Smart TV's in an RV, are they worth it?

[Comanchecreek]

I have a Summit 50 inch TV that came with my Crusader 315 RST. It works well, but I'm pondering a "Smart" TV such as a Roku or other system. I'm wondering, given the sad state of RV Wifi across the country if the changeover is worth it. I know most parks do not support streaming so I'm thinking such a purchase would be a waste of money. What do you all think, and what kind of success have any of you had that use one?

[jimmcg29]

I wouldn't get a new tv. I would just get a streaming stick that plugs into the tv. Roku or Fire whatever. that would be cheaper and the smart technology gets outdated before the TV.

[NJKris]

What jimmcg said ^^^^^^^^^^^

[Comanchecreek]

I've thought of that. Only reason to go with a newer TV is the upgrade in fidelity between 2015, (when it was made) and the present evolution of TV's, although this TV isn't bad. My question on functionality remains the same. Are any of you using these in an actual park/camping situation?

[SeaDog]

X3 I use a fire stick and have had good luck (side note the fire tv stick works much better then the roku I had) imho

[NJKris]

Have the Firestick but rarely use it, because campground wifi usually sucks. I guess I can connect it to phone hotspot, but I can't be bothered with TV when I"m camping. Works great in my driveway off my home wifi network though!

[Rolland]

Ours came with a dumb TV bring along a Roku from the house. Only way I would go to a smart TV is if I want a TV I’m the garage for when I’m spending time there, then the trailer gets the upgrade.

Most places we go doesn’t have wifi so I use the phones hotspot connection

[5picker]

This is really only a question YOU can answer.

Some folks go camping to get away from TVs. Their opinion is likely not going to help those wanting to watch 4k.

Others (as I found out yesterday) want super high resolution to do gaming for hours. (they must not enjoy the outdoors)

Campground WIFI mostly doesn't support smart TVs or streaming sticks.
A personal hotspot with LOTS of data is necessary to watch 4k video.

A streaming stick is a personal choice too. An Amazon Firestick might mean more to those with Amazon Prime Memberships than a ROKU. A ROKU has a slightly different platform and some apps available on a Firestick are not available on a ROKU and vice-versa.

[lazyjj]

I have unlimited hot spot on my cell so as long as I have signal I have plenty of data to stream what I need. I also used this same hot spot to work from my rig many days last year while working from home due to COVID. I never was throttled. I am not a huge TV watcher but on rainy days or during college football I do love to watch the games. We purchased a Vizio smart tv for our rig but I also take a fire stick as well. We are also subscribed to Dish network at home so we have a King Tailgater Sattelite Dish with Wally receiver that stays in the RV as well.

[doc73]

We travel with a 9 year old so it is nice to have a TV for her when she is up at 6am. We ended up with fire sticks because like was said the tech changes so much and often TVs are hard if not impossible to add stuff. We bought a TV a bit ago and they do not have the rights to Discovery + for example. But with a fire stick it is part of the process to download the app and all is well. The TVs they "give" in the RVs tend to be pretty sparse as well so it lets me keep it as a cheaper smart TV. We use a hotspot and unlimited data for ours.

[NavyLCDR]

I do the same as lazyjj, I use my cell phone hotspot to stream TV. I've thought about upgrading the 32" in my trailer to a smart TV because now to stream I usually connect my computer. Mostly just for Saturday morning cartoons or football games, though.

[Boomerweps]

Originally Posted by doc73

The TVs they "give" in the RVs tend to be pretty sparse as well so it lets me keep it as a cheaper smart TV. We use a hotspot and unlimited data for ours.

WAIT.
They GAVE you a TV with your RV?

Seriously, I had bought a "smart" DVD player for the house spare bedroom and that migrated (legally) to the RV when I upgraded the TV there.
Every time I upgrade my primary television, the others get moved to the secondary locations, ending at the RV (if it can handle the size). RV currently has a smart 22". I have a larger smart TV for the RV but I'm afraid it might be too big for the TV wall.

[doc73]

Gotten TV's with the last 2 RVs

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

I do the same as lazyjj, I use my cell phone hotspot to stream TV. I've thought about upgrading the 32" in my trailer to a smart TV because now to stream I usually connect my computer. Mostly just for Saturday morning cartoons or football games, though.

As long as you have an HDMI port on your TV, for a 20 dollar Firestick you now have a smart TV complete with voice control.

[rgriff11]

Originally Posted by Comanchecreek

I have a Summit 50 inch TV that came with my Crusader 315 RST. It works well, but I'm pondering a "Smart" TV such as a Roku or other system. I'm wondering, given the sad state of RV Wifi across the country if the changeover is worth it. I know most parks do not support streaming so I'm thinking such a purchase would be a waste of money. What do you all think, and what kind of success have any of you had that use one?

I cancelled Dish TV and put Roku devices on my three TVs. Got Nomad unlimited internet, which provides internet for all TVs as well as laptops and phones. The service is truly unlimited high speed WIFI. A little pricey at $150.00 a month but it provides two services (TV and Internet access) in one. The hotspot will work anywhere. I use it for internet in my shop when we're not on the road.

[Craig and Carol]

Should you decide to buy another television, DO NOT buy a TCL product. I did and have had nothing but problems with the cable input; the customer support leaves a lot to be desired, and the warranty is worthless: they replaced my new set that was less than four months old with a REFURBISHED set that I was assured would solve the problem. It didn't. Do not walk away...RUN!!!!

[clives]

The Forest River dealer gave me a free 3050DS class C when I bought 3 TV's from them

We have one more TV than people most trips

[Diverman]

Yes, I upgraded both TV's in our camper to smart TV's. The main reason was to play movies and recorded shows directly from my USB sticks. When we have good wifi or link to a hot spot from phone, the added apps are a bonus. TV's are really cheap during the holidays. Just my 2 cents worth. Lol

[Comanchecreek]

After looking at the new TV's I decided I couldn't beat a $25 Roku Express. (Thanks to those making that recommendation). We don't use the TV that much during our "camping" trips. I was just looking for an alternative for the 2 months we spend at the beach in an RV park in Texas. I decided the changeover to a smart TV wasn't really worth it considering the TV I have is functional, and with a Roku I get most of the features anyway. I can afford 25 bucks to try it out, and if it doesn't work very well, I'm not out a bunch of money. The park we stay in down there charges $30 a month for cable, and their cable service is probably as iffy as the Roku will be. I'm going to look into hotspot services for my cell phone. That would be a great alternative for anywhere we plan to go.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Craig and Carol

Should you decide to buy another television, DO NOT buy a TCL product. I did and have had nothing but problems with the cable input; the customer support leaves a lot to be desired, and the warranty is worthless: they replaced my new set that was less than four months old with a REFURBISHED set that I was assured would solve the problem. It didn't. Do not walk away...RUN!!!!

Oh crap, I bought one of those for my parents this past Spring. They have it in bedroom and only stream stuff on it, they seem very happy so far, hopefully it continues to be good for them. At least it was very affordable if it does go South. At this rate, it may outlast them!