How To Track Stolen Tv 2022-How To Track Down A Stolen Samsung Smart Tv Quick (Any Tv Brand)
If your Samsung Smart TV was stolen, don’t give up! There are still a few ways you might be able to get it back. Read this article to know How To Track Stolen Tv properly.
Samsung recently revealed that it can disable TV sets remotely if it found the units were stolen. It said it was introducing a new feature called Television Block Function to disable all Samsung TV sets acquired through illegal means.
Can you track a TVs location?
Like any other device, every smart TV has an IP address. However, many people get confused when asked to check their TV’s IP address, simply because they can’t see it on the TV itself. You have to use your phone or computer instead.
How do you find the IP address of your TV?
- Press the Menu button on your remote device and select the Network option.
- Select System Information.
- Choose Ethernet/WIFI connection.
- Select Advanced, then select the IP address. The existing IP address of your TV appears. It will be a private IP address if you are using a router to connect to your ISP.
Like we said, Smart TVs can’t really be properly tracked. They are not like cell phones because they do not have GPS, and you cannot easily track your own location. However, the curious method does not require tracking it through the device itself but through the account of a streaming service like Netflix.
Do smart TVs have hidden cameras?
Do smart TVs have cameras? Yes, some smart TVs have built-in cameras, but it depends on the model of the smart TV. Your owner’s manual will tell you if yours does. If your TV offers facial recognition or video chat, then yes, your smart TV has a camera.
A Smart TV as the name suggests is a smart TV. It not only lets you tune into your usual cable service but also access various devices and the internet. Thanks to its functions and WiFi connection, you can navigate in it, play games, and see much more. Even better if you have a subscription to streaming services.
Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are some of those that lead the streaming service that you can enjoy on your Smart TV. This makes it a flashy device and fun to enjoy. However, in parallel, they also make it an easy target when it comes to theft in many countries, unfairly. Not only because of how ostentatious but because of how difficult they are to track properly.
Home burglary is a horrible affliction that is not uncommon in many Spanish American homes. Easy sale items, such as computers, cell phones, or consoles, are the main target of thieves in these robberies. Therefore, the Smart TV will not escape its plunder of coveted items.
However, there is a method you can use to discover the whereabouts of your PC and lead the authorities to the thief. And all with the help of the aforementioned streaming services!
Is It Possible To Track My Smart Tv?
Like we said, Smart TVs can’t really be properly tracked. They are not like cell phones because they do not have GPS and you cannot easily track your own location. However, the curious method does not require tracking it through the device itself, if not the account of a streaming service like Netflix.
Streaming services such as Netflix or HBO have a section in our profiles where we can review account activity. In it, you can see when and from where a profile that has tuned into the service to view content has connected.
Specifically, it will show you the IP, which is the unique address that internet providers give you. When someone registers a connection by putting an internet service at home, a unique IP is established for that connection. And it is thanks to this IP address that we can find out where our Smart TV is.
How To Use Netflix To Find Out The Location Of My Smart Tv?
This process requires some luck because you need the thief to have been curious about entering your Netflix. However, you will most likely do so when you discover that you now have a free account too.
Many people don’t know that one of the benefits of a Samsung Smart TV is that smart TV technology can help you if your TV is ever stolen. Using a few different methods, you can sometimes track the TV down and alert the authorities.
How To Track Down A Stolen Samsung Smart Tv
One of the advantages of having a smart TV is that it gives you a few options for tracking the TV if it goes missing. Often the thief will turn around and use the TV or sell it to someone who will use it as intended, which gives the original owner wireless access to the TV even if they don’t know where it is.
Stolen Samsung Smart TVs can be tracked down using a GPS locator or the IP of your media accounts. A stolen smart TV generally needs to be connected to the Internet to be tracked. With a police complaint, you can also use a smart TV’s serial number to track it via its IP address.
The easiest way to track down a stolen Samsung Smart TV is by reviewing your account activity on your media apps such as Netflix or Hulu. The next time the stolen TV is hooked up to an Internet connection, the app will send its location via its IP address. The police can then use this information to track the TV down.
Can You Track a Smart TV Without Internet Access?
Unfortunately, the only way to effectively track a Samsung Smart TV or any smart TV is for someone to hook the smart TV back up to the Internet and use your media accounts such as Netflix.
Once the TV is hooked up to the Internet and your accounts are accessed, you can use wireless Internet access and a mobile app to track it down. Without the TV being hooked back up to the Internet, you won’t be able to review your account’s activity to see the new IP address where the TV is being used.
The only way that you can track a smart TV without Internet access is by using a third-party GPS tracking device that you can install somewhere discreet on the TV’s frame. While these devices can track the TV’s location, they’re dependent on the thief not noticing them on the TV. Using a tracking device that blends into the TV can help keep it from being detected.
Here’s the information you should keep handy in case you ever need to track down your stolen smart TV:
- TV’s serial number
- TV’s make and model
- Purchase cost of the TV (if possible/logged)
- Your home IP address
This information is good to have for filing a police report and filing an insurance claim for your stolen TV. Even if the TV isn’t recoverable, keeping information about it available in a file in case of an emergency can make the process of recovering the value of the TV a little easier so it can be replaced.
Use the IP Address
If you file a police report, you can use your Samsung Smart TV’s serial number to track any new use of the television on a different IP than your home IP address. The police can use this information to track the TV down if the TV is discovered to be in use at a different IP location than your own.
You’ll need to file a formal police report for the missing TV to try tracking it by its serial number and IP address.
File a Police Report
The only way to find a stolen Samsung Smart TV without tracking it is to file a police report and register the TV’s serial number with their theft division. While it is unlikely that the TV will be recovered unless you’re lucky enough to catch someone at a different IP address using your media accounts, it’s always best to report the theft for insurance purposes.
Risks and Benefits of Tracking a Smart TV
While you can use your media accounts like Netflix to track your smart TV, this is a slightly risky choice. The reason is that if the people who stole your television have access to your media apps on the smart TV, they also have access to the credit card and identifying information you used to set up those accounts. This can leave you vulnerable to credit card fraud.
However, your credit cards can also be used to help track your smart TV thief. If the credit card information is used to purchase items. Those purchases can be used to help track the TV’s new location. Many of these charges can also be refunded through the bank if you file a formal police report and notify the bank to mark the cards as stolen.
Prepare Ahead to Prevent Smart TV Theft
If you’ve spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on a smart TV. It can be a serious blow to have it stolen from your home or business. Knowing how to track down your smart TV when it gets stolen can help you catch a thief and recover your property at the same time.
How to Check if a Serial Number Is Stolen?
Punishments for Trespassing.
As the saying goes, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Before you purchase anything of value from an unfamiliar source, ask for the serial number of the product. Legitimate sellers shouldn’t hesitate to provide it to you. Although a mere 2 percent of people record the serial numbers of their valuables. Checking serial numbers against stolen property databases can protect you from receiving stolen property.
Where can I find my TV’s model number?
How to find your TV Model Number
If you’d like to find your TV model number but don’t have the original receipt or invoice. You can typically find it somewhere on your TV.
Model numbers are usually a series of letters and numbers, like KDL-42W800B or VT4200-L.
Your Samsung TV model number (along with other information such as a serial number) can sometimes be found on the back of the TV on a sticker.
Here are some examples of such stickers on TVs:
