Just bought a new Vizio TV but can’t seem to find the remote? Not to worry – you can still easily connect to Wi-Fi by using the free Vizio SmartCast app. This article will walk you through the entire Wi-Fi set up process without needing a remote at all.
Introduction to Setting Up Your Vizio TV Without a Remote
Opening up a brand new television only to find you’ve misplaced the remote or it didn’t even come with one can really put a damper on your unpacking experience. How are you supposed to tune to the right inputs or connect to the internet to start streaming if you can’t navigate through all the on-screen menus?
Fortunately, there’s an simple solution – the official SmartCast Mobile app from Vizio.
The free SmartCast app essentially turns your Android or iOS phone or tablet into a remote control with full functionality. Beyond just changing channels and volume, it also allows you to tap into built-in Chromecast or AirPlay compatibility to get your new Vizio TV hooked up with Wi-Fi and ready to stream shows or mirror content in no time.
It just takes downloading the SmartCast app to your mobile device, connecting to your Vizio television through the casting function, and using the app interface to walk through selecting a Wi-Fi network and entering your wireless password.
While the first setup process varies across the many 4K Vizio models ranging from the entry-level V-series to the premium P-Series Quantum X that come SmartCast-enabled, the general concept is the same.
As long as you have the app and can get your phone synced to your TV, you can get Wi-Fi access configured completely remotely.
What You’ll Need Before Getting Started
Before jumping into the setup process, you should make sure you have a compatible television model and mobile device on hand, as well as your Wi-Fi login details. Necessary pre-requisites include:
- A 2016 or newer Vizio Smart TV – The SmartCast software first launched in 2016, so your TV will need to be a model released that year or later. This includes most HD, 4K, and 8K LED and OLED offerings. Refer to Vizio’s website for a full compatibility list.
- An Android or iOS mobile device – You’ll need a phone or tablet running Android 5.0 and higher or iOS 11 and higher. Popular choices include any iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel or other common models.
- Your Wi-Fi network name and password – Have your exact SSID Wi-Fi name handy as well as your current Wi-Fi password in order to connect your Vizio television to the internet.Note down this information somewhere convenient as you’ll need to input it during the setup process through the SmartCast app.
As long as you have all of those key items covered, you should be good to go. Now let’s look at downloading the Vizio SmartCast Mobile app and enabling casting abilities.
Step 1: Download Vizio’s SmartCast App
Your first move is to get Vizio’s official app on your mobile device – this is what will allow you to use your phone or tablet as a remote control replacement.
Vizio SmartCast Mobile is available for free on both the App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android.
To get the app from the App Store on an iPhone or iPad:
- Open the App Store from your home screen or application drawer
- Tap into the Search field at the bottom and type in “Vizio SmartCast”
- Select the “Vizio SmartCast Mobile” from the list of results
- Tap “Get” button to download and install the app
If setting up with an Android device, a similar process is followed on the Google Play Store:
- Launch the Play Store app
- Search for “Vizio SmartCast Mobile” using the search bar
- Tap on the “Vizio SmartCast Mobile” app listing
- Select “Install” button to get it onto your device
With the app now downloaded to your phone or tablet, we can move onto the next steps of enabling casting and getting your devices paired up.
Step 2: Enable Casting Abilities on Your Vizio TV
Once your physical Vizio television itself is powered on, we need to jump into the settings and enable casting functionality. This allows the TV to start listening and waiting for connections from wireless devices like your smartphone.
The naming varies a bit across models – it might be listed as Cast, Wi-Fi Direct, Chromecast built-in, AirPlay, or SmartCast across different generations of Vizio sets.
Regardless of the exact terminology used, look for the pairing functions baked directly into the TV’s menus:
On most sets, the below paths should enable casting so your mobile device can connect:
- Settings > System > AirPlay > Turn On
- Settings > System > Cast > Turn On
- Settings > System > Wi-Fi Direct > Turn On
Enabling one of those settings will have your Vizio TV ready to detect the SmartCast app.
Note: Older devices like tablets may need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the Vizio TV first before being able to initiate casting. If you don’t see your TV show up as an available option in the next step, try temporarily connecting the mobile device to the same local network.
Next up, we can get to pairing up the two devices over the local network.
Step 3: Connect Your Mobile Device to the Vizio TV
With the SmartCast app downloaded and the TV primed for connections, now it’s time to sync them up.
The process involves:
- Opening up the Vizio SmartCast app on your connected phone or tablet
- Tapping on the “Cast to TV” function within the app
- Selecting the name of your Vizio television from the target device list
After a few seconds of handshaking you should see confirmation that your mobile has now been paired with the TV set.
Here is a quick play-by-play of how simple casting to the TV looks:
- Launch SmartCast app on your mobile device
- Tap the Cast icon  in upper right corner
- Under “Cast to” menu, select your Vizio TV listing
- Wait for connection confirmation on both devices!
Now that the hardware is linked up through the casting functionality, we can focus on getting your wireless internet connected.
Step 4: Connect Your Vizio TV to Wi-Fi
While there are a couple ways to access the available Wi-Fi networks using the SmartCast app, the most direct is through the dedicated TV settings section.
Here is an outline of getting from the app homepage over to the network settings:
- Open SmartCast app and ensure phone/tablet is connected to Vizio TV
- Tap on the “Settings” icon from app home screen
- Select “Network” then tap “Available Networks” menu option
- Choose your desired Wi-Fi SSID to initiate connection
You’ll then be prompted to input your network security key or Wi-Fi password in order to finalize access.
Carefully type in the correct password using the app’s on-screen keyboard. Remember that Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive.
Give it a few moments for the connection to take hold. If configured properly, you should see your Wi-Fi network name displayed on the TV as confirmation you’re now internet connected!
To further test, try loading a web page or streaming content source. If the content loads without issue, you have successfully gotten your Vizio TV linked up with Wi-Fi completely through the SmartCast app.
What To Do If You Have Connectivity Issues
In most cases following the above step-by-step guidance yields a nice, stable internet connection over Wi-Fi for your Vizio television.
However, there are times you may run into difficultly getting the TV to link up properly depending on your wireless network setup and environment.
Here are some common problems and fixes if your connection attempt through the SmartCast app isn’t smooth and seamless:
You input the Wi-Fi password incorrectly – Double and triple check the password you entered on the app interface matches precisely what you use to connect other devices. Remember, Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive. Re-enter it slowly and carefully if connectivity fails on the first try.
Need to power cycle devices – If the Vizio TV has trouble solidifying the Wi-Fi connection after putting in the password correctly, try power cycling the TV itself as well as your wireless router. Unplug both for 30 seconds to reboot the devices then attempt the Wi-Fi process again.
Casting isn’t fully enabled on Vizio TV – Ensure under your TV settings that the Cast, Chromecast built-in, AirPlay or SmartCast options are all completely powered on. If these are disabled or intermittent, your mobile device will have issues linking up. Double check they are consistently on.
Wi-Fi network band issues – Occasionally there may be conflicts if the Vizio TV’s Wi-Fi chipset doesn’t match up well with a dual band router’s 2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz network. Try adjusting settings so both the television and the device running SmartCast only utilize the same band.
Reinstall/re-pair SmartCast app – As part of the reboot process, also consider uninstalling the SmartCast app completely then redownloading and casting to the TV fresh. Wipe out any existing pairings to start anew.
Following those tips should help overcome the most typical hurdles in using a Vizio SmartCast app to beam Wi-Fi credentials from a phone or tablet over to the television.
Getting Further Assistance Connecting Vizio TV to Wi-Fi
Still struggling to get your Vizio device hooked up with Wi-Fi after trying the app and the above troubleshooting?
As a last resort, you can reach out directly to Vizio customer support either via phone or Twitter messaging. Their technical team may be able to isolate exactly what network or configuration issues are preventing connectivity.
Lastly, for cases of lost mobile devices or Wi-Fi passwords, you may need to reset the television entirely to factory defaults using the small pinhole reset button on the TV itself. Just be aware this will wipe out ALL existing settings – streaming logins, input naming, picture adjustments, etc – so should only be done as an absolute final option.
Summary: How to Setup Vizio TV Wi-Fi Using Just SmartCast App
While losing your new TV remote can initially be a panicky feeling, hopefully this guide provided some reassurance that connecting your Vizio to Wi-Fi can still be handled without that traditional controller.
If you followed the step-by-step directions using the free SmartCast mobile app effectively your Android or iPhone device became a handy television remote able to access settings and configure wireless internet.
To recap the main aspects for getting up and running without a remote:
- Download and install Vizio SmartCast app to your phone/tablet
- Enable casting features on your Vizio television under Settings
- Connect your mobile device to TV via the casting/Airplay function
- Select your Wi-Fi, enter password on your phone to share access
- Confirm internet connection on Vizio TV!
“Now you can take full advantage of all your favorite streaming apps and features displayed directly on the big screen. So never stress about lost remotes preventing you from getting your new Vizio set configured correctly ever again! If you encounter any issues, you can always restart your Vizio TV to reset it.“
Rockies Ripple is the founder and lead writer behind the independent blog tvplutos.com