No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

[Shez17]

We're moving house tomorrow and have been told the next available date to connect our broadband there is in 2-3 weeks, I understand we may get live tv on sky glass without the router but was wondering if buying a tv wifi dongle would let us watch the tv as normal until the broadband is installed? Thanks in advance

[TimmyBGood · Accepted solution]

@Shez17 

You would need a cellular router ('portable hotspot') rather than any 'dongle': you can't plug anything like that into the television itself, although a cellular router with ethernet is an (expensive) option. Tethering from a mobile phone might work too, but both of these rely on data arriving from local 4G or 5G being fast enough.

[Shez17]

Thanks for replying, I'm not very clued up sorry, was going to buy this if you know if it would work? 

Tekeir Universal Smart TV WiFi Dongle - Instant Wireless Adapter - Easy Setup

Thanks

[GD1]

@Shez17  No  a dongle won't work as advised by @TimmyBGood you need a portable wifi device such as here

[TimmyBGood]

@Shez17 

No, that's for an entirely different and rather eccentric purpose (connecting a smart television with an ethernet socket but no on-board WiFi to a broadband router or wireless access point: there are basically no such devices these days)

[TimmyBGood]

@Shez17 

As @GD1 indicates, you need a good signal to the new address from a local 4G or (preferably) 5G phone mast, a SIM card with a generous data allowance from a network using that mast, and a cellular router (with or without ethernet)

[Chrisee]

@Shez17 if you do use mobile data be careful as watching in UHD will seriously munch data at up to 14GB per hour (sport is the worst) HD is better at 3 to 6GB per hour. You can change the default stream quality in the settings.

[Jones_The_Cat]

@Shez17 

If you already have a mobile phone with the ability to create a hotspot then you can just use that without the need for buying any additional hardware. 

As @Chrisee points out - you really will need an unlimited data plan and a very strong, stable signal for it to work effectively though. It'll also chew through your mobile battery very quickly so you'll need to keep it plugged into the mains while you use it. 

Maybe worth doing a test first - use a speedtest app on your phone to see what 4G or 5G data speeds you can receive near where the TV will be positioned. If it's strong and fast then you could maybe add an unlimited data bundle to your plan for a month. 

[Exiled-in-HH]

@Shez17 if you do not have BB that device can not work😉

[Shez17]

Thank you for tbe Amazon link, will I need a sim card with data to use it as others say it'll eat data? 

[Exiled-in-HH]

That device is not a mobile telecomms device.  It is a device that connects to a BB router using wifi🤔

[Exiled-in-HH]

Do you have high quality 4G or rather 5G mobile reception at your address?

Search the internet for....

"5g mobile router with sim slot unlocked"

[Jones_The_Cat]

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@Exiled-in-HH wrote:

That device is not a mobile telecomms device.  It is a device that connects to a BB router using wifi🤔

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It is a portable travel router into which you insert a SIM card. It doesn't connect to a BB router. 

[Jones_The_Cat]

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@Shez17 wrote:

Thank you for tbe Amazon link, will I need a sim card with data to use it as others say it'll eat data? 

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You will need a SIM card - an unlimted data SIM would be ideal, but again, make sure there is sufficient signal at your new address in the first place. If you get poor 4G/5G reception then it'll be a total waste of time and money. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Shez17 

A cellular router requires a SIM, yes: this can be PAYG or contract. 

  As @Jones_The_Cat noted, 'tethering' from a mobile does the same thing, but a router may be more convenient.

Yes, streaming eats data.  Even at 12Mbs (less than half the speed which Sky recommends for HD on Glass) a single hour of television will use up 5GB of an allowance.