User profile for user: Oolongtime
Oolongtime Author
User level: Level 1
38 points

Apple TV error code -100

I am stuck in a loop trying to connect my Apple TV box (2nd gen) to wi-fi, using my new broadband modem.


The error message is “the wifi password you entered is not correct. try again. (-100)”


After multiple attempts at restarting and resetting the Apple TV box and my new modem, plugging an ethernet cable in, updating the system software, then searching on the internet for clues, including this Apple Support community and 3rd party “how to” and tips pages, and applying all those procedures, still stuck.


My new modem is an Optus Ultra WiFi (Gen 2) LTE, sold in Australia.


I think it might be a backwards-compatibility problem with the new modem.

Posted on Apr 16, 2023 01:44 PM

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User profile for user: Oolongtime
Oolongtime Author
User level: Level 1
38 points

Posted on Apr 17, 2023 03:18 PM

Thanks. Not sure what year exactly, but it’s 2nd gen, that handles 1080p output and you can’t download apps to it. It’s running software version 7.9


Anyway here’s the solution:

  1. Skip any procedures involving power off/on, restarting or resetting.
  2. Log in to the router’s homepage at 192.168.0.1 (yours may vary)
  3. Change the wi-fi security protocol to WPA2. In my case, it was already set to “WPA2/WPA3 - Personal” and had to be changed to “WPA2 - Personal”
  4. When you attempt to connect Apple TV to wi-fi you will get the -100 error message again. Press the menu button or center button, then the password entry screen should appear.


Any wi-fi modem built after 2018 may cause this error, but you don’t need to upgrade your Apple TV box yet.

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User profile for user: Oolongtime
Oolongtime Author
User level: Level 1
38 points

Apr 17, 2023 03:18 PM in response to Urquhart1244

Thanks. Not sure what year exactly, but it’s 2nd gen, that handles 1080p output and you can’t download apps to it. It’s running software version 7.9


Anyway here’s the solution:

  1. Skip any procedures involving power off/on, restarting or resetting.
  2. Log in to the router’s homepage at 192.168.0.1 (yours may vary)
  3. Change the wi-fi security protocol to WPA2. In my case, it was already set to “WPA2/WPA3 - Personal” and had to be changed to “WPA2 - Personal”
  4. When you attempt to connect Apple TV to wi-fi you will get the -100 error message again. Press the menu button or center button, then the password entry screen should appear.


Any wi-fi modem built after 2018 may cause this error, but you don’t need to upgrade your Apple TV box yet.

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User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
User level: Level 10
145,674 points

Apr 16, 2023 03:00 PM in response to Oolongtime

Apple TV box (2nd gen)

Is that the 2010 model?


  1. Try the steps as mentioned in: If your Apple TV can't connect to Wi-Fi - Apple Support
  2. Try the ‘Other…’ option instead of selecting a listed discovered network. Especially if the password has been changed.
  3. For Apple TV (4th generation or earlier), verify that the router or access point isn’t set to use WPA3, as only device models from ~2018 or later support that. Instead use ‘WPA2/WPA3 Transitional’.
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Apple TV error code -100

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