I am computer/home entertainment system challenged and would like to expand things a little.

This is what I have:

Desktop computer in bedroom, adjacent to living room. Internet service comes in via cable. TV in living room is a smart TV (also on cable). Right now, I have a download speed of 15Mbps but that can be increased if needed at an additional cost.

What I would like to be able to do:

Use my laptop in another room of the house via wifi (main purpose) and watch an occasional movie using Netflix, Hulu, etc.

What do I need or do I need to give you information that I haven’t thought of? With everyone having their black Friday sales it seems like a good time to get what I need.

The wifey and I use both Chromecast and Amazon Firestick. We usually use her iPad to select movies on but we've also used my desktop and Surface Pro. Both devices require an HDMI port in your TV.

All you need is a simple wifi router. You already have a router, are you sure it isn't a wifi router? You may already have what you need.

You'll have a cable modem that hooks to the cable coming into the house from the street. After that (it may actually be the same box as the modem) you'll have a router. Most routers are wifi routers. If you don't already have it you'll need to get a wifi router and disable whatever router is running your network currently.

Edited to add: after rereading your post...the desktop may be connected directly to the modem and you may not have a router. You don't say that the smart tv is actually hooked to the internet. Either way, a wifi router is what you need.

Does your cable modem not already have a wifi router built in? If so your smart tv and laptop should be able to connect to it with no extra expenditures. If not your cable company may offer one, or you can get one almost anywhere (Walmart, best buy, etc..)

No experience with Hulu but with Netflix you only need to download their app and configure it with the account info and you can watch it anywhere with an internet connection, be it your home or anywhere else.

If your portable is wifi connected to the internet you are G2G.

Done it the past week end at a hotel.

0-0

Information you left out:

Do you currently have Wifi in the house? Most often, this will be part of your Internet service provision. Is your laptop already connected to the WiFI, and getting good signal? If not, is there another Inetnet connection that the laptop is getting?

What device do you want to watch Hulu/Netflix on? On the laptop screen, or some other video display? E.g. a TV in your bedroom. How far away from the laptop will this screen be?

Do you care about being able to use a remote control on the display being fed by the laptop?

Basically, what you need to do is get Internet to the laptop, and then, if desired, get the laptop screen to a different screen. If the last half of this is not a requirement, you probably already have everything you need.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Edited to add: after rereading your post...the desktop may be connected directly to the modem and you may not have a router. You don't say that the smart tv is actually hooked to the internet. Either way, a wifi router is what you need.

^^^This is the way it's set up right now and the tv is connected to the incoming cable but not the internet.

It seems to be a general consensus that I need a router (modem does not have one).

The most common ones on sale right now are the Netgear Nighthawk AC2400 and 2600. Will either one of those meet my needs?

Either of those will be fine for what you're doing.

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Edited to add: after rereading your post...the desktop may be connected directly to the modem and you may not have a router. You don't say that the smart tv is actually hooked to the internet. Either way, a wifi router is what you need.

^^^This is the way it's set up right now and the tv is connected to the incoming cable but not the internet.

It seems to be a general consensus that I need a router (modem does not have one).

The most common ones on sale right now are the Netgear Nighthawk AC2400 and 2600. Will either one of those meet my needs?

Yes, either of those will work.

Yes, a WiFi router.

Should be good deals on them all weekend. I like Netgear and Linksys brands.

Just as an alternative, this TP Link DECO Mesh system is on sale at Amazon right now and would allow you to spread you WiFi connection even further throughout the house. I installed it in a neighbor's home and its worked out very well for them.