Using Apple TV on the road question?

[texag76]

I have noticed that virtually every hotel/motel we stay in has significantly downgraded the TV offerings available. A number of friends take a Roku or Fire stick with them while traveling and seem to have no problem , as long as a decent Wi-Fi is available. Does anyone take their ATV box on the road when traveling ?? Any issues ?? AND ..what about in the UK or on cruise ships ? Thanks in advance for answers

 

[gigatoaster]

I’m considering trying. I use a HDMI dongle with my iPhone 15 Pro but when I stream 5.1, there is no voice. I often don’t have access to the TV settings.

I’d buy a nice carrying case like this one.

 

[mk313]

Never tried it. Seems like it would be easier to just plug in a phone (which I do quite often) or ipad to the TV rather than an Apple TV, but no idea really.

 

[BotchQue]

I used to use a Roku stick for that (much easier to carry) but after forgetting two of them when checking out the next morning, I just bring a couple books now.

 

[audiomixer]

I do it all the time for the last few years. Depends on how good the wifi is and I plug into a free hdmi port on the tv and for sound I use my little Bose box, but as of late some hotels have you login with your last name and room number for their free internet (and mandatory ad you have to watch to proceed) and on purpose this internet is speed throttled so it is all but useless to stream.
YMMV.

 

[subjonas]

I have noticed that virtually every hotel/motel we stay in has significantly downgraded the TV offerings available. A number of friends take a Roku or Fire stick with them while traveling and seem to have no problem , as long as a decent Wi-Fi is available. Does anyone take their ATV box on the road when traveling ?? Any issues ?? AND ..what about in the UK or on cruise ships ? Thanks in advance for answers

Apparently some hotels have TVs with built in Airplay, which would be great to just Airplay my content from my iPhone or iPad, but unfortunately none of the hotels I've ever stayed at has had them. That's why I'd love an Apple TV HDMI stick just for Airplay and maybe ATV+. Also so I can Airplay at family's/friends' homes that don't have ATVs.

 

[subjonas]

I do it all the time for the last few years. Depends on how good the wifi is and I plug into a free hdmi port on the tv and for sound I use my little Bose box, but as of late some hotels have you login with your last name and room number for their free internet (and mandatory ad you have to watch to proceed) and on purpose this internet is speed throttled so it is all but useless to stream.
YMMV.

Is the Bose box just for better sound than the TV speakers?

If the internet is throttled and you have good 5G reception, maybe it's better to stream on your phone and AirPlay to the ATV?

 

[ignatius345]

I do it all the time. Works great because I don’t have to tie up my phone, plus it has its own remote and is signed into all my streaming stuff. In a pinch, I connect it to my iPhone hotspot if the wifi where I’m at is too poor.

At my mom’s house, I’ve stowed a spare HDMI cable and AC power cable so when I visit I can just bring the box and remote, and leave my own cables plugged in where they are.

 

[audiomixer]

Is the Bose box just for better sound than the TV speakers?

If the internet is throttled and you have good 5G reception, maybe it's better to stream on your phone and AirPlay to the ATV?

Yeah just for better speakers.
Streaming from the phone is a possibly. Haven’t tried that yet.

 

[mk313]

Yeah just for better speakers.
Streaming from the phone is a possibly. Haven’t tried that yet.

I've had good luck taking my phone & one of those lighting to HDMI connectors to plug into the TV. I bought a Satechi Bluetooth Media button that is about the size of a stack of 4 quarters that works as a remote control, mainly just play pause & Volume. If you're moving between a lot of different videos, it would be more cumbersome than using an Apple TV, but since I have my phone with me anyways, this adds almost nothing to my bag, and still presents on the TV.