Vizio TVs have a wide user base thanks to their affordability and features. Many people prefer VIZIO TVs because they have a quality picture for TVs in their price range. Although Vizio TVs have all these advantages, they also have a few shortcomings.
A common issue is that the VIZIO TV turns itself on without someone using the remote or the power button. Therefore, this article addresses why this happens and what you can do to stop it.
TOP SOLUTIONS
Troubleshoot your VIZIO TV remote – the power button might be jammed.
Some casting apps might be trying to broadcast to the TV – this will wake your VIZIO TV and make it turn on by itself. Changing your power mode from Quick Start to ECO will change the way your TV behaves when there are devices in its vicinity trying to cast to the TV’s screen.
Disable HDMI CEC – with this feature enabled, your TV will turn on when you turn on some other device connected to your TV (like a soundbar, AVR, etc.).
Restart your VIZIO TV (soft and hard restart).
Check for updates.
Factory reset your TV.
Check the Remote’s Power Button
The first possible reason why the TV turns itself on could be that the power key on the VIZIO TV remote is stuck, thus keeps sending a ‘power on’ signal to the TV.
You can remedy this by taking the batteries out of the remote and pressing and holding the power key for at least fifteen seconds. Doing this will drain the remote of any residual power.
After that, press all the keys on the remote to unstick any jammed keys, then return the batteries to the remote. However, remember to check that the power key is not stuck. You should also check the power button on the TV to ensure it is not stuck.
After ensuring all power keys are as they should be, return the batteries to the remote and observe if the TV still powers itself on.
Also, check if there are other Vizio remotes that could turn on the TV. If you have multiple Vizio TVs put them far apart to ensure signals from one remote do not register on a TV, you do not want them to.
How to Troubleshoot Your VIZIO Remote
Turn Off HDMI CEC
Another factor that could be making the TV turn itself on is the HDMI CEC settings on the Vizio TV. These settings allow you to control devices connected to the TV via HDMI with the Vizio remote. For instance, you can use the Vizio remote to power a Roku stick on or off.
However, this means that the other device’s remote can control the TV and power it on or off.
Therefore, to ensure the TV only recognizes instructions from its remote, you should disable the HDMI CEC feature on the TV since it is usually active by default.
You can do this by navigating to Menu, selecting System > CEC then disabling the feature.
This solution has worked for many Vizio TV users, so it should be among the first options to try.
Enable ECO Mode
Sometimes the TV will automatically power on when other devices or apps try to contact the TV over your home network. Vizio TVs are programmed to power on when they receive certain network commands like screen casting.
Therefore, someone on the network could be trying to cast to the TV, forcing it to power on when you want it off.
Unfortunately, there is no way to disable this feature specifically, but you can change the TV’s power mode, which will also change how the TV behaves when receiving commands that can turn it on over the network.
You can change the power mode from Quick start mode to Eco mode by following the steps below:
- Press the Menu key, then navigate to System and select Power mode.
- Highlight Eco mode, then press OK, and you are done.
Note that Eco mode is usually the default power mode on Vizio TVs; therefore, this option will work for users who have changed the power mode from its default. But you can also change to Quick start mode and then back to Eco mode even if the Tv was set to the default Eco mode.
Also, note that enabling Eco mode will interfere with the voice assistants you want to use to control the TV because the TV needs to be on Quick start mode to respond to voice commands from voice assistants appropriately.
Restart the TV
If the TV still misbehaves, consider restarting it by cutting all its power and draining any residual power. That will solve any mild software bugs that could be causing the TV to turn on by itself.
A restart will also allow the TV to refresh its system processes and hopefully get it to work normally again. Follow the procedure below to restart your TV:
To perform a soft power cycle, press Menu and navigate to System>Reset & Admin>Soft Power Cycle>Yes. That will restart the TV without cutting the power supply and will probably not work, as some processes will still run in the background even if the TV is off.
An alternative is to follow the steps below:
- Press the power button on the TV or remote to switch it off. If you use the power button on the TV, press and hold it for five seconds if you notice the TV is changing inputs or behaving differently instead of powering off.
- Unplug the TV from the power outlet and wait for at least sixty seconds before powering it back on.
Once you reconnect the TV to an outlet and power it on, check whether it is still misbehaving.
How to Perform a Hard Power Cycle on a VIZIO TV (or any other TV)
Check for a System Update
Vizio often provides firmware updates for their consumers to ensure quality service delivery and to fix emerging problems with their systems. Hence, a system update that fixes such problems and more could be available, and the TV has not been able to download and install the update automatically.
Additionally, the TV could be powering on by itself because it is trying to install an update that, for some reason, is becoming stubborn.
You can check for firmware updates by pressing the Menu key on the remote, then navigate to System > Check for updates and press OK. The television will prompt you to confirm the system update download if one is available.
How to Update a VIZIO TV
If you find an update, let the TV download, install, restart, and check if the issue persists. Should the issue persist or should you find that the TV’s firmware is up to date, the next best option is to perform a factory reset.
Factory Reset the TV
A factory reset will erase everything on the TV and restore the settings to how they were when the TV was purchased. Hopefully, once you perform the reset, the TV will also erase any bugs causing it to turn on randomly.
Remember to have the Wi-Fi password ready if the TV is connected to the internet wirelessly since a factory reset will require you to set up the TV afresh.
You can manually reset your Vizio TV using the power button, input plus volume buttons, or the remote.
To use the remote, simply press the Menu key, navigate to Admin & Privacy > Reset to Factory Settings, and then press OK. The TV will then prompt you to enter a system PIN; if you have never updated it, use the default 0000.
How to Factory Reset a VIZIO TV
Once it is done, connect it to the internet and monitor if the TV still turns on. If it does, enable Eco mode, disable CEC settings, and check again.
Contact Vizio’s Customer Support
If none of the solutions above work, the TV may have a defect requiring a professional’s attention. Therefore, consider contacting Vizio’s customer support team and inform them of all the troubleshooting measures you have already tried.
They will suggest more troubleshooting tips; if they do not work, Vizio will send a technician to check the TV. If you are lucky and your TV is still under warranty, they will offer to replace it.
Conclusion
If your Vizio TV randomly turns itself on, the problem could be because of its HDMI CEC settings or casting apps trying to broadcast to the TV. Both these features can wake your TV hence why they should be among the first solutions to try. You should also ensure the power button on the remote is not jammed, forcing it to send signals to the TV that power it on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is HDMI CEC on Vizio TVs?
Answer: CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control, an HDMI feature that allows devices connected via HDMI to share a remote for basic controls. For instance, you can use your soundbar’s remote to turn on the TV.
Although the feature is essential, it can sometimes result in the TV receiving remote commands that were not intended for it hence why it is important to disable it whenever the TV turns on or off by itself.
Question: What is Vizio’s QuickStart mode?
Answer: Quick start mode is a feature that allows the TV to power up faster and lets other network commands power on the TV. For instance, if you are trying to broadcast from your phone to the TV, and the TV is off but has a power supply, it will turn on.
When the TV is set to QuickStart mode, it consumes more power than Eco mode.
Question: How do I reset my Vizio TV with the power button?
Answer: You can reset your Vizio TV through the power button by pressing and holding it for twenty seconds. On older Vizio models, you would have to simultaneously press and hold the Input and Volume down buttons on the TV until it notifies you that memory is being cleared.
