i have just purchased an apple tv and cant get past the set date and time page,please help!

Stuck on Setting Date and Time

Welcome to the Apple Community.

Assuming this is not the first time you have used your Apple TV

1. You might try restarting the Apple TV by removing ALL the cables for 30 seconds.
2. Also try restarting the router. (Also try removing it’s power cord for at least 30 seconds)
3. If the problem persists, try a restore, you may want to try the previous procedures several times before doing this.
4. If restoring from the Apple TV doesn't help, try restoring from iTunes using a USB cable.

If this is a new Apple TV, in addition to trying the above, it may also be that your network router is not allowing access to the timeserver, check that your router allows access over port 123.

You might also try connecting to a different network and then trying again on your own, you might try at a friends or use the wifi hotspot on your mobile phone if you have one.

Hello

I’ve had the same problem. Mine is a long story, but the conclusion is in the next paragraph. The story that led to it follows, but it isn’t necessary to read it to understand the matter.

As I understand it, the Apple TV needs to be activated by connecting to the internet through TCP port 123. BT doesn’t have this port open anymore, so they have to be contacted to open it, which they will do only for subscribers of £8 a month to their BT Tech Experts service. Alternatively, the Apple TV can be connected to the internet and activated using any other Internet Service Provider and will thereafter connect through BT. Another option is to set up a wifi hotspot on a smartphone and connect the Apple TV through it. Getting it activated is the key; my understanding is that, once this has been done on any network, it will connect to the internet through BT.

I bought an Apple TV last week, which arrived on Monday. The Apple TV would connect to my BT Home Hub 5 router but would not recognise the internet signal, so the setup didn't progress beyond 'Setting date and time...' or there would be a message stating that it couldn't connect to the iTunes Store.

I tried several possible remedies: switching off the router for five minutes before switching it back on; setting up the Apple TV with the router's firewall disabled; setting it up wirelessly and with a wired connection; setting it up through Bluetooth with my iPhone, and by manually entering the necessary details. I can’t try to connect using a wifi hotspot on my iPhone, because I’m with BT Mobile, and BT Mobile is one of those network providers that doesn't support this.

I tried to restore the Apple TV's settings and update it with the latest software update by connecting it to iTunes on my Mac, but iTunes displayed a message stating that, 'iTunes could not contact the Apple TV software update server because you are not connected to the Internet.' This is strange, because I was able to browse in Safari and the iTunes Store.

On Tuesday, I contacted Apple and explained to the friendly adviser all the above. He put me through to someone who arranged for a return and replacement. The replacement arrived on Friday, so I tried to set it up, but had exactly the same problem: it connected to the router but not to the internet.

I spoke to another friendly adviser at Apple. He has heard of reports that other people with BT have had the same problem I'm having, and suggested taking the Apple TV to an Apple Store to test it on their connection, but my nearest is a ninety-minute drive away. However, there's an iStore eighteen miles away that he suggested I go to.

At the iStore, the chap disconnected the display model to connect mine. It wouldn’t connect to the internet, just like at home. He reconnected their display model, which connected to the internet without a problem. Maybe the iStore's Internet Service Provider is BT.

Back home, I contacted Apple. The adviser explained that, once the Apple TV has been connected on any network, it will thereafter connect on mine; it just needs that initial connection to activate it. The people I know don’t live near enough for me to trouble them with this, so he said I should contact BT and ask them to open TCP port 123, because this is the port required for activation of Apple TV.

I contacted BT online, and was advised that the issue was being dealt with by the BT Tech Experts, and provided a link to the website. However, BT Tech Experts is a service that requires a subscription of £8 a month.

I decided to go to the Apple Store, which is ninety minutes away. They wouldn’t try to connect it, and said the problem must be with the router, although I have two other Apple products, an iMac and in iPhone, that connect to the internet through the same router. I don’t think the lady I spoke to understood, and, as she said, she isn’t a technical person. Also, there were no technical people on site who could deal with me and it was half an hour from closing time.

I had done all I could do to sort this out, and the only options left to me seemed to be to return the Apple TV either for a refund or for a replacement that is activated before it is sent to me. I contacted Apple Support on Saturday to give the story so far and to suggest these options. I said I didn’t want a refund, as that would make all this effort count for nothing, so i’d rather have a working Apple TV. The adviser said it’s very unlikely that a unit could be activated before being sent to me, adding that the best option was to take it to the Apple Store again, but with an appointment this time. He made the appointment for me and I’m booked for next Thursday.

(Incidentally, the Apple advisers I've spoken to on the phone are called Shaun, Carla, Andrew, Paul and Adrian. Each of them was a pleasure to talk to.)

Did you notice the last paragraph of my post.

Hi.

Yes, I did. Because it chimed with what I had already discovered in my little adventure, I clicked on the 'This helped me' at the bottom-right of the post. However, as I put in my post, 'The people I know don’t live near enough for me to trouble them with this', so I can't reasonably travel to them to activate my Apple TV on their networks, and 'I can’t try to connect using a wifi hotspot on my iPhone, because I’m with BT Mobile, and BT Mobile is one of those network providers that doesn't support this.'

Thanks Jackfish. This sorted me out. I had failed all day to get my new Apple TV connected to iTunes and Home Sharing through the BT HH5. Connected instead through a hotspot on my iPhone. Set it up fine. And then went back to my word HH5 network. All good now.

Hi folks,

Using a local hotspot seems to be a neat solution, when available.

But the actual problem is that your routers are blocking the Network Time Protocol which requires port 123 to be open for UDP traffic. Most routers have a settings page where protocols can be allowed to pass. For some reason, your BT Home Hubs are configured to block this.