Troubleshooting a Wii - Netflix Connection

In my opinion, one of the best advancements in recent technology has been the ability to stream movies and television shows through a Netflix channel on the Wii. Seriously, instant watch is incredible. I've discovered some of my all time favorite TV shows via this service: Doctor Who, Lost, Better Off Ted, X-Men Animated Series... In fact I was in the middle of Doctor Who marathon, trying to catch up to season 6 which resumed on air last Saturday, when suddenly my Netflix channel stopped working properly. The "retrieving" bar took a stroke and the constant error messages halfway gave me one. Let me tell you, "Cannot connect to Netflix. Please try again later. If the problem persists, please visit netflix.com/tvhelp on your computer" is not a sexy sentence.

So I've put together this troubleshooting guide for you, my reader, compiled from various tech forums on the Internet, for that instance when you happen to be in the middle of your favorite series and your Wii-Netflix connection cuts out halfway through a character's sentence (like in my case). Stay calm, don't curse, don't get angry, and don't start randomly hitting buttons hoping it'll come back (like I initially did). Follow these steps, and you should be up and running again in no time.

STEPS TO TROUBLESHOOTING A WII - NETFLIX CONNECTION:

(These solutions are gathered from various tech-forums on the Internet and put together by the Jabbercookie. I am by no means a techie, just a googler ;) If you know of any more solutions, please leave a comment.)

• Check your physical Internet connection - check your modem and router are functioning properly, booting the machines down and then back on if necessary. Also, find out if there is an issue going on with your Internet provider; if it's on their end, you'll have to wait until it's resolved. If you are able to connect to the Internet on your computer, but not on the Wii, move on to the next step.

• Check the time settings on your Wii - synchronize the date/time feature in Wii Settings with the time displaying on your computer.  

*This was the solution that solved my particular problem; my Wii time was off by about 6 minutes and adjusting it got Netflix working next thing.


• Check your Internet settings on your Wii are correct - reset or reconnect if necessary (may require entering your router password again).

• Check there are no magnetic or metal objects near your electronics messing up signals.

• Check your Netflix account is paid and account status is active.

• Uninstall and re-download Netflix - this is a three-step process and will require Internet access on both a computer and the Wii system:

• Wii Settings -> Data Management -> Save Data -> Delete Netflix Completely (if there is more than one Netflix file for any reason, delete them all)

• Wii Settings -> Data Management -> Channels -> Delete the Netflix Channel

• Go to Wii Shop channel and re-download Neflix. You will receive a new activation code. Sign into Netflix on your computer and enter the code at their Netflix Ready Devices page. Follow any subsequent Netflix directions to get you up and running.

• Lastly, if none of the above solutions work for you, please call Nintendo or Netflix customer service help lines for professional help.

Hope that helps! Now I'll go back to watching the Doctor and his TARDIS spin round and round. =)