[Quixote]

At one time our Blu-ray player with Internet capability was able to pick up the wireless signal from our CenturyLink (DSL) modem so that we were able to connect to stream wirelessly, for example, Netflix or YouTube.. One day it stopped working. Sony actually replaced the Blu-ray player, thinking that that was the issue, but it was not.
The Blu-ray player connected to the 'external' television recognizes the home network yet is unable to connect to it. We've tried a number of ways to get it to reconnect, to no avail. Can anyone recommend a tech expert who can help us get this working again. Please post contact information publicly, for the benefit of other Villagers who may be having the same issue. Many thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

[retiredguy123]

Here is something from Sony support that you can try.

Unable to access Internet apps on the Blu-ray Disc player. | Sony USA

Another suggestion is to connect the blu-ray player directly to the modem/router with an ethernet cable to see if you get a connection.

But, if you are just doing streaming (no DVD), the easiest way to solve your problem is to buy a Roku stick for about $50 and plug it into your television. You could still use the blu-ray player to play discs.

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by Quixote

At one time our Blu-ray player with Internet capability was able to pick up the wireless signal from our CenturyLink (DSL) modem so that we were able to connect to stream wirelessly, for example, Netflix or YouTube.. One day it stopped working. Sony actually replaced the Blu-ray player, thinking that that was the issue, but it was not.
The Blu-ray player connected to the 'external' television recognizes the home network yet is unable to connect to it. We've tried a number of ways to get it to reconnect, to no avail. Can anyone recommend a tech expert who can help us get this working again. Please post contact information publicly, for the benefit of other Villagers who may be having the same issue. Many thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

When you say the Blu-ray recognizes the network I am assuming you have entered the correct network password, so, was there a setting change on the home network that disabled either the 2.4 or 5.0 ghz and that is the one the blu-ray is looking for? Have you tried unplugging and completely rebooting the home network and the blu-ray?
That's it for the moment.

[retiredguy123]

I agree that you should definitely do the things in Post No. 3 before using the method in Post No. 2. But, if you got a new blu-ray player, they should have already been done. I assume you have other devices that are connected to the wifi network?

I have had several Sony blu-ray players over the years. They are not very useful for streaming because they only have a few built-in apps, the software is rarely updated, and you cannot add additional streaming apps. It would not be worth paying someone to fix it. A Roku streaming stick would be much more functional for less money. I would only keep the blu-ray player for playing discs. I use mine for playing discs and for playing music from a flash drive, but not streaming.

[Quixote]

Thanks for suggestions; I will look into them. Some points:

• Yes, other devices (tablets, cell phones) have no issue accessing the network.

• I prefer my devices that do not move around to be wired, for example, the television in the room with the modem and my desktop computer in the same room. The only reason I want to stream wirelessly is that even though the Blu-ray player isn't that far from the modem (about 15–20 feet), running a cable in the house would be really problematic.

• Though not familiar with them, it sounds like a Roku device would be the simplest solution. They simply plug into a port on the television and, once given the network password, would simply connect? And are there other brands of this same device that are recommended? ONE MORE QUESTION: If the Sony Blu-ray player can 'see' the network but is unable to connect to it, how do I know that it will do better than the streaming capabilities of a new Sony Blu-ray player?

• What's especially frustrating is that it worked perfectly for many years—and then just suddenly stopped. I discussed the issue with Sony customer support, and they provided me with a new (probably refurbished) device

Thanks again; I go back to the drawing board....

[retiredguy123]

Yes, there are other streaming devices available, but I think the Roku stick is the best. The biggest advantage of Roku over a blu-ray player is that you can search the Internet and add or update almost any streaming app you want to the device. With the blu-ray player, you are stuck with whatever apps they pre-installed on the device, and they rarely offer software updates. Today, there are hundreds of streaming apps. Once you set up the Roku, it should stay connected to your wifi network.

[ensurconnect@gmail.com]

I agree with Villagetinker. Your WiFi network is most commonly on two different frequencies. 2.4Ghz which has been around for a long time and was prevalent in older devices. 5Ghz bandwidth is in newer devices with 2.4Ghz capability also. An older device also used an older wireless standard called 802.11g or you will hear G wireless. The newer devices have capability of newer wireless standards, namely 802.11n and 802.11ac. Both are backwards compatible with 802.11g.

Another setting is the encryption protocol which you will see most often as WPA, WPA/WPA2 or just WPA2. Along with that is the encryption key either AES or TKIP. AES is built into the hardware and TKIP is using siftware.

Really old devices only had WPA which is now deprecated (aka not used anymore). TKIP is also only used for compatibility.

The standard is to see WPA2 encryption with an AES encryption key.

If you can see your wireless network, but cannot connect, I would check on the blu-ray player in network settings and if you find WPA, change it to WPA2 if the device is new enough to have that setting. Also, choose AES encryption key over TKIP, but if your device does not have AES setting, you can use TKIP even though it is not as secure.

Most routers from Xfinity, AT&T, etc. have all wireless protocols (ie 802.11b,g,n,ac) enabled by default. They also default to enable both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bandwidth frequencies.

However, The encryption protocol for WPA is usually not enabled on a new router since it is very old. Also, AES will be the encryption key on the router by default.

Check that your settings match. Sorry for the long post, but I try to give complete answers to why something might be happening. Rarely, is it a hardware issue.

[retiredguy123]

I have two Sony blu-ray players, and the "network connection status security" setting is " WPA/WPA2-PSK" and does not appear to be changeable. But, since the blu-ray player worked for years before it didn't, and a replacement player also didn't work, and apparently, the OP didn't replace the router, I think the issue is with the wifi network, not the player. The Sony support instruction in Post No. 2 is their recommendation to fix the issue that other customers have also had.

But, the fact is that Sony blu-ray players are primarily designed to play discs. Their usefulness as a streaming device is not comparable to modern streaming devices because they don't allow you to add or update any streaming apps you are using. So, if you are using an app that requires a software update, you can't do it. Not good.

[Rzepecki]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Yes, there are other streaming devices available, but I think the Roku stick is the best. The biggest advantage of Roku over a blu-ray player is that you can search the Internet and add or update almost any streaming app you want to the device. With the blu-ray player, you are stuck with whatever apps they pre-installed on the device, and they rarely offer software updates. Today, there are hundreds of streaming apps. Once you set up the Roku, it should stay connected to your wifi network.

Sometimes the Roku will lose its connection to the internet, but unplug it for a few seconds, then plug it in again and you’re ready to go.

[John The Village Geek]

Originally Posted by Quixote

At one time our Blu-ray player with Internet capability was able to pick up the wireless signal from our CenturyLink (DSL) modem so that we were able to connect to stream wirelessly, for example, Netflix or YouTube.. One day it stopped working. Sony actually replaced the Blu-ray player, thinking that that was the issue, but it was not.
The Blu-ray player connected to the 'external' television recognizes the home network yet is unable to connect to it. We've tried a number of ways to get it to reconnect, to no avail. Can anyone recommend a tech expert who can help us get this working again. Please post contact information publicly, for the benefit of other Villagers who may be having the same issue. Many thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

I can help

[Footer]

Or an Amazon fire stick for $25. I use it for Youtube, Netflix, HBOMax, Disney Plus, Peacock, Prime, and there are many other apps that work.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Footer

Or an Amazon fire stick for $25. I use it for Youtube, Netflix, HBOMax, Disney Plus, Peacock, Prime, and there are many other apps that work.

The issue I have with Amazon devices is that they try to block some apps that you want to install. This is true for the fire stick and their tablets.

[villagetinker]

OP, it just occurred to me that there might have been an update to the modem/router that might be causing the problem. I doubt you can reverse any updates, but as noted above you should be able to check and see if some settings changed.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

OP, it just occurred to me that there might have been an update to the modem/router that might be causing the problem. I doubt you can reverse any updates, but as noted above you should be able to check and see if some settings changed.

Reading all these great suggestions—many thanks, y'all—leads me to think that what Villagetinker says here is EXACTLY what's going on. The modem is upgraded, and the Sony Blu-ray player cannot keep up with it, so to speak, I 'think' I can answer my own question as to whether the Roku stick will fare better connecting to the network than the Blu-ray player.

The Blu-ray player can remain to play discs. Are there different Roku sticks, and if so, what should I be looking for—and where can I find the best price? I should add that we are not television watchers; we don't subscribe to any cable or satellite television. We watch primarily Prime, Netflix, YouTube, BritBox. I wouldn't think we would need anything terribly elaborate. Or am I wrong?...

Many thanks again!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Reading all these great suggestions—many thanks, y'all—leads me to think that what Villagetinker says here is EXACTLY what's going on. The modem is upgraded, and the Sony Blu-ray player cannot keep up with it, so to speak, I 'think' I can answer my own question as to whether the Roku stick will fare better connecting to the network than the Blu-ray player.

The Blu-ray player can remain to play discs. Are there different Roku sticks, and if so, what should I be looking for—and where can I find the best price? I should add that we are not television watchers; we don't subscribe to any cable or satellite television. We watch primarily Prime, Netflix, YouTube, BritBox. I wouldn't think we would need anything terribly elaborate. Or am I wrong?...

Many thanks again!

Best Buy and Amazon both have the Roku Model 3820R on sale for $29.99. It should work fine for your purpose.