Are you desperately trying to figure out why your Apple TV is disconnecting from your Wi-Fi?
You’re not alone! You might find this hard to believe, but thousands of people are in the same situation every day.
I know it can be super annoying not to be to take full advantage of a device you paid such a high price for.
But don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place for answers. Below, you’ll find a list of several simple steps you can take to solve this problem for good.
The 7 easy steps that can stop your Apple TV from disconnecting from your Wi-Fi are:
Keep reading to stop stressing and start streaming!
First, I’d like us to make sure that your connection is not having trouble.
Although internet service drops are not as common as they used to be, they still happen now and then. And when the source of the issue is a failing modem, these difficulties can last for days or even weeks.
Now, normally spotting a bad internet connection is very easy, as you’ll be completely cut off from your network. But sometimes, you might only have a weak signal. This would allow you to keep browsing lightly and chat while also having your Apple TV disconnect from your Wi-Fi.
Why? Because each activity has different requirements.
Texting your friends a funny joke is much easier on your network than streaming your favorite content online or navigating through your Apple TV’s Home Screen.
As a general rule, you’ll need at least 5 Mbps to use your device and stream in Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080p), and a whopping 25 Mbps for 4K (3840 × 2160p).
If your current plan does not meet these requirements, you’ll encounter issues, such as infinite buffering times and spinning wheels, blurry video, and much more.
Solution: First, let’s take into consideration the number of people you share your home network with. If your internet plan is not very fast, and you live with many people, this could be what’s causing the problem.
If you live alone, the issue might be related to your provider.
Give them a call and ask if they’re having issues in your area. If they tell you everything’s fine on their end, try resetting your modem and see if that works.
If you’ve never done it before, that’s ok! Here’s what you have to do:
VPNs are great.
Not only do they allow us to browse the web securely, but also open up a world of international content we can enjoy.
But what if I told you that you might be using the wrong one?
You see, although there are many free VPNs out there, I’m still yet to find one that doesn’t bottleneck my network. I’ve tried them all, and at the most, I’ve been able to use 20% of my plan’s speed. There’s a very good chance that the same thing is happening to you.
I understand how tempting it can be to use this software for free. But if you’re serious about using your device with a VPN, you’ll have to get a premium subscription.
These not only take advantage of nearly 100% of your network’s speed, but also offer obfuscated servers. By using them, you’ll make your VPN traffic look like normal traffic, decreasing the chances of experiencing issues with apps and streaming platforms.
Solution: The best way to tell whether your current VPN is to blame for this is by disabling it and streaming without it for a while.
If your Apple TV is no longer disconnecting you from your Wi-Fi, the answer’s clear. It’s time to start looking into other alternatives.
Chin up, though! There are great options out there that go for as little as $60/year.
Moving on, let’s try something simpler.
Believe it or not, there’s a very good chance that all you need to do to stop your Apple TV from disconnecting from your Wi-Fi is to restart it.
Why does this work? Simple!
Whenever we use our favorite apps, there are thousands of background processes running at the same time. We might not see them, but they’re there. More often than not, they work as expected, and that’s the end of it. But sometimes, a corrupted bug or a glitch can make them crash, causing the platform to act weird.
By restarting your device, you’ll be giving it a chance to get rid of any troublemakers and start most of its processes from scratch.
And the best part is that this fix works for about 90% of all technical difficulties out there. Don’t be afraid to try it out!
Solution: Any of the options below should help you restart your Apple TV successfully:
If this didn’t work, don’t worry, there’s still a lot of ground to cover. Read on to discover more fixes to this issue!
I know how keeping your Apple TV fully updated doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is.
With every update, software developers try their best to install as many features and fix as many bugs as they can. Moreover, newer app versions and modem Firmware are designed with the latest streaming device software in mind.
Using an older version of your device’s software with fully updated apps and networks could explain why your Apple TV is disconnecting you from your Wi-Fi.
Now, more often than not, automatic updating should make this no concern of yours. But sometimes a weak network or a bug can get in the way.
In such a case, you’ll have to manually download and install the latest software version of your Apple TV.
Solution: This may sound challenging, but updating your Apple TV is actually very easy:
Next, let’s try forgetting your network.
Our streaming devices are designed to use all sorts of coding languages to communicate with our networks. By using them, they can provide us with great streaming experiences and smooth interface navigation.
More often than not, this process takes place without any issues. But sometimes, a bug can cause your Apple TV to stop understanding your home network. When this happens, you’re likely to encounter issues, such as Error 3905, stuttering performance, and much more.
By forgetting your network, you’ll be giving both your Apple TV and your modem a chance to start their processes from scratch and understand each other again.
Solution: If this is the first time you’re doing this, that’s ok! It’s very easy to forget a network:
Once you’ve done that, try reconnecting to the same network, type in your password, and wait until you have internet access.
If your modem is located far from your entertainment area or there are many concrete walls between them, you might want to get a router.
Let me tell you why.
Most modern modems usually have two networks, a 2.4 GHz one and a 5 GHz one. The former is older and slower, but has more range, whereas the latter uses your full plan’s speed, but at the cost of distance.
In most cases, I’d recommend sticking to the 5 GHz network. But if any of the factors mentioned above are present, you might need to switch over to the 2.4 GHz one or get the router I was talking about.
Normally, when your Apple TV keeps disconnecting from your Wi-Fi, it’s because your network’s range is too short. This causes variations in the signal’s strength, and when it becomes too weak, trouble soon follows.
A router will catch your modem’s signal, and repeat it at full strength all over your home. Ideally, you want it to be somewhere between your modem and your entertainment area, where your Apple TV is.
There are great options out there for as little as $50.
Finally, let’s try resetting your Apple TV.
When all else fails, reverting your device back to Factory Settings is not the worst of ideas. As its name suggests, this process will clear your Apple TV’s memory clean, deleting all your downloaded apps, user preferences, and favorite settings.
I know this is far from ideal, but sometimes it might be the only way to get things back to normal.
I bet this won’t be the last time you’ll ever have to do this, so here’s a useful tip for future you. Keep a list of all your downloaded apps and their respective login credentials written down somewhere safe. This will save you the trouble of having to remember what to re-download after all’s been said and done.
Solution: If you’re sure there’s nothing else you can try, here’s what you have to do to factory reset your Apple TV. It’s a very straightforward process:
This can take a while to complete. Please be patient and test your Apple TV once you can use it again.
Having your Apple TV keep disconnecting from your Wi-Fi can be very annoying. This streaming device isn’t cheap, so the least you’d expect for the hefty sum you bought it for is to have a stress-free experience.
What a disaster!
Luckily, as I hope you’ve learned in this piece, addressing most of the causes behind this is very easy. More often than not, double-checking your modem’s status, getting a router, and forgetting your network, should do the trick.
Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If you found this article helpful, you’ll be happy to know that we upload new content weekly. Check out our other incredible resources below to become a Tech Detective yourself!
I wish you nothing but the best.
Detective ‘Gerry’ Molina is one of the most prolific detectives on our TechDetective team. He’s known for his ability to crack down on multitudes of tech crimes on behalf of you – the citizens of the internet. Molina is often the first point of contact for many cases, working to help free victims from the tyranny of tech issues.
