Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
i have a 4th generation apple tv and it randomly drops internet connection. I have to restart my router on average once a week to fix it. It's really frustrating. My MacBook and iPhone has no problem. When the internet does drop, macbook and iPhone work fine. Only the apple tv is messed up. Its a wireless connection via belkin router thru time warner cable(satans internet). Anybody know of any solution or anyone that has this problem?
iOS 9.3
Hi bytecollektr,
I am having the same issue as it sound. My Apple TV (4th) gen is connected to the router through an Ethernet connection and it something seems to happen almost everyday where it is no longer connected as it should be. I have to restart my router to get it working again.
I should note that I have and older AppleTV upstairs which is connected via wifi and I do not have this issue at all. All my other devices at home work fine.
I am assuming this happened after an update because it just started happening one day out of the blue.
I know it's been awhile but have you had your issue resolved?
I have this problem too. Not sure if it's a problem with older Apple TVs (only have two 4th generation units, and three 2nd and 3rd generations Apple TVs). All other devices on my network are fine. I do have a Netgear Orbi, which I think "smartly" connects devices to either 2.4 or 5 g networks. Not sure if this is the problem or not.
in other words it happen on average once a week...
Do you have the latest tvOS 9.2?
Does ATV drop the internet connection, or does it drop the WiFi connection? When you enter Network settings after it has dropped, what do you see?
You should check for interference at the ATV location, see Potential sources of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference - Apple Support. A nearby network may become active once in a while and jam yours. ATV 4 has been reported to be a little sensitive to interference and weak signals. You could try switching to a 5 GHz network, since there's usually less interference in that band.
Do you need to restart ATV to fix it, or just the router?
I have the same issue. I have a Time Capsule 3gb connected via ethernet to the ATV4. However, it started at once a week and now its at least once a day, when all the apps disconnect to the internet, the NAS attached does not log in anymore. I went to the apple store, they gave me a brand new ATV4, but the issues persist. if I restart the Time Capsule, it comes back instantaneously.
Hello Bytecollektr,
Your problem sounds different, so I suggest that you post it as a separate question. And try to describe exactly what happens, and what you are able to diagnose by looking at ATV settings, etc.
it drops wifi connection. I try to rejoin my network and tells me, couldn't connect to wifi and to check my settings. I usually restart the router and ATV both. When you say a 5 GHz network. You mean a better router?
What do you see when you look at the ATV network settings when it says it cannot connect? I expect it will list other networks, bu not yours. That will indicate that your network became unreachable, probably due to interference.
Have you checked for interference? Look out especially for cordless phones. You can get WiFi "stumbler" programs for computers and some phones that show the signal level of competing networks. I think the function is built in to OS X. You may find that you're sharing a channel with several others. And one of the interferers may only become active once in a while, killing your ATV. I'm in a suburban neighborhood with relatively large lots and I can see 14 networks!
Next time it happens, please try only restarting the ATV and see if that makes it work. I expect that it will.
There are WiFi frequency bands at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 5 band is less crowded. It is used by 802.11ac and can be used by 802.11n. See if your router settings allow this.
You should try updating to the brand new today tvOS 9.2.1, in case it includes a fix. Can always hope. Please report if that helps, since the world is waiting to know...
After is drops connection i go to i try to sign back in to my network, type in my password and it says "couldn't join network check your setting and try again" then that is when i restart router and ATV. ONLY restarting the ATV doesn't work.
So, your ATV can see the network SSID, but the router will not accept the password. Is that correct?
Interference is still a possibility, and you should check for other strong WiFi networks nearby.
What WiFi security mode are you using? (Router WiFi settings.)
Next time it fails, before restarting, go into the router settings and see if access restriction has been enabled in the transient. The router may have decided that ATV is unwanted, and restarting the router may reset that.
You could also try disabling ipv6, if it's enabled on the router.
If any of these work, please report results, so others will know.
Got a new router. duel band 2.4 and 5 ghz. Put the ATV on 5 and some how it's worse.
Horrible streaming issues. Horrible buffering issues. Should be noted that the router is about 17 feet away from the ATV. i splurged for a big time router. It should have the range.
5 GHz is often less susceptible to interference than the 2.4 GHz band, however it has a lesser range and is more easily blocked by walls and the like.
Interference can be caused by other networks in the neighbourhood or from household electrical items.
You can download and install iStumbler (NetStumbler for windows users) to help you see which channels are used by neighbouring networks so that you can avoid them, but iStumbler will not see household items.
Refer to your router manual for instructions on changing your wifi channel or adjusting your multicast rate.
There are other types of problems that can affect networks, but this is by far the most common, hence worth mentioning first. Networks that have inherent issues can be seen to work differently with different versions of the same software. You might also try moving the Apple TV away from other electrical equipment.
The following article(s) may help you.
Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections
Wifi Diagnostic Software (for Mac users)
You may also find some help on this page, where I’ve collected some of the more unusual solutions to network issues.
Apple TV 4th gen randomly drops internet connection
