A lot of people are having problems connecting the Sony BDP-BX57 and BDP-S570 Blu-ray disc players to the Internet via Wi-Fi with encryption enabled (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.). I ran into this as well, but eventually got it working with a pretty easy fix. So, don’t return yours to Costco or BestBuy just yet.
To make sure your connection problem isn’t a configuration error, be sure that your SSID in the player’s wireless network configuration matches the one in your wireless router (properly entered upper- and lowercase letters, if any). It’s a good idea to turn off all wireless encryption to verify that the Blu-ray player connects via Wi-Fi without it and that video or music streams properly over the network.
Finally, verify that your Blu-ray player’s firmware is up to date. Some earlier network problems were the result of firmware bugs and you want to make sure that you’re not suffering from one of those problems. The current version, at the time of this post, is M04.R.735. To find the firmware version in your disc player, do the following:
- From the player’s main menu, scroll all the way to the left to Setup.
- Select System Settings, then System Information at the bottom.
- The firmware version appears near the top of the screen.
If your firmware is older than M04.R.735, update it before continuing on. I’ll wait right here.
All set to continue? Good. If you updated the firmware, double check that unencrypted wireless is still working. Now, re-enable encryption in the wireless router, set the corresponding encryption mode in the player (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.) and enter the correct encryption key. At this point, if you’re encountering the problem, having enabled encryption will result in a good wireless connection, but no Internet access. The player’s green Wi-Fi LED on the front of the device will be on, but the IP address will start with 169 instead of the usual 172 or 192.
It seems that firmware changes can introduce problems with the network configuration information or other related data in the system. As a result, encryption over the wireless doesn’t work properly. To fix this, do the following:
- In the player’s menu, scroll all the way to the left to Setup.
- Scroll to the bottom and select Resetting.
- Select Reset to Factory Default Settings. Don’t worry, it won’t reset just yet.
- Select Network Settings to wipe out all the network configuration data.
- Re-enter the wireless network settings that you did before. (I know, it’s a pain.)
That’s it. It should connect to the wireless and to the Internet now. Wiping the old network data and re-entering it removes whatever was causing the wireless not to properly encrypt the network communication. If, for some reason, resetting just the Network Settings isn’t enough, you can opt to reset everything. It’s the last reset item in the menu.
Did it work for you? Do you have a different model Sony Blu-ray player or even a different brand with a similar problem and found a fix? Post your experiences in the comments.
I just inherited the BX57 from a friend that never tried to connect it to the internet.
I would like to thank the original writer for such a great detailed description of the activities. Based upon that, I have upgraded the firmware, turned the unit off a couple of times and unplugged. I am using uverse gateway router with att. Connected to both a sony and a sharp television.
I cannot connect. The wifi light is lit, it says I am connected, but I am still getting the 169 ip address. I have completely reset everything. Re-entered the network information, and there is no change.
I am willing to try anything. I don’t believe putting in all of the dns information is the best thing but I supposed I could try to find the primary and secondary information if required. But dhcp is much more friendly and I can’t understand why it can’t get a proper ip address.
any additional thoughts will be most appreciated.
My profound apologies. I finally rebooted by gateway router which I rarely do since it is my telephone, tv, and internet. But now I am connected and all is great. I am sorry I didn’t get that last detail.
The key is to upgrade, clear the network settings on the bluray, bounce the router while the bluray is turned off and unplugged. Then turn the bluray back on and setup the network settings as you probably did about 30 times before and voile!
Thanks again.
Hi Peter,
I have having the problem with BD S-570 and it does not connect to my WiFi now. I bought it last December and was working fine with my WiFi network and I was able to go into NetFlix, YouTube, Sony Picture and so on. But it stopped from last week. I tried re-set to factory default but no dice. The Firmware is showing M04.R.787 and security is WPA/WPA2-PSK on my network. My laptop and my WiFi enabled phone does work right beside the Sony S570. It seems S570 signal strength is fluctuating from 0% to 62% when I display the Internet Status. I was able to get connected if i use a wired connection. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
@Nasim: Since your signal strength is fluctuating a lot and the Blu-ray player doesn’t tolerate distance very well, you can try either relocating your wireless router to a spot closer to the Blu-ray player or use a different Wi-Fi channel on the router. Someone may have upgraded their wireless and is running on the same channel as you are or another nearby device could be interfering with your signal. I have an app on my phone that shows what wireless access points are nearby and which channel they’re using. It helps to choose a completely unoccupied channel or at least one that has a weak signal so that it doesn’t clobber mine.
I have the BDP-S570. I connect fine wirelessly. However, I continually get “network down” or “network error” in the middle of streaming video online, to either Crackle or Netflix. I did have an older router, and struggled with it a lot thinking the router was the issue. I finally recently bought a newer N-band router thinking my problems would be over. My relief was not to be. I still have the same issues, and now my unit is out of warranty. I believe the whole business with my problems and everyone else’s is faulty network adapters installed. How can a remedy be found now? If there is none, I’ll stay away from Sony products in the future. I bought Sony in the first place due to their reputation. And it was that reputation that caused me to spend so much time troubleshooting my network. My network was fine all along, and it was the player that is messed up.
@Robert: An N-band router is beneficial if all devices connecting to it are using N. Otherwise, the router has to switch down to the lowest common protocol in use. Do you have the same problem with a wired connection? I’ve found that the player’s Wi-Fi antenna isn’t as sensitive as that in a laptop or phone. As a result, the player may need to be closer than other devices in order to get sufficient throughput. Ultimately, a wired connection is best for streaming video and, even though mine works fine, I plan to move my cable modem and router so that I can directly connect both my Blu-ray player and TV via Ethernet cables.
Thanks Peter. I ended up re-setting my router and change the security key and others and finally S570 decided to response. I believe I was using channel 9. Anyway it’s working fine for last two days but I think I will try to use a wired connection in future as the signal strength still no so good. Thanks for your help.
I think the wireless card in the unit, and who knows maybe it will not work with the final N spec.
If you are trying to use the Wireless N this could be a issue. I cannot get a good connection with Netflix. Movies always reload and play reload and play. However when I use Amazon the movie plays with out an issue. and I use wireless G and I use Google DNS servers. My apple pro can connection just fine Use N. but I do see less signal power from N. Moreover Wireless N has more interference than Wireless G.
Thanks for the tip about restoring factory settings – completely fixed my problem. Sony couldn’t help me with my problem after approximately 3 hours of inept tech support.
@Denise: Thanks for the feedback. Glad it took care of your player too.
I’ve had this unit for over a year and have never had a problem with it until a month or so ago. It just stopped connecting to the wireless network. I reset the network settings, and that didn’t do anything. I’ve ALWAYS had my router set to accept MAC addresses only (and the unit still worked without my entering it). However, I just now tried adding the MAC address in my router, and it connected immediately.
Wouldn’t connect ot the Internet out of the box, but your tip about reseting to factory defaults fixed it first time. Great tip that I hadn’t seen elsewhere, including Amazon and Sony sites. I printed out this page to put with my owner’s manual. I had to laugh about your returning to Costco line because that would have been my next step.
Will this work for the new Sony BX-58? I’m tempted to try a network reset, because I have repeatedly re-entered the information and it still shows wireless OK, internet access failed.
@Carol: Unless the firmware in the BX-58 has changed considerably, I believe there’s a high probability that it’ll work in a similar fashion. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.
The problem I’m having is that sometimes I turn on my Bluray player and there’s no internet connection. A lot of times I have to restore all settings in order for it to work, and yet I also still have to wait for everyting to start working – like sometimes hours! I don’t understand it. Anyways, It’s working at the moment. When I first set this Blueray player up, it was working fine, until i installed the update for the player, then nothing would work. After resetting to factory settings, it once again started working. Sony was absolutely no help on this issue, and I had to figure this out for myself.
I have the BDP 570 which has worked well until today. As with others, I have a good wireless and wired connection, but now cannot connect to the internet. I had to reboot my router yesterday so I think this may have caused the problem but I have tried resetting the factory defaults and inserting the configurations suggested @26 above without success.
I noticed that when I do auto setup, the IP address starts with 169 – could that be the problem?
Any suggestions?
@Marcia: Generally, resetting to factory settings after a firmware update is the way to ensure that networking continues to work properly.
@Paul: If the first few digits of the player doesn’t match your router then, yes, that is cause of the connectivity problem. It’s not able to get an IP address from the router. Try powering off the player and unplugging it for a couple of minutes. Then, start it up and see if it properly acquires a new IP address from your router.
@Peter: Thanks for your reply but I’m afraid that hasn’t worked. Any other ideas?
@Paul: OK, if your player can’t get an IP address, verify that your router has DHCP services enabled. If it doesn’t, then it needs to be turned on. If that still doesn’t fix it, you can try manually assigning an IP address to the player. For example, if your network uses IPs in the range of 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.254, then choose one (e.g., 192.168.1.222) and set it into the player. Just be sure that you don’t choose an IP address that’s within the range of IPs that the router assigns for DHCP. Usually, routers will reserve the first 10, 20 or so IP addresses for DHCP. That info should be in the DHCP setup.
@Peter: I tried to manually enter my router’s IP address (and all of the other settings required – IP subnet mask, default gateway etc) but the player wouldn’t accept the settings.
My router’s IP address was 192.168.0.1 and, after playing around with the settings, I noticed that the player doesn’t seem to recognise an IP address with a “0” in it. So, I changed my router’s IP address and now have internet access!
Many thanks for your help with this, I certainly wouldn’t have cracked the problem without it!
Because i like to share the fix for me:
specs: sony BDP S280:
Problem: wired connection ok –> internet: no connection
pop up: cannot connect to gateway..
Fix: I downloaded through my pc the latest firmware “M06.R.0579” within(orginal firmware was on it when bought)
Burned it on a DVD (had no CD-R) and update the BDP
Now i have internet on my BDP-S280!
I hope it will help others! (European version)
@Koen: Thanks for sharing your solution for the European version of the player.
Can anyone help? Every time I turn on my bdp-s570 it says “a network update is available” but when I try to update it I get “dns server not responding”. I can go on youtube and watch videos so I must be getting a connection. I have a wi-fi connection.
Help! I have a BDP S380 and a BDP S185. My entire house is wired for ethernet. The cable modem is in the basement. It goes from the modem to a router. From the router it goes out to all rooms in the house. IF I hook up my laptop to the network it is fine. If I hook a laptop to the network in another room and have two devices on the network it is fine. If I try and hook up my Sony BDP S380 or my BDP s185 they do not work. If I unhook the laptops the Blu ray player will hook to the network. If I unhook the blu ray player the laptops will hook to the network but I can’t have both on the network at the same time. Any ideas?? And no I don’t want to use wireless.