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LG TV Wired Connection Problems (Keeps Dropping/Won’t Connect)

It is recommended to connect your LG TV directly to your router or modem via cable, but sometimes even that can have issues. This means that you lose access to all the ‘smart’ TV functions, such as streaming services and important updates. In this article, I have outlined some of the major wired connection issues you might come across, so that you are able to fix them.

One common reason for an LG TV Ethernet connection not working is an incompatible cable, which has a bandwidth greater than 100MbpsOther possible causes include a damaged cable, modem or router, interference or outdated firmware. A potential fix is to use a cat5 cable with a bandwidth of 100Mbps or less

There could be several reasons why an LG TV Ethernet connection is not working. Some of the common causes include:

  1. Incorrect network settings: If the network settings on the TV are not configured correctly, it may not connect to the Ethernet network.
  2. Faulty Ethernet cable: A damaged or faulty Ethernet cable can prevent the TV from connecting to the network.
  3. Network connectivity issues: If there are issues with the network itself, such as a weak signal or network congestion, the TV may not be able to connect to the network.
  4. Outdated firmware: If the firmware on the TV is outdated, it may not be compatible with the network.

To fix these issues, here are some steps you can take:

  1. Check the network settings on the TV and ensure that they are configured correctly. You can do this by going to the TV’s network settings and checking the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway settings.
  2. Replace the Ethernet cable with a new one to ensure that it is not damaged or faulty.
  3. Restart both the TV and the router to see if this resolves any connectivity issues.
  4. Update the firmware on the TV to the latest version, which may resolve any compatibility issues.
TV rear connection ports

This is a very broad description of some of the specific causes of your Ethernet connection issues. I will discuss these in detail below and provide the most effective solutions.

LG TV Keeps Losing Wired Internet/Ethernet Connection/Keeps Dropping

TV rear ports

An Ethernet connection should, in theory, be more reliable than a WiFi connection. It also means you should have access to faster internet on your TV because there is no loss of signal through the air. This makes streaming movies and TV shows seamless, with little or no buffering.

However, some LG TV users have found that their internet connection has been dropping out when connected via Ethernet cable. Here are some possible causes.

Wrong Type of Cable

LG TV network adaptors only support 10/100mb LAN connections. In their manuals, they state that the Ethernet cable from the TV (RJ45 connector) should be plugged into a 10 base T or 100 base TX LAN port.

This basically means that the bandwidth of the Ethernet cable should be no more than 100Mbps.

So if the bandwidth of your cable and router is more than 100Mbps, the Ethernet connection will lag or fail. This is simply a compatibility issue with the TVs hardware. LG recommend using a cat5 (‘category 5’) cable, which is a 100MHz Ethernet cable.

Unfortunately, newer cables have started replacing these cables, such as the cat5e or the cat6. The cat5e cable is still available in 100MHz, but some are available with up to 350MHz.

If you can’t find a 100MHz Ethernet cable, you can limit the LAN port on your router with a 100Mb Ethernet switch. This may seem like it will impact your ability to stream movies, but 100Mbps is still more than enough. Even if you stream 4K, the minimum internet speed is only 25Mbps.

Damaged Cable or Port

Another possibility is that the cable is damaged. You should check that either end of the cable is not loose. Sometimes cables can also become damaged internally from being stepped on or bent.

You can test your cable by trying to connect a different device to your router with the same cable. If the connection works, you know the cable is working well and that the issue is from something else.

If it is the LAN port that is damaged, you should try using other ports on the router. It is harder to tell if a LAN port is damaged, but if the other ports work normally, you can be fairly certain that the other port has malfunctioned.

If you don’t need the other ports, your modem/router will still work normally with one damaged port.

Disable Simplink and Quick Start

The LG support page recommends that you should disable the ‘Simplink’ and ‘Quick Start’ features if you are having issues with your internet connection. Some people have found that this does, indeed, help with dropped speeds over the Ethernet cable.

Follow the steps below to disable each feature. Start by pressing the ‘Menu’ or ‘Home’ button on your remote.

Simplink: Settings > General > Simplink

Quick Start: Settings > General > Quick Start

LG TV Wired Connection Not Working

TV HDMI ARC port

If you have no internet access at all via your Ethernet cable, it could still be the same issues as above. However, you may also consider the following possibilities.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on April 12, 2021.

Faulty Modem or Router

Cheap modems and routers last 2-3 years, whereas more expensive options can last 5 years without giving you any trouble. Therefore, if you don’t have internet access, you might want to consider how long you’ve had your modem and router for. If this is the issue, a simple replacement should have things up and running again.

Internet service provider

Check to see if there is any scheduled maintenance or emergency work being done on your network in the area. You should be able to call your service provider to find out, or you can check their website on your phone. This will often cause the internet to be unavailable for hours, or sometimes even days on end.

Outdated firmware

Make sure that you’ve run all the updates on your LG TV. There may be firmware bugs that you don’t know about which have been corrected in the latest update.

LG TV Cannot Establish Connection to Access Point

TV searching for WiFi signal

The message “could not establish a connection to access point” is you TV’s way of saying that there is no internet access. Therefore you can try running through the possible issues mentioned above.

You may also consider restarting or resetting the TV to try to re-establish the connection.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 12, 2021.

Restart the TV

It’s not enough to simply restart the TV by pressing the power button twice. LG recommend the following steps to perform a TV reset.

Step 1: Turn the TV off.

Step 2: Unplug the TV from the wall.

Step 3: Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Plug the TV in again and turn it on.

Reset to Factory Settings

Resetting the TV to factory settings will undo any changes to the TV settings that could affect the internet connection. To do this, press the ‘Home’ or ‘Menu’ button on your remote and follow the pathway below.

Settings > General > Reset to Initial Settings > Confirm Reset > Enter Passcode > Confirm Reset.

By default, the passcode should be ‘0000’. If this does not work, you may need to call LG to confirm the passcode for your specific model.

How to Connect LG Smart TV to Internet Wired

TV menu settings

Connecting to internet via cable is very easy. It’s just a matter of positioning the router close to your TV so the cable can extend from the back of the TV to the LAN port on the router. Once everything is in position, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Plug the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port behind the TV.

Step 2: Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the router.

Step 3: Press the ‘Menu’ or ‘Home’ button on your remote.

Step 4: Navigate to ‘Settings’ > ‘Network Connection’

Step 5: Press ‘Start Connection’

Step 6: Select ‘Complete’ once the connection has been found.

LG TV Not Recognizing Ethernet Cable

Ethernet cable

If the connection fails after you have completed the steps above (‘How to Connect LG Smart TV to Internet Wired’), try turning off all devices to restart the connection. This involves unplugging your TV, modem and router from the wall. You can leave the Ethernet cable connected.

First plug in the router and modem and turn them on. Wait for them to fully start up and connect to the network before plugging in your TV and turning it on. Now you can try your connection again.

If the TV still cannot recognise the Ethernet cable, refer to the possible issues outlined at the start of the article.

LG TV Ethernet Connection Slow (How to Speed it Up)

Male watching TV

Any of the issues discussed in this article can also cause your internet connection to be slow. Some people have reported speeds of 500Kbps, or 0.5Mbps. These speeds are certainly not adequate for streaming media on your TV.

However, you should find that it will speed up once you have established a healthy connection.

The following is a summary of solutions you can try:

· Disable ‘Simplink’ and ‘Quick Start’

· Update all firmware

· Restart your TV, modem and router

· Reset the TV to factory settings

· Replace the Ethernet cable or modem/router

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on April 12, 2021.

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