Apple TV instead of Satellite

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by Bradshell31

The directv app doesn’t allow casting/mirroring. Wish it did, I would have tore down my dish a long time ago.

There’s a workaround for that.

Turn on iPhone personal hotspot
Connect iPad to hotspot
Start DirectTV on the iPad
Mirror the iPad display to the TV via AppleTV, or connect the iPad via HDMI cable.

You can connect the AppleTV to the phone via hotspot but you will be charged for data use if you run the DirectTV app on the AppleTV box.

I also carry two “hotspot” boxes...one for AT&T and the other for Verizon. Each has unlimited data subject to “management” after 22 gigs of use, depending on congestion. The only time you should see this is at a very crowded event like a football game, Nascar race, etc.

So, between an iPhone hotspot, two “mifi” boxes and three AppleTV receivers it is an extremely rare situation when I can’t have something working. BTW...my data use on all these devices usually totals 300-450 gigs per month.

If you have a Verizon post-paid plan (not the true unlimited plans from 4-5 years back) you will be throttled to 600 kbps when you exceed 15 gig of HOTSPOT use.

[JohnNJean]

We haven't turned on our Dish account since we found that the Verison prepaid hotspot account really is unlimited - or, at least we or anyone we know has hit a limit, yet.


It has to be a prepaid account and it has to be a hotspot/mifi (no phone hotspot).


Very rarely, if you're way out in the boonies, streaming does slow down late in the evening when the whole world is hitting the same tower, but it usually just degrades the picture quality for a little while. We generally don't have any problem in metro areas with decent 4G coverage.

[Rookiewood]

I have been using Apple TV for years in my camper and we love it.
I have one of the old Verizon unlimited plans. When it rains we ( kids, wife and I ) tap to my hotspot for 2 Apple TV's and 1 Amazon FireTV at the same time. We cancelled cable TV and we are using DirecTV Now and Netflix all the time.
Love it !!!

[pplatts]

I don't have home satellite, so I use a purely streaming service called Directvnow on Apple TV connected to either WIFI or my AT&T hotspot in the RV. This service does not require any satellite equipment at home or on the RV but obviously is dependent on either a WIFI connection or decent cellular signal. With this service (paid subscription), you can also view your programming directly on your smart phone, tablet, or PC.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by Bradshell31

The directv app doesn’t allow casting/mirroring. Wish it did, I would have tore down my dish a long time ago.

The app does not allow it, as you stated, so they can sell you DIRECTVnow for $39.95 a month. Supposedly it can be "side loaded" but I could never get it to work (on Amazon Fire Stick.)

[morganrc1955]

Originally Posted by IchLiebeBier

I was going to try to do this the last time we went out, but I forgot to take the stupid little AppleTV remote. The remote control app wouldn't work, because the AppleTV wasn't set to my phone hotspot. I couldn't set the AppleTV to my hotspot because the phone wouldn't connect.

Take away...don't forget your AppleTV remote.

Let us know how it works.

You can download an Apple TV remote app for your iPhone and Android. Works great.

[TheHog]

We also have AT&T cell service with the unlimited plan. We also have DirecTV. Our 5vr dosen't currently have a smart TV. So we purchased a "Dongle" from Amazon for less then 30 bucks. This allows you to mirror cast your phone to your TV. If you have a smart TV you already have this. Both without an internet connection or using your phone as a hotspot.
We simply open the DirecTV app start watching our shows. It uses your phone data without wifi, just your data. Which when using your AT&T data and the DirecTV app it uses no data and no slow down speed. As advertised.
We have been using it this way for over a year and it works great.
The only draw back is how strong of a signal you have. Works fine with as little as one bar. AT&T has excellent coverage areas so we have yet to have any issues.
Plus we still can use our antenna for local channels and cable when provided. All you need to do is change inputs.

Happy Camping

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by TheHog

We also have AT&T cell service with the unlimited plan. We also have DirecTV. Our 5vr dosen't currently have a smart TV. So we purchased a "Dongle" from Amazon for less then 30 bucks. This allows you to mirror cast your phone to your TV. If you have a smart TV you already have this. Both without an internet connection or using your phone as a hotspot.
We simply open the DirecTV app start watching our shows. It uses your phone data without wifi, just your data. Which when using your AT&T data and the DirecTV app it uses no data and no slow down speed. As advertised.
We have been using it this way for over a year and it works great.
The only draw back is how strong of a signal you have. Works fine with as little as one bar. AT&T has excellent coverage areas so we have yet to have any issues.
Plus we still can use our antenna for local channels and cable when provided. All you need to do is change inputs.

Happy Camping

Can you provide a link to this dongle? Fire Stick will not do this.

[Tx2Stepn]

I have a grandfathered unlimited Verizon plan and if we have good reception I have used dishanywhere on my Firestick, but I usually put the dish up. It cost me $7 month because I have dish at home.

[formerFR]

SPEED vs DATA

...while some here may argue that a plan with a certain hotspot or wifi device will somehow give you 'unlimited' streaming, it's very unlikely that a 'device' somehow gives you something for 'nothing' - Data, yes...Speed, no... I would read the fine print, as with any hotspot or wifi cell-based device is going to have restrictions.
A hotspot, whether your phone or a device, may be at a 10g or 15g restriction, depending on your carrier, or plan, but will not cut you 'off', but may then be so slow as to be almost unusable, even for basic websites, much less streaming.
You can ALWAYS continue to watch or stream ON YOUR PHONE, as yes, it is truly unlimited, though even IT can still be subject to general slow downs - read the fine print.

Many of us can go months using our phone in almost any capacity we can think of, and not see any slow down - but that does not mean we somehow have 'unlimited' SPEED - we really only have 'unlimited' DATA - two very different things.

What most of us are accustomed to now is 'unlimited' DATA - but the change is now becoming the restriction of the SPEED at which we are growing more and more in demand for - especially for heavy downloads of files, or streaming of content, whether a tv or movie service, or a video service.

DATA is no longer the issue.

[Decon Blue]

Originally Posted by Bradshell31

The directv app doesn’t allow casting/mirroring. Wish it did, I would have tore down my dish a long time ago.

DIRECTTVNOW allows Mirroring, but I do believe that DIRECT TV does not without going against your data usage.

[just4u_cara]

Originally Posted by diver165

I guess it's good if you have unlimited data and a good cell connection. You can't really rely on WiFi at campgrounds. Most will have streaming ports locked down or be so overloaded their useless.

^^This.

Our park has great cell signal from M-Th. Once the weekend hits and *everybody* and their dawg/cat are on the system, you'd almost be quicker to walk your message to your buddy down the trail than to hit <send>.

No way you could stream on weekends. We have a sat dish & remote for our site. The receiver gets packed each trip there/home.

[Rookiewood]

Unless you have one of the grandfathered “real” unlimited data plans.....

[Tx2Stepn]

Originally Posted by Rookiewood

Unless you have one of the grandfathered “real” unlimited data plans.....

My family thought I was nuts when I made them keep the "original" unlimited plan, now they thank me. My 2 sisters, 1 brother in law, hubby, 2 sons and I all kept our plan on our phones. When you add hotspot it is unlimited, unlike the new plans and no throttling.

[RandK-M]

I cut the cable and phone cord at home except for my 200MB internet and now use DirecTV Now with 4k FireTV Nice thing about DirecTV Now is that I like HBO and they have it the cheapest at $5 per month. Combine that with my free Netflix from T-Mobile unlimited and my Amazon Prime video and I can watch everything anywhere I have decent internet cheaper than I used to pay the cable company for the TV and phone. Most places that we go to regularly, I have good LTE and can use it as a hot spot.

[TheHog]

http://https://www.amazon.com/Displa...yZL&ref=plSrch

[TheHog]

I'm sorry I guess my link did not work. I have a screen shot, but I dont know how to post it.

Wifi Display Dongle Miracast DLNA Airplay Wireless display HDMI adaptor TV Stick dongle for iPhone Android IOS
$15.99 amazon.com

[TheHog]

[Boomerweps]

Just bought and received, but have not tested yet, a lightning to HDMI jack connector via Amazon. It does have to powered by another lightning connected power supply. In theory, I should be able to parallel whatever is on my iPhone or iPad into a television.
I do have ATT & DIRECTV so I should be TV enabled, plus I have unlimited data I can use with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Hope to experiment with it this weekend.

[RandK-M]

Originally Posted by Boomerweps

Just bought and received, but have not tested yet, a lightning to HDMI jack connector via Amazon. It does have to powered by another lightning connected power supply. In theory, I should be able to parallel whatever is on my iPhone or iPad into a television.
I do have ATT & DIRECTV so I should be TV enabled, plus I have unlimited data I can use with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Hope to experiment with it this weekend.

I tried that as an experiment with my lightning to HDMI, but it didn't work, I get my phones home screen on the TV, but as soon as I try to stream a show, it all goes black . I think DirecTV Now has restrictions on outputting the feed like that. I do know quite a few companies like Netflix and my old cable company's app does that. For the camper, I just use a Fire TV stick and that works fine as long as I have decent LTE signal on my phone that I can use as a hotspot for the Fire TV.



By the way, if you do go the Fire Stick route, it has to be 2nd generation or higher since there were updates to the DirecTV Now app.


Ray