How to Fix WiFi Not Working on an Android-Based Smart Projector: XGIMI, Dangbei, and BenQ Fixes

Android-based smart projectors — including the XGIMI Horizon series, Dangbei Mars line, and BenQ Smart Projector E-series — run standard Android TV and Android-based operating systems. That means their WiFi issues are rooted in the same places as any other Android device: band incompatibility, stale DHCP leases, outdated firmware, and corrupted network settings. The difference is that projectors are often placed further from the router than phones or TVs, and their built-in antennas are constrained by their chassis design. Here’s how to methodically fix WiFi that won’t connect, keeps dropping, or connects but delivers no internet.

Step 1: Check Your WiFi Band

Most Android smart projectors support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi, but their 5 GHz reception is often weaker than a phone or laptop due to antenna placement inside a sealed projection chassis. If your projector is more than 10–15 feet from the router, or separated by walls, 5 GHz signal may be too weak to maintain a stable connection even if it appears connected.

What to do: If your router broadcasts both bands on a single merged SSID (band steering), temporarily create a separate 2.4 GHz SSID and connect your projector to that network. Most projectors maintain far more reliable connections on 2.4 GHz at typical living-room distances. If your router only has a single merged SSID, look in its admin panel for a setting to split the bands, or move the projector closer to the router and re-test on 5 GHz. Our guide on 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz vs 6 GHz explains the range and throughput trade-offs in detail.

Step 2: Forget the Network and Reconnect

Android TV caches WiFi credentials and connection state, and a corrupted profile causes persistent connection failures even after the underlying issue is resolved. Before trying anything more complex, forget the network and re-enter credentials fresh.

1. On your projector, navigate to Settings › Network › WiFi
2. Select your WiFi network and choose Forget
3. Restart the projector (power off fully, not just standby)
4. Also restart your router: unplug it from power, wait 30 seconds, plug back in, and wait 60 seconds for it to fully initialize
5. On the projector, reconnect to the network, entering your WiFi password carefully — Android TV is case-sensitive on passwords

Step 3: Fix the DHCP Lease With a Static IP

A common cause of “Connected, No Internet” on Android TV projectors is a DHCP conflict where the projector obtains an IP address already in use by another device, or where the router’s DHCP server fails to assign an address correctly. Assigning a static IP eliminates this category of failure entirely.

1. In your projector’s WiFi settings, select your network and look for Advanced or IP Settings
2. Switch IP Settings from DHCP to Static
3. Enter an IP address outside your router’s DHCP range — typically something like 192.168.1.200 on a standard home router (check your router admin panel to confirm its DHCP range, usually 192.168.1.100–192.168.1.199)
4. Set Gateway to your router’s IP (commonly 192.168.1.1)
5. Set DNS 1 to 8.8.8.8 (Google) and DNS 2 to 8.8.4.4
6. Set Prefix length (subnet mask) to 24
7. Save and reconnect

Using Google’s DNS servers as a static override also fixes a separate issue: some ISP-assigned DNS servers have strict filtering or latency that breaks Android TV’s streaming app authentication, making it appear that there is no internet even when the network connection is healthy. If you prefer encrypted DNS, our guide on DNS-over-HTTPS setup covers router-level options.

Step 4: Update Firmware

Outdated firmware is the single most common root cause of WiFi instability on Android smart projectors. Manufacturers including XGIMI and Dangbei regularly release updates that address WiFi driver bugs, connection stability issues, and Android TV compatibility problems with newer router firmware.

XGIMI Firmware Update

1. Connect to WiFi (use a mobile hotspot if the home network is unreliable)
2. Go to Settings › Device Preferences › About › System Update
3. Select Check for Update
4. If an update is available, download and install it — the projector restarts automatically

If the projector cannot hold a WiFi connection long enough to download an OTA update, XGIMI supports USB firmware installation using a file downloaded from the XGIMI support site placed on a FAT32-formatted USB drive. Insert the drive, navigate to the same System Update menu, and the projector will detect the local update package automatically.

Dangbei Firmware Update

1. Go to Settings › About Device › System Update
2. Select Check for Updates
3. For models that cannot connect to WiFi, Dangbei offers USB OTA packages for the Mars Pro and similar models through their official support pages

BenQ Firmware Update

BenQ Smart Projectors (including the E-series and W-series models with Android TV) update via Settings › Device Preferences › About › System Update. BenQ’s Android TV troubleshooting documentation also notes that MAC address filtering on routers blocks the projector from connecting. If you have MAC address filtering enabled, add the projector’s MAC address to your router’s allowed list. Find the projector’s MAC address under Settings › About › WiFi MAC Address.

Step 5: Clear App Cache and Fix Google Play Store Issues

On Android TV projectors, a corrupted Google Play Services or Play Store cache can cause streaming apps to fail to load, update, or authenticate — symptoms that look like network failures but are actually software issues. If apps fail to open or update even when the network connection appears healthy, clear the relevant caches:

1. Go to Settings › Apps › See All Apps
2. Find Google Play Store and select Clear Cache, then Clear Data
3. Repeat for Google Play Services
4. Restart the projector

If the Play Store still fails to load after clearing the cache, verify the projector’s date and time are set correctly — an incorrect date causes SSL certificate validation failures that prevent the Play Store from connecting to Google servers. Set date and time to Automatic under Settings › Device Preferences › Date & Time.

Step 6: Perform a Network Reset

If the above steps have not resolved the issue, a network settings reset clears all saved WiFi networks and related state without erasing your installed apps or personal data:

• XGIMI: Settings › Device Preferences › Reset › Network Settings Reset
• Dangbei: Settings › System › Reset › Reset WiFi, mobile & Bluetooth
• BenQ (Android TV): Settings › Device Preferences › Reset › Network Settings Reset

After a network reset, reconnect using the static IP approach from Step 3 to avoid any DHCP-related recurrence.

When to Factory Reset

A full factory reset should be a last resort. It erases all installed apps, accounts, and settings, and is warranted when WiFi issues persist through all the steps above — particularly when the projector cannot detect any WiFi networks at all, which indicates a driver-level corruption rather than a configuration issue. Before resetting, note any purchased app licenses and sign out of accounts so you can re-authenticate cleanly. After the reset, update firmware immediately before restoring apps.

Quick-Reference Checklist

1. Connect to 2.4 GHz — split bands on router if needed, confirm projector connects stably
2. Forget the network, restart both router and projector, reconnect with fresh credentials
3. Set a static IP (e.g. 192.168.1.200) with DNS 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4
4. Update firmware via Settings › About › System Update (or USB if OTA fails)
5. Clear Google Play Store and Google Play Services cache and data
6. Verify Date & Time is set to Automatic
7. Perform a network settings reset, then reconnect with static IP
8. Factory reset as last resort

Once your projector is back online, run a speed test from the projector’s browser or a built-in speed test app to confirm you’re getting the throughput your plan provides. A projector on 5 GHz in the same room as the router should achieve 100 Mbps or more. If speeds are lower than expected, review our guide on reading WiFi signal strength to determine whether the projector needs to move closer to the router or whether a mesh node or access point would improve coverage to your viewing area.