Any suggestions for cheap tv while driving down the road?

[AKITCHELL]

Originally Posted by hawkeye1995

Hard to answer your question. We would need to know your phone type, service provider and the plan you have. Yes, I have mirrored to a TV using a Netgear Push2TV router. It works well with my Nexus 7 2013 phone tablet, running KitKat 4.4 operating system. The bottom line, there is no absolute answer to your question. To many variables to contend with. You can not use Cromecast or Apple TV as a standalone. You have to have a router in your motor home. Once you install a router, then you can use your phone as a internet source, provided you have a tethering phone. Not all phone can do this. Plus, your phone provider must allow you to tether. Most will only allow up to about 22GB, then they start slowing your 4G signal to a 2G. Once you meet all these requirements, you can then use a Roku, Chromecast or Apple TV. Keep in mind, what you use will depend on the type of phone. Chromecast will not work with Apple OS and vice versa.

The next way everyone is talking about, is mirroring. That does not always work. It depends on a lot of factors. One being the Android Operating System of your device. You would need a Push2TV router, that does not work with all Android Operation Systems. If you have a Smart TV, then it can be possible to mirror direct to the TV from your device, eliminating the need for a router. Again, not all Smart TV or Devices are created equal when it comes to Mirroring. It takes lot of research to find the perfect match.

The other way is connecting a HDMI cable directly to your device. I find Iphones can be used for things like Youtube, Netflix, and a few otherrs. It will not work with Direct TV Now. Some Android Phones can connect directly to your TV via a HDMI cable, but not all. Older Samsung phone worked very well. Like S4 and S5's, even the new S8. It is my understanding the S6 and S7's can not be connected using a HDMI cable directly to the TV.

Bottom line, Yes you can connect and use your phone as a source of TV and internet connection. It will take a lot of research on the internet to find the perfect match. Hope this answers some of your concerns. I'm no technical expert, but I did make it work. Just keep in mind!!!! While driving down the road, you will get dropped signals from one tower to the next. Then everything will have to be reset. Good Luck.

yes!!!! thanks for this answer. exactly what i was looking for. someone who has actually done it succesfully. its real easy to just say roku or chromecast. or record some stuff. the hard part is getting it displayed onto the tv. you are 100 percent correct about my equipment. i have an iphone 7, ipad mini, and amazon fire pad. the amazon has no cell service , just wifi. the phone and ipad has cell service through att. we also have the lightning to hdmi adaptor that does not work, and a chromecast which ( without a router or hotspot ) will not work either. if its going to cost more that $40 / mo , ill just bite the bullet and get dish network for what amounts to $40 for the weekend. but if i could only get the fire tablet or phone to be cheaply mirrored to the tvs, i would be saving some money. I understand that reading a book would be cheaper still, and while i appreciate the sugggestion, its not really answering the question of how to stream to the tv.

[asuperheat]

Originally Posted by AKITCHELL

yes!!!! thanks for this answer. exactly what i was looking for. someone who has actually done it succesfully. its real easy to just say roku or chromecast. or record some stuff. the hard part is getting it displayed onto the tv. you are 100 percent correct about my equipment. i have an iphone 7, ipad mini, and amazon fire pad. the amazon has no cell service , just wifi. the phone and ipad has cell service through att. we also have the lightning to hdmi adaptor that does not work, and a chromecast which ( without a router or hotspot ) will not work either. if its going to cost more that $40 / mo , ill just bite the bullet and get dish network for what amounts to $40 for the weekend. but if i could only get the fire tablet or phone to be cheaply mirrored to the tvs, i would be saving some money. I understand that reading a book would be cheaper still, and while i appreciate the sugggestion, its not really answering the question of how to stream to the tv.

If you are looking for basically a wireless network a couple of years ago I bought the kids a hootoo so they could use tablets to game together while we travel. It does not need a web connection but I believe it will allow you to broadcast cromecast to a smart tv. fairly cheap and can be found on amazon.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by AKITCHELL

hi all ! first off, thanks for this site and everybody on it . I get all sorts of useful info from you guys.

here is my new dilema. i just bought a new to me rv, the old owner had the motorized dish network antenna and 2 receivers installed in the rv.

we are going to use the rv , 1 weekend a month. i don't want to pay for the pay as you go dish package, bc its 1 month at a time. meaning that you only pay for the month that you use it, but since ill be using once a month , ill basically have to pay every month , even though ill only be using only 1 or 2 days a month.

the regular antenna works good when were parked and manually find a good spot for reception, but is horrible while driving.

i was thinking of using our cell phones with unlimited data to stream to our thor vegas tv, but i think that chromecast needs a dedicated web signal to stream? i believe the apple tv is the same ? can any body verify this?

lastly, i was going to get a mobley with unlimited data for $20 / month. and then sync up the chrome cast to that and then stream whats on my phone to the mobley and to the chromecast , to the tv.

problem is that sounds complicated and i am not very good at this kind of tech stuff.

anybody have any good suggestions for watching tv for about $20 monthly?

thanks in advance guys and girls.

Back in the olden days, I used to run a little TV for the kids in the back of a van on a homemade inverter, using one of those circle loop UHG antennas attached to the back of the TV. Unbelievable how well it worked going from town to town, but not so sure with today's over the air digital signals, but do know that an old batwing still works well on the roof. One might get by with having it half way up, while on the move, without danger of it getting ripped off.

[FatChance]

I just got a Micca Spec to read audio/video files from USB devices and output HDMI to the TV. Great device with a LOT of options. I have not tried it yet with a tablet or phone music/video but will see if that works,but with USB hard drives an SD cards it is great.

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-Full-HD.../dp/B008NO9RRM

[FatChance]

Edit: so far, I have not been able to get it to work with an android phone or tablet. I will report back if it works that way. But, if you put your A/V files on a thumb drive or USB hard drive, it works great.

[hawkeye1995]

Originally Posted by AKITCHELL

yes!!!! thanks for this answer. exactly what i was looking for. someone who has actually done it succesfully. its real easy to just say roku or chromecast. or record some stuff. the hard part is getting it displayed onto the tv. you are 100 percent correct about my equipment. i have an iphone 7, ipad mini, and amazon fire pad. the amazon has no cell service , just wifi. the phone and ipad has cell service through att. we also have the lightning to hdmi adaptor that does not work, and a chromecast which ( without a router or hotspot ) will not work either. if its going to cost more that $40 / mo , ill just bite the bullet and get dish network for what amounts to $40 for the weekend. but if i could only get the fire tablet or phone to be cheaply mirrored to the tvs, i would be saving some money. I understand that reading a book would be cheaper still, and while i appreciate the sugggestion, its not really answering the question of how to stream to the tv.

Ok, if you have a Iphone 7, go to settings and turn on "personal hotspot" and type a password so no one can share your hotspot. Now connect your Kindle Fire to your Iphone Hotspst. Simply go to WiFi settings on your Kindle Fire and select your Iphone Hotspot you created. You now have internet access on the Fire. If you have Nexflix, Youtube, Direct TV Now, or Hulu, you should be watch on the bigger screen Kindle Fire. Now, depending on the model of Kindle Fire you have, you can connect a HDMI cable to it, then to the TV. So anything on the Kindle Fire will now mirror to the TV. You did not mention if the TV was a Smart TV, If so, you can use your Kindle Fire to just mirror to a Smart TV, with the use of a HDMI cable. I know they can mirror, but I have never owned one, so I would not know the procedure. But, I'm sure there are instruction on the internet.

Now if you want, you can by a cheap router, and connect that router to you Iphone hotspot. Now you should be able use your Chromecast.

You could just buy a cheap Apply TV, and use it with your Iphone to send the signal to the TV, via HDMI cable.

Just remember, if you don't have a in motion satellite, the family will not be able to watch TV while traveling.

I have Direct TV and AT&T, so I get to watch my Direct TV for free on my Iphone 5s and the wife Iphone 7 Plus. They do not charge me data to watch my Direct TV with the Direct TV App. Just food for thought. She loves watching her news program while I'm driving. Sometimes, I'll mirror this to the TV in the Living Area. I also, have a stationary satellite with Direct Tv on the motor home. So, once we get to our destination, I swap everything over to that system.

Anyway, you just about have all the info I know. Hope it helps.

One Last Note: Apple TV does not mirror Direct TV, it has some problems, but does work well with other programs. When I mirror, I use my Nexus 7 2013 Tablet Phone.

[hawkeye1995]

Might add that the Push2TV router I use for miracasting my Nexus 7 2013 is a "Netgear Push2Tv PTV3000 Model." It is the only one that will work, the other and older models are for computers. They are no longer in production. I had to buy mine from EBAY. I bought it used, but in very good condition for about 40 dollars. New ones are about 120 plus dollars and way up!!! I had to revert my Operating System on the Nexus 7 2013 back to KitKat 4.4 to make it work, it would not work with the version 6.0 Marshmallow. Anyway, good luck.