Wireless tv connections: How Does Wireless TV Work? | Small Business

Oct 2, 2023 alexxlab

How Does Wireless TV Work? | Small Business

By Bert Markgraf

If you buy a light, flat-screen TV, you may want to hang it on the wall and watch television programs, images from your digital camera, videos from your computer and high-definition movies from your DVD or Blu-ray player. While this is possible, you have to connect all these devices to the TV, resulting in a tangle of cables that is unattractive and difficult to manage. Several wireless TV technologies address this problem and let you connect some or all of these devices wirelessly. You plug a small receiver into your TV and it can receive the signals without any wires.

Wi-Fi Systems

One way signals can reach the TV without wires is by using existing wireless computer networks or Wi-Fi. Your computer sends the signal for downloaded movies or videos via high-frequency radio waves to the receiver attached to your TV. The standard governing such networks is called 802.11, and the latest version, 802. 11n, has enough speed and capacity to handle wireless TV signals. This system is ideal for people who want to integrate their computer, downloading, Internet and TV functions, watching movies and television available online.

Wireless USB

Another way you can connect your computer to your TV without wires is to use a wireless USB system. You plug a special USB stick into the computer and another one into the TV receiver. The wireless link transmits the signal via high-frequency radio waves from the computer to the TV. This system is designed to let you see movies, videos or photographs that are on your computer on the larger TV screen. It has a maximum range of about 30 feet.

Wireless HD

If you like wireless TV but don’t need a connection from your computer, wireless HDTV connects your movie players to your TV without wires. Small transmitters plug into DVD and Blu-ray players and send a radio signal to the TV receiver. The signal for this system is at a higher frequency, which means it can transmit more data, giving a better quality TV picture than the Wi-Fi or USB-based systems.

Wireless HDMI

The wireless High-Definition Multimedia Interface system covers all devices that have an HDMI port and lets them transmit wireless signals to the TV. Many new computers, game consoles, movie players, tablets and flat-screen TVs transfer signals via the HDMI and have a corresponding port for the HDMI cable. The wireless HDMI system supplies a receiver that plugs into the TV HDMI port and transmitters for the ports of the other devices. The wireless HDMI system can interconnect all of them, letting you view movies, images and videos from all the sources on your TV.

References

Wired: Wired Explains: Wireless Tech to Connect Your TV and PC
Rutgers WINLAB: The EZ Box: Wireless Television Solution
Laptop Magazine: HP Wireless TV Connect Review
Wireless Gigabit Alliance: World’s First WiGig Technology Plugfest

Writer Bio

Bert Markgraf is a freelance writer with a strong science and engineering background. He started writing technical papers while working as an engineer in the 1980s. More recently, after starting his own business in IT, he helped organize an online community for which he wrote and edited articles as managing editor, business and economics. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University.

How to Connect a TV to Wi-Fi

Hey, reader. That’s a nice smart TV you’ve got there. We’ve compiled a guide to help you connect it to your home Wi-Fi network so you can start an epic streaming TV binge.

Don’t worry reader who still rocks a TV of average intelligence (read: standard TV). While your TV probably can’t connect to your Wi-Fi directly, you can still binge like a boss with our tips on using Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and streaming devices to get online.

Jump to:

How to connect a standard TV to Wi-Fi
How to connect a smart TV to Wi-Fi

Ethernet cables are faster than Wi-Fi

A wired internet connection is a direct connection from your Wi-Fi router to your device, so it gives you faster speeds than with wireless connections. All you need for this is an Ethernet cable to connect your TV or other device to your router or in-wall Ethernet jack. This connection method is especially preferable if you’re streaming in 4K or 8K because it can handle the higher data loads.

How to connect a standard TV to Wi-Fi

You can connect a standard TV to Wi-Fi using a Blu-ray player, gaming console, or streaming device (like streaming boxes or sticks and Google Chromecast). Or you can use a special cable (specified below) to mirror your laptop or smartphone screen. Here’s how to do it all.

Laptops, smartphones, and tablets

Mirrors your laptop, smartphone, or tablet’s screen
Plays discs (laptops with disc drives only)
Runs streaming apps

May require a separate cable or adapter
Mirrors your screen (privacy concern)

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You can also mirror your laptop, smartphone, or tablet screen by connecting either device to your TV with an HDMI cable. That means you can watch physical media if your laptop has a Blu-ray or DVD drive. You can also play media from your hard drive or external drives. And most Macs and PCs support numerous streaming apps.

Note: using a smartphone or tablet may require a USB C-to-HDMI or USB mini-to-HDMI cable. (These are paid Amazon links.)

With screen-mirroring, be sure to close any tabs you don’t want others to see. Otherwise, everyone who’s joined you for movie night will find out you like bad music or naughty stuff.

Other peripheral devices

The instructions for connecting Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and streaming devices are essentially the same. If you want to start streaming ASAP, here are the steps, But we’ll go over the pros and cons of each device in the following sections.

Connect the device to your TV with an HDMI or RCA A/V cable. Many TVs have multiple HDMI ports labeled HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc. Note which one you use.
Using your TV remote, rename that HDMI input to show the connected device (ex. “Blu-ray,” “Roku,” or “PlayStation”). Use your TV remote to select this input source.
Now use the device remote to navigate to Network Settings.
Select the option to scan for your Wi-Fi network.
Enter your password to connect to it.
Now that you’ve connected to your Wi-Fi, you can download apps, sign in, and start streaming.

Blu-ray players

Play Blu-ray, CD, DVD, and video game discs
Run streaming apps
Don’t cost much

Don’t support as many streaming apps

Most newer Blu-ray players can connect to the internet and run apps. But if your player is older, you may not have that ability. And these players, even the newer ones, generally support only the most popular streaming apps like Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, and vanilla YouTube.

Gaming consoles

Play Blu-ray, CD, DVD, and video game discs
Run streaming apps

Don’t support as many streaming apps as other streaming devices
Have a hefty price tag

Since the release of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, gaming consoles have been able to connect to the internet and run streaming apps. (Some Nintendo consoles supported streaming, but Nintendo has mostly abandoned streaming support recently with the Nintendo Switch.)

And, while both PlayStation and Xbox consoles support most streaming apps, they don’t support as many as streaming devices like the Roku or Fire TV Stick. Gaming consoles are also much more expensive than streaming devices, so we recommend going this route only if you already have a console—or you intend to do plenty of gaming.

Streaming devices

Run streaming apps
Don’t cost much

Don’t play physical media

If you want to be able to use the most streaming services, a streaming device like the Roku Ultra, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV 4K, or Chromecast with Google TV will do that for you. And most of them walk you through the Wi-Fi connection process.

Pro tip: Check out our guide to the Best TV Streaming Services to learn more about live and on-demand streaming services like Hulu + Live TV, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube TV, and more.

How to connect a smart TV to Wi-Fi

Run streaming apps

Don’t support some apps
Don’t play physical media

Why is this last in our list? Well, smart TVs are made to connect to the internet and run apps—it’s kinda their thing. So connecting them to your wireless network is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

With your TV remote, navigate to the network settings menu.
Scan for your network.
Sign in, download apps, and start streaming.

How to connect a TV to Wi-Fi FAQ

Related articles

Best Smart TVs
Best TV Streaming Services
Best Streaming TV Devices

Wireless TV without antenna and cable in apartment

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Wireless TV: working life hacks for home

Greetings, dear readers! Today I would like to share with you my thoughts on wireless TV in Russia. It is completely wireless – without an antenna, cable or set-top box. Or is it still possible to add an attachment? That’s about everything below with specific solutions, I’ll tell you below.

Found a new interesting solution? Write about it in the comments to the article – this way you will help others who are looking for useful information on our site!

Contents

Wireless – my thoughts
Set-top box via Wi-Fi bridge
Wi-Fi set-top box
Applications
Satellite receivers
Final thoughts
Ask the author of the article

Wireless – my thoughts

First, let’s cut off all the tails and determine what can be considered wireless and what cannot:

Terrestrial TV – on the one hand, it is wireless in itself on the street, but at home it requires an antenna, which is not always convenient and possible . You can, of course, place a portable home antenna near the TV – then it will be more convenient. Or you can think of a transmitter for an external antenna. But usually, people are still looking for a wireless solution not for this type of TV.

Cable TV – we are talking about cable TV in its purest form, which is plugged into the antenna connector, and not into HDMI or tulips. This is also not easy to implement, unless the provider’s receiver is made wireless. But something like this is not being developed very much.

Satellite TV – and again you will need an input to the antenna, which means you cannot do without a wire. But some satellite TV receivers support Wi-Fi connection, which means you can do without wires. This type is already common, you can decide. An example is the Tricolor prefixes.

Interactive TV and set-top boxes – in its pure form, the cable will still have to be brought into the apartment, but many are worried about the cable in all rooms. And there are already cool solutions here, because this type of TV is one of the most developing in the apartments of ordinary people. There are media centers, and Wi-Fi set-top boxes, and applications (but about applications separately).

Smart TV Apps – Modern TV supports Wi-Fi and installation of various applications. Some applications like Rostelecom’s IPTV are already bundled without any hassle. Those. if you have a paid plan, you can simply launch this application, enter your account information and enjoy watching TV wirelessly. The method is generally without wires, I used it myself.

And now a little more detailed information on ready-made solutions. If you have additions – write them in the comments, I will definitely expand these sections. You can’t keep track of everything, you can’t write an ideal article for all time. Progress is inevitable.

Set-top box via Wi-Fi bridge

Agree, if you have to bring a router home, then you can not run a wire to the set-top box. If only the set-top box could be connected via Wi-Fi to the router. The trouble is that usually there is no Wi-Fi in interactive TV set-top boxes. But there is a common proven solution (tested at Rostelecom and Beeline) – to build a Wi-Fi bridge.

The Wi-Fi bridge is two separate devices. One of them connects to the router, and the other to the TV box itself. They connect to each other via Wi-Fi. Universal way for any technology.

The most accessible and almost official solution is the Motorola VAP2400 kit.

Most likely there are other solutions now, my task was to show the very availability of the idea of organizing such a bridge at home – after all, you can put one transmitter and several receivers.

As an option, I saw solutions for organizing PLC bridges through the power grid. But here already at your own peril and risk, a little experience will come in handy.

Wi-Fi set-top box

Another obvious solution is to take the set-top box with Wi-Fi. Then initially you don’t need to bother with extra devices, and the set-top box will immediately connect directly to the router. What are the options here?

Rostelecom – they have a new set-top box that can connect over the air. Just ask when joining. At the same time, the set-top box itself works fine not only through the Internet of Rostelecom, but also through any other provider.

Wifire is another TV provider with its own set-top box. From the name it is immediately clear – a cable is not needed, it is enough to start any Internet. If you wish, you can also come up with schemes with mobile networks in general.

How to connect these set-top boxes and quickly set up is shown in the video above.