Instructions for connecting a TV to a router via cable

Recently, it has become possible to watch movies from the Internet on a television screen. In the instructions for the TV, manufacturers explain how to connect it to the home and global Internet, but not everyone clearly understands from it how to properly connect the router to the TV. We will talk about this in detail.

Why connect a router to a TV?

Connecting the router to the TV, first of all, is necessary for the operation of those functions of the TV device that are connected to the Internet. Most modern TVs have a special option called Smart TV. It provides many additional features.
For example:

• Internet access using a unique TV browser;
• the ability to watch movies and series through special applications and an online cinema;
• the ability to enter a video chat, and also, if you have a webcam, make video calls using special applications;
• you can use the YouTube service to watch movies;
• you can access popular social networks: VKontakte, Facebook, Instagram, Odnoklassniki;
• you can install apps from the Google Play Store.

All these options turn the TV into a multifunctional multimedia device.

What do you need to connect your TV to the Internet via cable?

To connect your Internet router to your TV via cable, you will need to meet a few conditions and have a number of devices. Namely:

• LAN cable (aka Ethernet);
• TV with smart TV and LAN interface;
• router;
• availability of Internet access.

Before connecting, find out the type of network (what protocol the provider uses). You can do this by contacting the technical support service or by reading the terms of the contract with the company. Protocol options: PPPoE, L2TP, PPTP, dynamic or static IP.

Pros and cons of the connection method

Many may have a question – if you can use “Wi-Fi”, why plant a bunch of wires at home? But the wired type of connection has its own list of advantages:

• not all TVs have a built-in Wi-Fi module, in this case only the cable will save the situation;
• data transfer over a wired network is much faster than over Wi-Fi – almost all routers slow down, because they must distribute the signal to several devices at the same time (between participants in the local network);
• cable connections are more stable than wired ones (there will be fewer data transmission failures).

But the wired method also has a drawback – the presence of wires. They are far from always possible to fit into the interior, moreover, they often get in the way. This is especially true if the router and TV are far apart.

How can I connect the TV to the router via cable?

We will show and tell you how to connect your TV to the Internet using a router. This method is suitable for any type of protocol. But if this indicator is PPPoE, L2TP or PPTP protocol, you can only use routers to connect.

If you have a dynamic or static IP address, you can easily connect directly to the TV, but connecting to a router using a cable is also possible.

To connect through a router, do the following:

1. Connect the power cord to the WAN or Internet port.
2. Set up the connection on the router according to the protocol. The configuration is done on the local browser page at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. The debugging process depends on the manufacturer of the router (everything should be written in detail in the manual for the router).
3. If the router has been connected and configured for a long time, skip the first two steps. Take an Ethernet cable from your router. If it is not included in the kit or it is too short for you, purchase a new item (labeled RJ-45) at a computer hardware store.
4. Connect the cable to the LAN port on the back of the router (pick any) – these outputs are usually yellow.
5. Connect the other free end of the power cord to the LAN connector on the back of the TV with the same plug. In this case, it is recommended to turn on the TV.

Video instruction:

TV setup with a wired connection

After physically connecting the TV and the router, you need to set up the TV to receive Internet signals.

TV setup with “Dynamic IP”

If you have the Dynamic IP protocol, the Internet on the TV will be configured automatically after connecting the cable. This will be indicated by the message “Connected to a wired network” displayed on the screen. If the message does not appear and you do not have Internet access, manually debug. This procedure will be required, for example, when connecting a TV to a Samsung Smart TV:

1. To enter the settings, press the “Menu” button on the remote control.
2. Select the “Network” section in the settings that open.
3. Open the “Network Settings” section and press the “Enter” button.
4. Specify “Cable” (cable connection) in the “Network type” parameter.
5. Click Connect. Wait for the synchronization phase to complete.

For TV receivers from other manufacturers, the setup principle is the same, but the user interface will be different. Some parts may have the same name. The most important thing is to find a block with network or network connection settings. For example, when connecting LG, you must first click “Connection Setting” and then “Manual Setting”. Next, select “Wired Connection”.
It should be noted here that the router must have an active >>DHCP server that will automatically assign IP addresses to devices connected to the network. Otherwise, you must manually enter all parameters. To do this, you will need to click on the “IP Settings” button.

How to set static IP and DNS on TV?

If you are directly connected to the Internet and use the IP Static protocol, after the initial TV settings (described in the previous section), you must enter the data specified in the contract in the TV receiver settings: IP address, DNS address. Where to enter them:

1. After the initial wired connection setup, go to the Connection Status section.
2. Click “Settings” / “IP Settings”.
3. Go to the section with IP settings. Set the mode to “Manual” instead of automatic (the latter refers to the “Dynamic IP” protocol – this is the default setting).
4. Enter all the data from the contract with the provider: IP address, mask, gateway and DNS server. Click OK. Then the internet should start working.

How to find the MAC address of the TV?

This unique code is in the documentation for the television device. Or you can view the address on the screen of the TV receiver itself. If you have a Samsung, for these purposes, go to the “Support” section, the “Model Code” item you need will be in the “Product Information” section. This is your MAC.

Setting up a router for IPTV

You have connected your TV to the Internet through a router, and now you must set up the IPTV function to watch digital channels over the Internet. How to do it? To navigate to the web router interface, you must use the settings at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Further procedure depends on the manufacturer of the router. For example, the new TP-Link operating system automatically enables the IPTV (multicast) function – no additional debugging is required. If you have an Asus, you need to enable multicast routing on your local network. If you have a Zyxel Keenetic router, you need to do the following:

1. To combine the work of the Internet and IPTV, create a pair of interfaces and connect them to the WAN. For example, IPTV is provided through VLAN 10, Internet access is provided through VLAN 100 (you may have other data – contact your supplier or find out the information in the contract).
2. To create a new IPoE connection to VLAN 10 (IPTV port), go to Internet – IPoE, and add a new interface with VLAN ID 10.
3. Check the two boxes below the blue connector image. Configure the required interface settings. Similarly, we create a VLAN with ID 100 for the Internet.
4. Enter the VLAN ID. Go to “Home Network” – IGMP Proxy Server and select “Interface Mapping”.

Individual cases

We will analyze separately the nuances of connecting routers to TVs of some specific brands, as well as connecting old TVs.

Connecting to Android TV

As Android TV is more and more installed on modern TVs, the connection process is becoming easier. If you connect the device to the router using a cable, the TV will automatically detect it and go online. You can verify this by doing the following:

1. Go to “Settings” on your TV.
2. In the “Network and Internet” section, it should say “the device is connected to Ethernet” in small print (instead of “WiFiKA.RU”, as shown in the figure below).

Connecting a router to an old TV

If you have a router with Internet access at home and an old TV with a tulip input, you can use a special smart TV box to watch digital TV and use the World Wide Web. It connects directly to the TV and then to the router via a wired or Wi-Fi connection.

With the help of the set-top box, the signal is converted and displayed on the TV. They are rented from different operators or bought by users.

Features of connecting to TV some other routers:

• MTS. The router or receiver provided by MTS is suitable for watching high quality digital channels. If the TV has a CI + connector and a built-in DVB-C receiver (usually most TVs), the user can use the cam module instead of the HD set-top box.
• ZTE and Asus. There are no particular problems with ZTE routers. Often you may only need to manually set the settings because the TV cannot set them up automatically. When using ASUS routers, it is recommended to update the operating systems of devices released in 2014-2016, as they are relatively slow and often make mistakes.

Routers from Rostelecom, Beeline, Xiaomi are connected to the TV according to the classical scheme.

Possible problems when connecting via cable

Although connecting to a router is not as difficult as it may seem, users often face many problems when connecting these devices. Therefore, we have collected some common errors when connecting a router and a TV, and described their solution. General measures:

• Download the device firmware to your PC. This must be done from the official website of the TV manufacturer. Try writing the downloaded files to a FAT32 formatted flash drive. Next, insert the flash drive into the TV and activate the file.
• It may be helpful to upgrade your television equipment. To do this, select the appropriate item in the “Settings”. Next, you must “agree” to the license agreement and then wait for the update to finish downloading.

You can also reset your TV settings. To do this, go to System Preferences and click on the Reset tab. You then need to enter a PIN. The default combination is “0000”. Next, you must agree to the terms of the user agreement. After that, you should try to connect to the router again.

When setting up the router, the system asks for a password

Asking for a password when connecting a router is a common situation for some Smart TV operating systems. Typically, the password in this case is the same as the router’s password or PIN.

The cable is connected correctly, but the device does not respond to the wire

In this case, pay attention to the integrity of the network cable. Such wires are very fragile, especially where they are connected. If possible, do not wrap the LAN cable with electrical tape, but replace it with a new one.

Interference appears on the screen after connecting to the router

If there is interference on the screen, you must perform a factory reset. To do this, go to System Preferences and click on the reset option.

TV does not see Wi-Fi router

You must first check if your internet connection is enabled. If the answer is yes, then most likely the problem is that the coverage area of ​​the devices is not touching. Solution: Move the Wi-Fi router closer to the TV.

Measures for Samsung TV

If you fail to connect to the Internet when you try to connect your Samsung TV to the router, there are a number of measures you can take. They are the following:

1. Reboot your router and try connecting again.
2. Make sure the cable with which you want to connect your Samsung TV to the Internet is working properly (for example, you can connect your computer to it, and if the PC works, it’s not the problem).

You can try the same steps if you have an LG TV.

Connecting a TV to a router via a cable is not the easiest way, but the most reliable and stable. A cable connection is better, if only because when watching high-quality movies over Wi-Fi, freezes, problems with image quality and other nuances can occur, which can not be traced with a cable connection.