No, your house is not haunted. A TV that turns on or off by itself typically isn't broken. Indeed, the causes that cause this malfunction are very easy to recognize, often overlooked when frantically looking for a solution. Some of the common causes for both smart and dumb TVs are:
- The power button stuck on the remote control
- Low batteries in the remote control
- An internal timer that has been accidentally configured to turn on the TV at a certain time
- A connected device such as a router, network device, or USB wireless LAN adapter that is causing the problem with the TV
- An internal HDMI or CEC setting is turning on the TV
There are many different versions of TVs, depending on the type, brand, etc. Most of the time, a TV that turns on or off is enough to fix one of these generic solutions, regardless of type or brand.
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How to fix a TV that turns on by itself
Make sure the power button is not stuck or sticking to the remote. In that case, you can disassemble the remote control to perform a good cleaning.
Check the batteries in the remote control. A dead battery in the remote control can cause the TV to send random signals, resulting in the power being turned on. Replace the remote control batteries to see if this solves the problem.
Look for an internal timer. On most TVs, it's easy to find timers in the remote's Settings section. Locate the timer on your Samsung Smart TV simply by using the remote control.
Sony TVs are known to turn on by themselves due to the on timer. For all other Sony TV models, press the button Home on the remote control, then select Settings > Pref Renze > Clock / Timer > timer > Off.
Vizio TVs come standard with a sleep timer to automatically turn off the TV instead of turning it on.
Check any connected devices or cables for malfunction. Unplug a device from the TV and leave it unplugged overnight. Keep disconnecting connected devices until the TV stops turning on by itself. Once the culprit is found, you may need to purchase a new cable or device, depending on your needs.
Check the CEC or HDMI settings on the TV. During service provider updates, TVs can turn on again to apply the newly updated software.
You can also disable HDMI CEC on your Samsung TV, Vizio TV or control Bravia Sync on Sony Android TV, which is known to cause the TV to turn on or off when an HDMI device is turned on or off.
Reset the TV to factory settings. If you find that nothing works, you can try resetting the TV to its original settings. Again, this process is different for all TV brands, but both Samsung, Vizio, Sony have easy to follow reset instructions.
Sony's Android TVs are reset via the Settings menu, while all other Sony TV models use a specific button sequence on the remote control.
Restoring the TV to factory settings will remove all customized settings from memory. To remember specific settings, make notes so that you can put them back into the TV after the reset.
Contact customer support. If a hard reset doesn't work, it's time to contact customer support. You can find the necessary support numbers online for your specific TV brand. For Samsung, call 800 726 7864 or chat with online support. For Vizio, contact support, to contact Sony call +39 0269682104 here to contact Sony support and here to contact LG.
