Existing TV "Service" in the truck

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Grumppy, Nov 26, 2022.

  1. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Ok, I'm always about 20 years behind on technology.
    I keep hearing you guys talking about having TV service from your home... in your truck also.

    Ok I have Xfinity at home. What is involved & how do I get my service at home on my TV in the truck?

    If its via internet, I have AT&T on my phone & I use the hotspot for my laptop but under the plan I have, its only about 9 gigs a month plus rollover which usually gives me about 13 - 14 GB a month cause I dont use that much.
    I tried watching a football game years ago on my laptop using my hotspot & it uses about a gig an hour like that.
    So, if indeed my initial question requires internet to watch Xfinity in the truck, I'll need to do something different. I'll also note that I am only out over night about once per week on average. Sometimes not even that much. Most of my stuff is under 500 a day round trip back to the yard.

    So, lets not get side tracked here, my initial question is, what is required to, and how do I get/watch my Xfinity service at home on my TV in the truck?
     
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  3. 062

    062 Road Train Member

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    Looks like there’s a app for that...
    9EF1F802-2FE2-402B-AF05-103A1BA601E9.png
     
  4. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    OK, that will allow me to watch it on my phone correct? How do I get the service to the TV?
    Is that what its for? Does the app get the service from the phone to the TV?

    When it comes to this... I NOT smarter than a 5th grader.
     
  5. 062

    062 Road Train Member

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    I haven’t watched tv in two years and it was rabbit ears then. I would imagine that if you have a smart tv,then you pair it with your phone. Probably have to wait for a techy type to show up.
     
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  6. Arctic_fox

    Arctic_fox Experienced mx13 execrator

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    There are a few ways to do it. The easiest is via satalite.

    https://www.amazon.com/KING-DTP4950-DISH-Tailgater-Bundle/dp/B07GXY8WR8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=57581225433&gclid=Cj0KCQiAj4ecBhD3ARIsAM4Q_jHL-v2R5-aowCtHQPDJIblFZ7IPQpKLklZ0luKdpLgCCepRyNw1IIcaApFKEALw_wcB&hvadid=274701150953&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9017856&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18257306857087973863&hvtargid=kwd-309150903746&hydadcr=26676_9616625&keywords=best+satellite+tv+for+truckers&qid=1669478481&sr=8-1-spons&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSlZJR1pWVDBEUkQyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUyNzAwMlMxOUhUWlBPODlJJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyNTE2MTExVUdQOUpWR1dPQjBVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

    Its basically a pay for what you want plan same as dish TV but a tad pricey. It is however literally plug and play.

    Verizon also offers both a home and business internet mobile service. You gotta talk to them about which is best. I use the business one which is $107 a month for 300 gigs of high speed internet. I think AT&T offers a simular service. It doesnt work everywhere as a warning though. And you will need a smart TV to hook to the internet and a service like netflix or whatever to watch shows.

    Lastly you can get starlink. Starlink if you get their RV service you can use it literally anywhere.....as long as the weather is somewhat good. Just like sat TV if your in a rageing blizzard or thunderstorm you may have some issues. However its a hybrid between old style sat TV and new style mobile internet. And im pretty sure you get both with the serive. Dont quote me on that though as i have never used it.

    There are also hotspot plans from various carriers but those are the most expensive and worst overall options. There is also a way to stream from your phone to your TV but its pretty complicated to set up and doesnt always provide the best results.
     
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  7. buzzarddriver

    buzzarddriver Road Train Member

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  8. Siinman

    Siinman Road Train Member

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    You can get an Amazon Fire Stick and connect it to your tv. Then hook it up to your Hotspot and down load the app to your service provider. If you have an amazon account you can watch stuff for free as well. You said you have AT&T and I do as well, my plan has 40 GB of Hot Spot. Also depending on what phone you have sometimes you can teather your phone to the TV and watch what is on your phone. If you have unlimited you can watch as much as you want on phone and same with it being tethered. Other ways you can add another line and use that as a streaming device but that is more expensive.
     
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  9. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Xfinity has Xfinity Stream. Where you can watch MOST of the channels on your Xfinity TV package online. Like you say it uses a lot of data. On a small screen like phone or tablet you don't need to watch at HD. Standard Definition is good enough. About 1 year ago I got rid of my Xfinity cable TV sevice, saving over$150/month. I watch live TV using USTVGO.TV. It's a web site. About half of the channels require you to use a VPN. I use NordVPN. A VPN hides your computer's/phones IP and your location. For example, I can watch any of the ESPN channels listed on USTVGO.TV if I use a VPN. The VPN costs me about $99/year. USTVGO.TV streams those channels in standard definition.

    Your options depend mostly on what shows, sports, channels you watch. Some shows or channels are only available by paying a fee to the network. Luckily, there are copy-cat shows, or old shows, or alternatives similar to what you currently watch. I use an Amazon Fire 4K device plugged into my home TV, and I had one connecetd to the TV in the truck. If you have an Amazon Prime account it provides a lot of TV for no additional fees. Nothing is as easy to use as cable TV, but almost every alternative is less expensive than cable TV.
     
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  10. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    You only get Xfinity Stream if you are paying for Xfinity TV service at home. Stream allows Xfinity customers to watch many of the channels on your phone or tablet by logging into your Xfinity account. I don't think Xfinity allows non-Xfinity TV customers to use stream. So Stream is like a free add-on, used by your digital devices, if you are paying for TV at home from Xfinity.

    I found it easier to just use my phone or tablet and go to the USTVGO.TV website and pick a channel to watch. It doesn't have every channel, but it has many of the channels I would watch but it costs nothing to use. My Xfinity Mobile cellphone service gives me 20 GB of data per month for my $45/mo bill.
     
  11. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Amazon Fire Stick is $35 and also plugs into the TV's HDMI port. You need an Amazon Prime account, otherwise there is no cost to use it. I pay $59 for Xfinity internet and use Amazon Fire Stick in every TV. I don't have any bill for TV, just an internet bill.
     
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