WiFi connections are essential when streaming from your smartphone, laptop, or smart TV. You can stream using various streaming services, like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and others. However, smart TVs are what most people are using for streaming, due to their large screens and richer colors.
But what if you don’t have any WiFi connection available near you? Maybe your wifi keeps disconnecting? Can you cast to a TV without WiFi? In this guide, we’ll discuss several options for streaming from a phone to a smart TV without using a WiFi connection.
How to Mirror Phone to TV Without WiFi
Screen Mirror your Phone using AirPlay (iOS Devices Only)
If you have saved some movies, videos, or other related media on your iPhone, you can mirror your phone to your TV without using a WiFi connection. Though, this requires you to have a third-generation Apple TV that is running on version seven or higher.
You can stream movies from the internet through your phone if your phone has its own internet connection (eg through a SIM card). If there is No App Store on your Apple TV then you can mirror apps from your phone onto your TV.
To mirror your iPhone to an Apple TV using AirPlay, follow these steps:
- Turn your iPhone’s WiFi Off by going to Settings > WiFi then toggling it to Off. Alternatively, from the bottom of your screen, swipe upwards to open the Control Center. Tap the WiFi icon to turn it Off.
- Also, turn off the WiFi setting on your Apple TV. Navigate to Settings > Network > Forget this network.
- Then, enable the Bluetooth setting on your Apple TV and iPhone. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth then tap the switch to turn it to On. Or, open the Control Center and tap the Bluetooth icon to toggle it On.
- Next, on your Apple TV, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn it On.
- Go to Settings > Airplay and tap the Everyone option.
- On your iPhone, turn the WiFi back on. Go to the Control Center and find the name of your Apple TV.
- Select it to connect. You can now watch the saved movies and series on your iPhone using your Apple TV.
If you are casting to a Vizio TV and this method is not working, please check out our guide on how to setup airplay on a Vizio TV.
If this method seems a bit complicated, them maybe trying to fix the wifi issue would be simpler. Please read what to do when your iPhone Keeps Disconnecting From WiFi.
If you liked this iPhone information, please read how to record calls on iPhone without an app.
Screen Mirror an Android Device to your Smart TV
- On your Android phone, go to Settings > WiFi Direct and enable the feature.
- Then, on your smart TV, go to Settings > WiFi Direct and let it search for nearby devices.
- On your phone, select the smart TV’s name to initiate a connection to your TV.
- Accept the connection on your smart TV. You can now view all saved movies, series, or other media that’s saved on your Android phone. Not sure where your files are? Find the saved items on your Android phone.
Mirror your Device Using Bluetooth
You can mirror your smartphone to a smart TV by using Bluetooth. It is possible due to the Miracast technology that’s built in on most modern smart TVs today. It mainly uses a Bluetooth connection on both your smartphone and smart TV.
Here’s how to mirror your phone to your TV using Bluetooth:
- Turn on your smart TV and go to Settings > Connectivity > Bluetooth and turn it to On.
- Also, on your phone, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn it to On.
- From the list of Bluetooth devices, search for your smart TV and tap to connect.
- Once it is connected, you can now play your saved movies and series on your phone’s gallery.
Tip: If you have enough credits on your Mobile or Cellular data, you can also turn it on to search for movies directly on the installed streaming apps on your device.
We have even more methods in our guide on Casting Oculus Quest to Your TV without a chromecast. So if you are still stuck, check out that article as well.
How to Cast Phone to TV Without WiFi
Chromecast (Android & iOS)
Chromecast is a screencasting service owned and developed by Google. To do this method, you will need a Chromecast device to plug into the back of your smart TV. This small device is then connected to your smartphone using the Google Chromecast app. It is also compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Important: Instead of using WiFi, you can use a mobile data connection on your phone and set up a personal hotspot. Here’s how to do it:
On an Android Device:
- Go to Settings > Connections.
- Then, find and tap Mobile Hotspot & Tethering.
- Toggle Mobile Hotspot to On and turn on your Mobile data by going to Settings > Connections, then tap the Mobile data option to On.
On an iOS Device:
- Go to Settings > Cellular then toggle the Cellular Data to On.
- Go back and navigate to Personal Hotspot and tap Allow Others to Join.
To cast from your phone to TV without WiFi using Chromecast, follow these steps:
- Turn on your smart TV and plug in the Chromecast device on one of the TV’s HDMI ports. Plug the other end into a power source.
- Long-press the Power button until a blinking light shows up.
- Besides your smart TV, you will need two other devices—either two smartphones, or a laptop and a smartphone—to make this work.
- Open your smartphone and turn on both the Personal Hotspot and the Mobile Data features.
- Connect your second device via WiFi. Turn on the WiFi feature and select the name of your Personal Hotspot.
- Then, using the Google Home app, open Chromecast and connect it to your Personal Hotspot.
- Set up the Chromecast device and let the Google Home app search for your Chromecast device.
- Once it is detected, click Yes.
- Pair both devices by verifying the generated codes shown on your phone and the smart TV screen.
- Next, pick your Mobile Hotspot as your network for the Chromecast.
- You can now search and watch movies from various streaming apps supported by Chromecast.
Are having trouble with your Google wifi, and that is why you are trying to connect without wifi? Did you know that you can factory reset your google wifi using the Home app? Maybe that is all you need to do to fix it!
Use an Ethernet Connection
When WiFi signals are not the best in your area, you can use an Ethernet cable or connection to use Chromecast. All you will need is a Chromecast device and an Ethernet adapter and cable.
To connect to Chromecast using an Ethernet connection, do the following:
- Turn on your smart TV and connect to the Chromecast device using the HDMI plug.
- Using your USB to Ethernet adapter, plug in the Ethernet cable on one end and plug the other end into the Chromecast device.
- You can now use Chromecast to stream various movies from Chromecast-supported streaming services without a WiFi connection.
Use a Lightning to HDMI connector (iOS)
If you’re looking for a direct connection on both your iPhone and your smart TV, you can use an Apple Lightning to HDMI connector. With this device, you just need to plug the lightning end into your iPhone and the other into your smart TV’s HDMI port.
You can now cast various content from your iPhone to your smart TV using your phone’s data or just casually browse the internet. we also have a simple fix if liquid is detected in the lightning connector.
Use an Android to HDMI connector (Android)
Similarly, you can connect your Android device using a USB adapter cable or a direct USB to HDMI cable. All you’ll need to do is to plug the USB cable into your phone and plug the HDMI end into the HDMI plug on your smart TV.
That way, you can cast your phone to a TV without a WiFi connection. Also, you can use your mobile data to view other streaming apps.
If these methods do not work, we have a more comprehensive guide on how to cast your phone to tv without wifi.
Final Thoughts
If you want to stream your phone to a smart TV, you will usually need a stable WiFi connection. Not only can you access various streaming services, but you can maximize most of the smart TVs features with a wireless connection.
However, if you don’t have a WiFi connection nearby, this guide will hopefully help you on streaming various media content from your phone to your smart TV.