Restoring 5 GHz Wi-Fi on an LG C5 by changing its webOS region

LG C5 / webOS 25 Region Change for 5 GHz WiFi Important This is a region configuration change, not a firmware update or firmware fix. It will not repair a Wi-Fi hardware or router problem. Use this guide when 5 GHz Wi-Fi is unavailable because of the TV's factory region configuration. Seriously, LG? The hardware supports 5 GHz, but the Middle East region config disables it anyway. Change the region and it magically works. This is a stupid, artificial limitation that should not exist on a premium TV. Warning Changing the region can affect tuner behavior, the LG Content Store, installed or available apps, country settings, and warranty or service handling. A wrong area option may leave the TV with unsuitable regional settings. Read and save the original area option before writing anything. Continue at your own risk. This procedure is for Windows 11 and PowerShell. It uses LG Developer Mode and the upstream lg-geolock-bypass script. Root access is not required. Confirmed result The TV remained stable with Germany selected as its country. This result applies only to the configuration above. Other models, firmware versions, and hardware groups may behave differently. Before you start Requirements LG C5 TV running webOS 25 TV and Windows 11 PC on the same local network LG Developer account PowerShell with curl.exe, ssh.exe, and scp.exe This repository intentionally contains only this README. Download change_region.sh from its upstream project when instructed; do not add a copy to this repository. Procedure Developer Mode → Key Server → SSH key → key permissions → script upload → save original value → write target value → reboot → verify → roll back if needed 1. Enable LG Developer Mode Follow the official LG Developer Mode documentation: Install and open Developer Mode on the TV. Sign in with your LG Developer account. Turn Dev Mode Status on. Let the TV reboot. Open the Developer Mode app again. Developer Mode has a limited session time. Extend it in the app if needed. 2. Enable Key Server In the Developer Mode app, turn Key Server on. Note the case-sensitive six-character passphrase shown by the app. Note the TV's IP address shown in the Developer Mode app. In PowerShell, set the TV address and create a temporary working folder: $TV = " " $WorkDir = Join-Path $env:TEMP "lg-c5-region-change" New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $WorkDir -Force | Out-Null Set-Location $WorkDir Replace before continuing. Optional port checks: Test-NetConnection $TV -Port 9991 Test-NetConnection $TV -Port 9922 Both should report TcpTestSucceeded : True. if not, turn the TV on and off, then in the Developer app in TV turn the Key store option off and on (or on and off). Then try again. 3. Download webos_rsa While Key Server is on, download the TV's SSH private key: curl.exe -f "http://${TV}:9991/webos_rsa" -o .\webos_rsa Get-Item .\webos_rsa 4. Fix SSH key permissions if needed Try the next step first. If OpenSSH reports that the private key permissions are too open, run: $CurrentUser = [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().Name icacls.exe .\webos_rsa /inheritance:r icacls.exe .\webos_rsa /grant:r "${CurrentUser}:(R)" If icacls.exe .\webos_rsa still lists another user or group with access, remove that exact entry: icacls.exe .\webos_rsa /remove "DOMAIN\UserOrGroup" 5. Copy change_region.sh Download the current script directly from the upstream project into the temporary folder: curl.exe -fL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lennylxx/lg-geolock-bypass/main/change_region.sh" -o .\change_region.sh Copy it to the TV: scp.exe -i .\webos_rsa -o HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -o PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -P 9922 .\change_region.sh "prisoner@${TV}:/tmp/change_region.sh" Enter the six-character Developer Mode passphrase when prompted. On the first connection, confirm the TV's SSH host-key prompt only if the address is correct. 6. Read and save the original area option Do this before changing the region: ssh.exe -T -i .\webos_rsa -o HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -o PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -p 9922 "prisoner@$TV" "sh /tmp/change_region.sh read" | Tee-Object -FilePath .\original-area-option.txt The first line contains the value to preserve: Current area option: Save somewhere safe. Do not guess it later. For the confirmed TV above, the original value was 4956. Do not assume that value is correct for another TV. 7. Write the target area option This guide uses area option 3122. It is a known EU value (hwSettingGroup=EU) and worked on the confirmed configuration above. It is not universal and may be wrong for another TV. The upstream project states that non-US config and settings mappings are best-effort. Review its current notes before proceeding. Write 3122: ssh.exe -T -i .\webos_rsa -o HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -o PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -p 9922 "prisoner@$TV" "sh /tmp/change_region.sh 3122" Check the output for a successful NVRAM write and verification. Stop if it reports a failure. 8. Wait for the automatic reboot After the region is changed successfully, the TV will reboot automatically. Wait for it to turn on with the new region. Do not disconnect its power during the reboot. 9. Verify 5 GHz Wi-Fi After the TV turns on, open Settings > Network > Wi-Fi Connection and check that 5 GHz networks are visible. Roll back (if needed) Caution Rollback has not been tested on the confirmed configuration. The command below follows the upstream method, but success is not confirmed for this TV. Turn Key Server on and copy change_region.sh again if the TV has rebooted. Then restore the exact value saved in step 6. The TV should reboot automatically after the original value is written. After reboot, restore the appropriate country in the TV settings and verify the original region. References LG: App Testing with Developer Mode App lennylxx/lg-geolock-bypass