Apple Initiates Replacement Program for 3rd Generation Apple TVs With Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues

Apple has notified its retail stores, authorized resellers, and AppleCare employees about WiFi issues being experienced by a small portion of its third generation Apple TVs, reports 9to5Mac. The units are having issues locating and joining WiFi networks and maintaining a connection.

Apple has determined that a very small number of Apple TV (3rd generation) products might experience one of these Wi-Fi related connectivity issues:

Cannot locate network

Unable to join network

Dropped or intermittent connection.

Apple technicians are authorized to replace affected products for two years from the original date of purchase at no charge to the customer after verifying that the devices are running software version 5.2.1 and that there are no third party interference issues.

The Apple TVs experiencing connectivity problems feature the following serial numbers:

atvserialnumbers
The third generation Apple TV, which features support for 1080p video, was first released in March of last year. It was later tweaked in late January to include a smaller A5 chip.

Update: According to several readers, Apple has acknowledged that it initially erred in referring to the character pairs appearing the third and fourth positions of the serial number. The listed pairs would actually occur in the fourth and fifth positions.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

Steve.P.JobsFan Avatar
144 months ago
Just called them -- they're overnighting a new one to me for free and they gave me AppleCare for $19 instead of $29.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Krazy Bill Avatar
144 months ago
Well, crap. I'm on the list. Apple just can't do Wi-Fi. Be it a signal loss on my MBP or the inability to sync with iTunes. :(

Yeah, I know... I'm probably holding it wrong.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
144 months ago
ahh..So close. I was off by one character.

There goes getting a free Apple TV.

Ha !
:D

Same here, but it is not a free Apple TV, you did pay for it before...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sessamoid Avatar
144 months ago
Had mine replaced last month. The genius said he hadn't heard of any other cases. Guess he was wrong.

Or maybe he was telling the truth and he hadn't heard of any other cases at the time. Maybe he doesn't comb these boards like we do?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pbodifee Avatar
143 months ago
Have connectivity issues on Wired since 5.2.1

The thing with mine is that I have connectivity issue with the wired LAN since I updated to 5.2.1. Pre-5.2.1 it worked perfectly fine. Now every time when I wake it up out of sleep it has no network connectivity. A reboot is needed to get it back on-line. :confused:
Any one seen this problem?

PS I have JD in 4,5th position (bought Dec 2012), so it looks like I am not eligible for a replacement?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlituna Avatar
144 months ago
My serial is DY5H9DT2DRHN. Am I eligible? It says the 3rd and 4th but the H9 is the 4th and 5th alpanumeric letters.

If it says X and yours is Y then no. That said, if its under warranty there is no harm taking it in. Just because its not part of this program doesn't mean there couldn't be something wrong with it

----------

Had mine replaced last month. The genius said he hadn't heard of any other cases. Guess he was wrong.

Not wrong, so much as they aren't told every single issue that any cx claims to have at any store in the world. And given the variety of issues and causes for the multitude of products they see it is possible for someone to not see the exact same issue (symptom and cause) twice.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

f 7ba5b5b668dd68b7179a599305cff6b117ef35d1

Apple Announces New iPad Pro With M4 Chip, OLED Display, and More

Tuesday May 7, 2024 7:15 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled redesigned iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED displays, a nano-texture display option, and more. The new iPad Pro offers a considerably thinner design and slightly larger 11- and 13-inch display size options. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and weighs less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thick and weighs a quarter pound less ...
5

Apple Event Live Blog: New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and More

Tuesday May 7, 2024 6:33 am PDT by
Apple's "Let Loose" event kicks off today at the unusual time of 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and we're expecting to see an iPad-focused event with new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

Apple Says iOS 17.5 Coming 'Soon' With These New Features for iPhones

Monday May 6, 2024 7:33 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public "soon," following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. "The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5," said Apple, in its...
f 157980180c661f30ff9611287c90241baf30faff

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for New iPad Pro Starting at $299

Tuesday May 7, 2024 7:39 am PDT by
Apple at its "Let Loose" event today announced a new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro models, with a thinner, lighter design. Apple says the Magic Keyboard has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, while maintaing the same floating design. Two colors are available that match the new iPad Pro. New features include a function row with screen brightness controls, an aluminum...
maxresdefault

Everything Announced at Today's Apple Event

Tuesday May 7, 2024 1:06 pm PDT by
Apple today held the first event of 2024, debuting new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and accompanying accessories. While the event was faster than normal and took 40 minutes, we've condensed it down even further for those who want a quick overview of everything that was announced. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've also got a full recap of all of the coverage...
iPhone 15 Colors yellow

'iPhone 17 Slim' With Smaller Display Rumored to Launch Next Year

Monday May 6, 2024 9:14 am PDT by
While the iPhone 16 series is still months away from launching, an early rumor about an all-new iPhone 17 model has now surfaced. In a research note with investment firm Haitong this week, analyst Jeff Pu said Apple is planning a so-called "iPhone 17 Slim" model that would replace the Plus model in the lineup. Pu said this model will feature around a 6.6-inch display, a slimmer design, an...
Apple iPad Air hero 240507

Apple Announces New M2 iPad Air Models in 11-Inch and 13-Inch Sizes From $599

Tuesday May 7, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
Apple at its "Let Loose" event today announced new M2-powered iPad Air models in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes with a new landscape FaceTime camera, AI features, and better sound quality with the larger model. Apple says the iPad Air has been designed "to make features pioneered on iPad Pro at a more affordable price," with the brand new larger 13-inch model offering 30% more screen real estate ...