You own a Vizio TV and want to connect it to your Wifi router but you don’t have a remote control or you lost it? or the remote isn’t working anymore?… Luckily, there are solutions to this problem.
The good news is you will be able to connect your Vizio TV to Wifi even without remote.
And we identified 6 differents ways to do it. Here we go…
Contents
Connect Vizio TV to WiFi without Remote
Download the “Vizio SmartCast Mobile app” on your phone from app store or play store. Tap “Control” Icon, select “device”. You will need to enter the pin code that appear on the TV on your phone. You can now use your phone as a remote control to setup the Wifi.
Download Vizio SmartCast App
Vizio SmartCast Mobile App is the official free application made specifically for Vizio smart TVs. It can replace your Vizio remote and control your TV.
The Vizio SmartCast app is compatible with both Android and iOS.
Follow the steps:
- Download the official called “Vizio SmartCast Mobile app” from the app store or play store.
- Tap on “Select Device” on the screen, then select “Get Started”
- Select your TV
- Enter in the App the pin code that appear on your TV
- Then use your phone as a remote to setup the WiFi connection
Appart from being used as a remote control, the Vizio SmartCast is compatible with Alexa, Apple Kit and Google assistant, all at same time!
SmartCast Troubleshooting:
If you received an error message like: SmartCast Home is unavailable
Try the following:
- make sure your Vizio TV is connected to the internet network (Menu / network / test connection ). If not connected, you have a problem with your home network.
- if connected, select Menu / system / switch language then switch back to English. If keeps on loading, you must do a TV factory reset. It will reset the custom TV settings.
- If none is working, visit support.vizio.com or contact their support.
Connect Vizio TV to mobile hotspot without remote
In case you want to connect your Vizio TV to mobile hotspot without a remote, you can:
- Activate your mobile hotspot on your phone
- Download the Vizio SmartCast mobile App on your phone
- Tap the control Icon, select “device” then enter the password
- You can now use your phone as a remote
If you find it to complicated or it doesn’t work, try the following alternatives.
5 Alternatives to connect Vizio TV to Wifi without remote
In case the above solution failed or are too complicated, try these alternatives.
Connect an Ethernet cable between router and Vizio TV
Most Vizio smart TVs have Ethernet ports. If it is the case and your router isn’t too far away, follow these steps:
To connect your Vizio TV to the internet using an ethernet cable:
- Plug one end of the ethernet cable to an ethernet port on your Vizio TV
- Plug the other end of the ethernet cable into the router
- Turn TV ON in order for the TV to recognize the wired connection
- Done, connected
If it isn’t working, try the next tip.
Connect USB keyboard to Vizio TV
If your router is too far or if you don’t have an ethernet cable, maybe you have a USB keyboard on your desktop PC?
Wired or wireless keyboard, it doesn’t matter. Both will work fine.
First, you need to do a factory reset (also called memory clean) of your Vizio smart TV. This video explains very well how to reset a Vizio TV.
Steps:
- Turn TV ON
- Press and hold the VOLUME DOWN button and the INPUT button at the same time for few seconds
- Instructions will show on TV screen to press and hold th INPUT button for few seconds
- The TV will reset
- After the reset, plug in a USB keyboard on the TV (it will be your remote)
- Setup your WiFi network with password
- Done
If it is still not working, go to the next step.
Download a different remote app on your Phone (IR blaster method)
IR blaster method because it uses Infrared.
You can try downloading a different remote app on your phone. These free apps also allow you to control your smart TV without the official TV remote.
How to connect Vizio smart TV to Wifi with IR Blaster method:
-
- Download a popular remote app from the app store. (for example: “Universal Remote Control” from Lean Remote has +5 Millions downloads with 4,4 star rating)
- Launch the app
- Select “IR remote” if your smartphone has infrared built-in
- If IR doesn’t work, select “smart remote”
- The TV will show a connection code. Enter it on your smartphone
- You can now remote control your TV with your phone
- Setup and connect your TV to the WiFi network
The drawbacks of free apps are the ads. This is why i recommend the app option only as a short term solution because video ads can become annoying. Replace your old remote and buy this new one on Amazon.
Remote apps work with any TV brands. But if none of the above worked, then you have few more options left.
Replace your lost or broken Vizio remote
A good alternative is to simply replace your Vizio Remote.
If you broke your remote, lost it or bought it in a second hand store, then you can buy a new Vizio remote.
The good news is Vizio TV remotes are infrared and work with any Vizio TVs.
An official Vizio remote is cheap, you can buy it on Amazon
Buy or use a universal remote
If you don’t find an official Vizio TV remote or if you already have a universal remote at home, you can simply use it to connect your Vizio smart TV to Wifi.
A universal remote is also cheap, you can get one of these on Amazon.
Follow these steps to get the internet connection:
- Make sure your internet is ON
- Turn ON the Vizio TV
- Set up the universal remote following the instructions
- Select MENU / NETWORK.
- Your Vizio TV will scan available WiFi networks
- Select your Wifi network and enter password
The universal remote will control your TV.
Wrapping it up
If you want to connect your Vizio TV to Wifi but don’t have a remote, the easiest way is to download the free official Vizio TV mobile App on your phone and use it as a new remote to setup the Wifi connection.
Follow these fast steps:
- Download the official called “Vizio SmartCast Mobile app” from the app store or play store.
- Tap on “Select Device” on the screen, then select “Get Started”
- Select your TV
- Enter in the App the pin code that appear on your TV
- Use your phone as a remote to setup the WiFi connection
If it doesn’t work, you can try one of the following:
- Connect an Ethernet cable between router and Vizio TV
- Connect USB keyboard to Vizio TV
- Download a different remote app on your Phone (IR blaster method)
- Replace your lost or broken Vizio remote
- Buy a universal remote
Downloading an app or plug an Ethernet cable can be fast and easy solutions to connect Wifi.
Additionally, if you need a longer term solution to control your Vizio TV, it is best to buy a new remote. It is more convenient, confortable to use and the price is affordable.
