Without SmartCast, a Vizio TV would not have much to offer. Therefore, you know imagine how frustrated I was when I sat down to binge my favorite show and realized SmartCast wasn’t working on my Vizio TV.
If you cannot get SmartCast to work on your Vizio TV, refresh the SmartCast Home application, reboot your TV, ensure you have a proper network connection, or power cycle your Vizio TV, router, and modem. In extreme cases, you may need to perform a factory reset of the Vizio system, contact Vizio support, or see if your issue is protected under an active warranty.
This article will provide more details on these suggestions, in case you find yourself in a similar situation of SmartCast not working on your Vizio TV.
Troubleshooting Vizio SmartCast Not Working
1. Refresh SmartCast Home
If SmartCast is not working on your Vizio TV, consider refreshing SmartCast Home. SmartCast Home is the user interface for SmartCast. If there are issues with the user interface, SmartCast will not work on your Vizio TV.
A refresh of the interface can often solve and issues you may be experiencing.
To refresh the SmartCast Home application:
- Switch the Vizio TV to SmartCast input
- Open the TV Menu
- Open Systems
- Change the language to something besides English
- Allow SmartCast Home to load
- Once it loads, repeat the steps above and re-set the language to English
This should address any issues with SmartCast and allow it to work on your Vizio TV.
2. Reboot the Vizio TV
If SmartCast is not working on your Vizio TV, consider rebooting the TV. A simple restart of the system can address minor problems within the TV.
To completely restart your Vizio TV:
- Turn off the TV with the remote
- Unplug the TV from the power source
- Wait at least 30 seconds
- Turn the TV back on
This will completely restart your Vizio TV. Once it has restarted, try again to use SmartCast features.
3. Check Your TV Internet Connection
In order for a Vizio TV and its applications to work, it must have a strong internet connection.
Issues with applications on your Vizio TV, such as SmartCast, may be due to an unstable internet connection. You can check the stability of your network connection on your Vizio TV.
To check the strength of your internet connection on your Vizio TV:
- Press the menu button on your Vizio remote
- Select Network
- Select OK
- Select Test Connection/Network Test
- Select OK
The Vizio TV will display the download speed which will indicate the strength of your wireless connection. I had a similar issue with my Samsung TV not connecting to Wi-Fi.
4. Power Cycle the TV
If SmartCast is not working on your Vizio TV, you may power cycle your Vizio TV. There are two ways to power cycle your Vizio TV: a soft power cycle and a hard power cycle.
To run a soft power cycle on your Vizio TV:
- Using the Vizio TV remote, select Menu
- Select System
- Select Reset & Admin
- Select Soft Power Cycle
A soft power cycle is initiated because a command to power down is given to the systems CPU.
A hard power cycle, however, is when the system is rebooted by disconnecting it from all power sources and restarting it that way. A hard power cycle will take the system back to start-up stage it would experience as if it were being turned on for the first time.
To run a hard power cycle on your Vizio TV:
- Turn off the Vizio TV by pressing the power button, normally found on the side or back of the Vizio TV
- Unplug the Vizio TV from its power source
- Press the Vizio TV’s power button for 30 seconds while the TV is unplugged
- Plug the Vizio TV back in
- Press the Tv’s power button once again for 30 seconds
- Wait for the SmartCast application to appear and see if it works properly
A hard power cycle removes any leftover power that may be stored in your television that could cause SmartCast to not be working.
5. Power Cycle Router/Modem
Power cycle your router or modem if SmartCast still will not work on your Vizio TV. Power cycling a router or modem is similar to power cycling your TV.
A power cycle of the router can address any issues causing SmartCast to not work.
To power cycle your router, press the power button until it rapidly blinks and eventually shuts off. Once it has been off for 30 seconds, turn it back on. You can also try a hard power cycle on the router by unplugging it from the power source, waiting 60 seconds, and plugging it back it.
It will take a few minutes for the router to establish Wi-Fi connection once being shut off, during this time the router may show a blinking red light. Similarly, you can complete these same steps on your modem.
If your router and modem are working but SmartCast is not, consider moving the router closer to the Vizio TV or purchasing a Wi-Fi extender.
6. Factory Reset the TV
Experts at Vizio recommend a factory reset of the Vizio TV if SmartCast is still not working after refreshing the application and rebooting the TV.
A factory reset completely erases all of your previously selected display settings and any formerly installed applications will be erased as well. You will also be logged out of any known accounts, so be prepared to re-enter all this information if you perform a factory reset on your Vizio TV.
To perform a factory reset on your Vizio TV, follow these instructions:
- Select the menu button on the Vizio remote
- Select Reset & Admin
- Select Reset to Factory Settings
- Confirm the Reset
- Allow the TV to restart. This may take a few minutes
- Complete the set-up process again
- Check to see if SmartCast features are now functioning as intended
7. Refresh Network DHCP Settings
If SmartCast is not working on your Vizio TV, you may need to refresh the network DHCP settings.
DHCP settings are what allows a device to automatically assign an IP address that allows the system to communicate with other IP addresses. DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and is essentially what connects the router and the Vizio TV.
If the network DHCP settings are disabled, the Vizio TV may be unable to identify the network’s IP address that is being assigned. In some cases, the DHCP module can be lost, causing the SmartCast feature to be unresponsive.
If your Vizio TV is not receiving an IP address, it won’t function properly.
Therefore, the Vizio TV won’t be connected to Wi-Fi, and SmartCast will not be working.
If you check your network settings and notice that the DHCP settings are turned off on the Vizio TV, you will want to turn them back on immediately.
To turn the DHCP settings back on:
- Open the menu button on the Vizio remote
- Select network
- Select Manual or Advance
- Select DHCP
- Select On
Try to reconnect to Wi-Fi and see if SmartCast is not working for you.
To update your DHCP network settings:
- Turn off the Vizio TV
- Open an internet browser
- Type in your IP address, gateway, and domain name server into the URL bar if applicable
- If step 3 is unapplicable, type in http://192.168.X.X (X=last two digits of your IP address) into the URL bar
- Enter your user credentials
- Open Settings
- Select the DHCP tab*
- If DHCP is enabled and still fails to work, turn it off and then back on
- Save your settings and exit
- Re-attempt to use SmartCast on your Vizio TV
*The DHCP tab can usually be found under Advanced, Network Settings, or Local Network Settings when you are searching in the router’s firmware settings. The DHCP settings can normally be found in the same place as the wireless section of your router’s configuration page.
8. Update Your Vizio TV’s Firmware
Vizio often releases software updates, and although they normally happen automatically, you may need to update your Vizio TV’s firmware if SmartCast is not working.
If your Vizio TV is running an older version of SmartCast, it could be the reason it isn’t working on your Vizio TV.
To check and update your TV’s firmware:
- Select menu on the Vizio TV remote
- Select System
- Select Check for Updates
- The Vizio TV will automatically search available updates and begin installing them if applicable
- Once the update installs, turn the Vizio TV off and on again
If your SmartCast is not working because it needed an update, updating the Vizio TV’s firmware should resolve this issue.
9. Contact Vizio Support
Vizio Support is a great resource if despite all these attempts, you still are unable to get SmartCast to work on your Vizio TV.
Be prepared to give your Vizio TV model information to Vizio Support so they can best assist you.
Vizio Support has a variety of articles and guides available online at www.support.vizio.com.
If you wish to speak to a Vizio Support customer service representative, call an agent at (855) 472-8817.
10. Vizio Warranty
Another option is to check if your Vizio is still under an active warranty.
If your Vizio is under an active warranty, you can file a claim to Vizio for a replacement system or a repair. You will need to describe the issues to Vizio and they will decide whether or not the problems are covered under warranty.
It could be worth a shot if you have a warranty on your Vizio TV and cannot get SmartCast to work, especially because Vizio offers in-home services
Vizio TV Connected To Wi-Fi But Apps Don’t Work
If your Vizio TV is connected to Wi-Fi but none of your applications are working, it could be because your router has custom DNS addresses that are not registered on your Vizio. If you need to add apps without the Vizio V button, there is a solution for that too.
On a web browser, pull up your router configuration. Then, go into the manual set up on your Vizio TV and ensure that Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Pref. DNS and Alt. DNS all match up with what your router is programmed to use.
Double-check that your router configurations match the configurations set up in your TV. Update them if necessary, and then try launching your apps.
Additionally, you can manually check that the TV’s DHCP is set to on, as mentioned above.
You may also want to try uninstalling and reinstalling the SmartCast application on your Vizio TV. If this doesn’t work, try a soft power cycle of the TV and ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi.
Why Can’t I Get SmartCast On My Vizio TV
If you are unable to get SmartCast on your Vizio TV, Vizio Support suggests that you:
- Ensure your Vizio TV is connected to your wireless network. Go to the Network Menu and Select Test Connection
- Refresh the SmartCast application
- If steps 1 and 2 do not work, perform a factory reset on your Vizio TV
Conclusion
If you are not able to get SmartCast to work on your Vizio TV, ensure you have covered the basics; there is a stable Wi-Fi connection, the system is updated, and you’ve rebooted the system.
If none of these fixes resolve the issue, consider performing a power cycle on the Vizio TV, your router, or modem. Ensure all network setting configurations are the same on your Vizio as they are on your router.
If you still are having trouble, consider contacting Vizio Support online of by phone. Additionally, if your Vizio is under an activity warranty, you may be eligible for a replacement or in-home service.
