When you find your model, tap it and the connection process starts.

Add the TV again from the start

Update the app first. Open the Play Store or App Store, tap Update if it appears next to SmartThings, then tap Open once it's done.

1. Turn on the TV, then open SmartThings on your phone.
2. Tap the Device tab (some versions say Devices), tap the Home icon and choose the location for the TV. Tap Add (the plus sign), then Add device.
3. Under By device type, tap TV, then Samsung.
4. Tap TV again, then Start. Choose a location and room, then tap Next.
5. Pick your TV from the list of available devices.
6. Confirm on the TV. Older models give you a PIN to enter, and on newer ones you just select OK on the screen.
7. When the TV has been added, rename it in the app and tap Done.

Setup doesn't always follow that exact path. It branches depending on whether you've tried before, whether someone else registered the TV and whether it's already on the network, so read each screen and do what it asks. If your screens look different, Samsung's add-a-TV page (opens in a new tab) shows the same flow.

Setup says someone else registered the TV

If the TV was added to another SmartThings home before, setup gives you a choice. You can take control of the TV yourself or ask to join the current owner's SmartThings home.

If the TV is yours now, select Make me the owner. If you're sharing it with the person who set it up, skip setup completely and ask them to send you an invitation to their SmartThings home.

Run the TV's network test

On the TV, go to All Settings, then Connection, then Network, and select Network Status. On some models Network is under General settings instead.

If the test shows an error, the message tells you the best way to fix the connection. Follow it before you change anything else.

If the TV can prove its internet works (for example, an app like Pandora connects), the network isn't what's blocking you. Skip ahead to the section on a TV that's online but still won't pair.

Keep an eye on the percentage during setup, too. If it fails anywhere between 33% and 80%, the problem is your home network.

Three passwords that are easy to mix up

Depending on the path setup takes, you could be asked for up to three different passwords. The first is your Samsung account password, which some phones remember if you've added the account before.

The second is for connecting straight to the device. If setup tells you to open your phone's Wi-Fi menu and join [Device] Samsung, the password is 1111122222, and your phone usually remembers it after the first time. The third, and the main one, is your home Wi-Fi password.

Across Samsung's connected devices, a mistyped network password is the most common reason setup fails. Turn on show password every time you type it, even when you're sure it's right, so you can see that each character goes in correctly.

To confirm the password itself, have your phone forget the home network, then rejoin using the same password. If the phone connects, the password is right.

Weak Wi-Fi or an overloaded router

Network requirements vary by TV. Some TVs can't join a 5GHz network, only 2.4GHz, and your TV's user manual lists everything it needs. Default router settings are fine in most cases, but if yours have been changed or the router is very old, check that they meet the TV's requirements.

Next, connect your phone to the home network, hold it right next to the TV and look at the bars. With only 1 or 2 bars, the signal can be too weak for the TV, so move the router and TV closer together or add a repeater.

Then disconnect all your other Wi-Fi devices and try the TV again. If that's what finally works, your router has more devices than it can handle, so upgrade it or connect fewer devices.

Still stuck? Restart the whole chain in order, starting where the internet comes in, so each device is ready before the next one needs it.

1. Unplug the TV and every network device, such as the modem and router.
2. Starting at the wall where the internet signal comes in, plug in the first device and let it finish booting.
3. Work along the path toward the TV, plugging in each device and letting it finish booting, until everything is back on, including the TV.
4. Try connecting the TV to the network again and see whether it gets online.

For a last network check, try a different network. If the TV can connect to networks outside SmartThings and your phone can act as a hotspot, turn the hotspot on and connect the TV to it. If the TV joins any other network, the problem is your home network and the TV doesn't need service. Contact your internet provider if they supplied the router, or the router's maker if you bought it yourself. The same goes if the TV has trouble joining, staying connected or getting internet on your home network.

The TV is online but still won't pair

If you have easy access to them, try swapping one thing at a time: SmartThings on a different phone, the other operating system (iPhone instead of Android, or the reverse), a different Samsung account or a different smart device. If setup works one way but not another, include that in your report.

When the TV's internet works but SmartThings setup still fails, report it from inside the app and keep installing app updates as they come out. Before you send the report, collect as much of this as you can:

• The model of each phone you tried setup on.
• The exact step where the error happens.
• The exact wording of any error message.
• The app version, found under Menu (the three lines), the Settings icon, then About SmartThings.

To send it, tap Menu in SmartThings, then Contact us, then Report a problem. Tap OK to create a log, sign in to your Samsung account, fill in the required fields and tap Submit. The report goes to Samsung and the app opens the SmartThings FAQ.

The TV can't see any Wi-Fi at all

If the TV's Wi-Fi is on but its menu never lists any networks, take your phone to the TV and see which networks it picks up there. For this check, make sure the phone doesn't have your network's password saved.

If the TV detects even one network, it doesn't need service. If your network shows 3 bars or more on the phone but never appears on the TV, request service through Samsung's Support Center. Do the same if you hold your phone's hotspot near the TV and the TV still can't detect it or any other network.

If the phone shows fewer than 3 bars, bring the router and TV closer together or add a repeater. If no networks show up on the phone either, yours may be set to hidden. Ask your internet provider or router maker to make it visible, then try again. Once setup is complete, you can hide the network again.