As an exasperated owner of a smart TV, I recently found myself wondering if I could connect my iPhone hotspot to my TV. After all, I had heard that it was possible, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. So, I set out on a mission to figure out the answer to this question. After doing some research and doing some testing, I am pleased to report that, yes, you can connect your iPhone hotspot to your smart TV.
In this blog post, I will share my experience and explain how I was able to make the connection, as well as some other solutions I discovered in my research.
| Tips: |
|---|
| You can connect your iPhone hotspot to your smart TV. |
| To connect them, turn on the personal hotspot on your iPhone and select the network option on your TV. |
| Connection issues may arise due to password protection, compatibility, a turned-off hotspot, or DNS settings. |
| Using your iPhone’s hotspot may result in slower connections, low battery, difficulty multitasking, and additional charges. |
| Consider the limitations before using your iPhone’s hotspot to watch TV. |
Table of Contents
How to Connect My Smart TV to My iPhone Hotspot?
Setting up your iPhone’s hotspot to connect to your smart TV is easy. However, you need first to make sure that the smart TV is compatible with your iPhone, though most smart TVs are.
To connect the two devices, simply follow these steps:
- On your iPhone, go to settings.
- Go to the personal hotspot.
- Turn it on.
- On your Smart TV, go to settings.
- Choose the network option to see a list of the networks available.
- Select your iPhone hotspot. If you don’t see it, turn off the WIFI on your iPhone and turn it on again.
What if My Smart TV Doesn’t Connect to My iPhone Hotspot?
Not being able to connect your smart TV to your iPhone hotspot can be due to several reasons, including:
Password Protection
Sometimes, your iPhone hotspot is password-protected. Make sure to enter the correct password on your smart TV.
Lack of Compatibility
Your smart TV must support WIFI in order to be able to connect to your iPhone’s hotspot. Otherwise, the two devices can’t connect for lack of compatibility.
Hotspot Off
You must make sure that your iPhone’s personal hotspot is turned on. If it’s set, check with your network provider and make sure your plan supports internet access.
Reboot
Sometimes, everything is OK, but you still can’t connect the device to your iPhone hotspot. If so, you might need to reboot both devices.
Update
In some cases, connecting your device requires that your iPhone has the latest version of iOS. Therefore, make sure you update your iPhone to connect it to the smart TV.
Reset Your iPhone
Sometimes, you need to reset your network settings rather than reboot your device. To do so, open the settings of your iPhone. Go to the General tab, and choose Transfer or Reset. There, you can choose the option Reset Network Settings.
Too Many Connections
There may be many devices connected to your iPhone’s hotspot. If this is the case, your TV won’t have room to connect.
Hotspots can typically handle only a certain number of connections. Therefore, to solve this problem, disconnect all devices and connect your smart TV alone.
DNS Settings
In some particular cases, the problem is with the DNS settings of your smart TV. Wrong DNS settings can hinder connectivity. To fix this issue, you should manually change the DNS settings of your smart TV and try again.
The Problems of Using Your Hotspot to Watch TV
Although connecting your smart TV to your iPhone’s hotspot is easy, it has some limitations. Therefore, don’t try to use it permanently to replace your WIFI connection. Here’s a list of reasons:
Slower Connection
The download rate from hotspot connections can be slower than that of home networks. Therefore, it might not be a good idea to use mobile data for streaming and downloading.
You Can’t Juggle
When using your iPhone’s hotspot, you might face problems with streaming videos if you’re using your phone for another purpose. The videos may stutter or freeze. In this case, you may have to reboot the device more often.
Low Battery, Low Performance
If your battery starts to run low, you’ll face slower connection speeds. Therefore, if you’re planning to use your iPhone’s hotspot, make sure it’s fully charged.
Extra Charges
Even with an unlimited plan, your mobile data isn’t designed to support your smart TV permanently. If you’re using a limited data plan, you can get charged a lot of money for extra usage.
However, the expenses aren’t the only problem with over-usage. Your download and upload speeds are usually a lot slower when you go beyond the limit set by your plan.
You can solve these problems with an unlimited data plan, which allows you to stream videos smoothly. However, this unlimited plan also has some restrictions.
For instance, some unlimited plans come with a reduced resolution, which means that the colors and details won’t be vivid. The choice is yours if this is a compromise you can accept.
Conclusion
Can my smart TV connect to my iPhone hotspot? Yes, it can, and it’s rather simple. In case it doesn’t work, there are plenty of ways to troubleshoot this problem.
However, there are some limitations to connecting your smart TV to your iPhone hotspot. For example, using your mobile data can result in extra charges or bad quality.
Now, you know how to connect, and it’s your call whether you accept the associated problems.
Read more: Google Home can’t turn on Samsung TV
