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Discussion topic: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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This message was authored by Shez17 This message was authored by: Shez17

No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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


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This message was authored by TimmyBGood This message was authored by: TimmyBGood Answer

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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.

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Sky Glass 55" (on ethernet) & two Stream Pucks (one ethernet / one WiFi)
BT Halo 3+ Ultrafast FTTP (500Mbs), BT Smart Hub 2

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This message was authored by TimmyBGood This message was authored by: TimmyBGood Answer

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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.

* * * * * * *

Sky Glass 55" (on ethernet) & two Stream Pucks (one ethernet / one WiFi)
BT Halo 3+ Ultrafast FTTP (500Mbs), BT Smart Hub 2
Shez17
Topic Author
This message was authored by Shez17 This message was authored by: Shez17

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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

This message was authored by GD1 This message was authored by: GD1

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

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

Like you I'm a customer here, Sky Employees are clearly identified as such.
43" Glass TV & Puck Whole Home
Please note I only provide help on the main forums and not via PM, PM's are switched off.


This message was authored by TimmyBGood This message was authored by: TimmyBGood

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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)

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Sky Glass 55" (on ethernet) & two Stream Pucks (one ethernet / one WiFi)
BT Halo 3+ Ultrafast FTTP (500Mbs), BT Smart Hub 2
This message was authored by TimmyBGood This message was authored by: TimmyBGood

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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)

 

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Sky Glass 55" (on ethernet) & two Stream Pucks (one ethernet / one WiFi)
BT Halo 3+ Ultrafast FTTP (500Mbs), BT Smart Hub 2
This message was authored by Chrisee This message was authored by: Chrisee

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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.

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65inch Sky Glass, 3 Sky Streaming Pucks, Sky Ultrafast + and Sky SR213(white Wifi Max hub) main Wifi from 3 TP-Link Deco M4 units in access point mode
This message was authored by Jones_The_Cat This message was authored by: Jones_The_Cat

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

@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. 

This message was authored by Exiled-in-HH This message was authored by: Exiled-in-HH

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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

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Shez17
Topic Author
This message was authored by Shez17 This message was authored by: Shez17

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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

This message was authored by Exiled-in-HH This message was authored by: Exiled-in-HH

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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

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This message was authored by Exiled-in-HH This message was authored by: Exiled-in-HH

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

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"

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This message was authored by Jones_The_Cat This message was authored by: Jones_The_Cat

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?


@Exiled-in-HH wrote:

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


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

This message was authored by Jones_The_Cat This message was authored by: Jones_The_Cat

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?


@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? 


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. 

This message was authored by TimmyBGood This message was authored by: TimmyBGood

Re: No broadband, would a wifi tv dongle work?

Posted by a Superuser, not a Sky employee. Find out more

@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.

* * * * * * *

Sky Glass 55" (on ethernet) & two Stream Pucks (one ethernet / one WiFi)
BT Halo 3+ Ultrafast FTTP (500Mbs), BT Smart Hub 2
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