Replies

Technically, no, you do not need a cable connection. What you need is Internet, wired or wireless, connectivity.

Now many people get Internet thru their cable company. In effect, they have a broadband coaxial connection using the same wire cable TV comes in on.

However, in many cases, they’re not the only game in town. Your local phone company might offer a similar broadband connection, or DSL, or even old fashioned modem-like technology, but sped up considerable. Some folks, especially in rural areas without cable TV use satellite Internet.

What I’ve found is using my smart phone as a Internet sharing device can also work.

I have Verizon, as it has coverage in my area no one else has. I actually went to an unlimited data plan that wound up CHEAPER than my previous plan!

Now, compared to cable Internet, my phone’s bandwidth is much slower. I’m getting about 5 Mpbs, vice 25 Mbps on the cable. However, it is enough to pull good content from Roku’s built-in wireless adapter to make a high-quality 55” 4K video and sound TV experience, as long as I don’t add a bunch of other devices on to it.

What I’ve found is using my smart phone as a Internet sharing device can also work.

I have Verizon, as it has coverage in my area no one else has. I actually went to an unlimited data plan that wound up CHEAPER than my previous plan!

I was living for a while with my nephew and his family as I was in between jobs and relocating.

He had Direct TV Now, their streaming service. And I liked it. I used my laptop to stream just about any channel I wanted (sans the local and network TV channels which I rarely ever watch anyway).

So when I moved into my new home last month, I upgraded my ATT cellular service to their unlimited data plan and added the Direct TV Now and I got HBO and a free Roku and a free mobile hot spot (basically I can connect any internet enabled devices to my phone for internet access, my Kindle for example, to my phone instead of to my Comcast internet).

I still got Comcast for high speed internet because I wasn’t sure how reliable the mobile hot spot was going to be and sometimes I have to work from home with a work laptop and need a reliable internet connection.

But the bottom line is that the total of my new ATT bill with the Direct TV Now and combined with the most basic Comcast TV and internet is nearly $75 per month cheaper overall than what I would have paid for my previous not-unlimited ATT plan and a comparable Comcast plan, i.e. all the channels I get with Direct TV Now. Plus with the Roku I can watch movies and shows on my Amazon Prime and Netflix and also play music through my TV on my Pandora free account. I can also watch TV on my phone from anywhere. And the Direct TV Now app doesn’t count toward my “unlimited data” meaning that I won’t get throttled for using data for that.

Comcast wasn’t able to get my internet connection working properly at first (frustrating and long story) so I was using my mobile hot spot.

It was a bit slower and not as good as a resolution for watching TV via the Roku, but not all that bad either.

As the technology advances I can see myself ditching Comcast entirely and I look forward to that day.