Cheap WiFi for Wired-only Smart TV

Sony WiFi dongle for smart TV : £79.98

The Smart aspect of my TV isn't worth this. I wonder if there's a cheaper alternative?


Enter the TP-Link Nano Router : £16.78

The router is USB powered (micro-USB).

I configured the router to extend my WiFi, which meant it's one Ethernet port acts like a LAN port on the network.  Using the supplied cables, it takes juice from the TV and connects via ethernet.  The TV sees the network, gets an address etc. A quick test of iPlayer confirms it's all hunky-dory.

A bit of velcro would secure this to the back of the TV with no problem (Though I'd want to test Rx in that position  in case the TV was shielding the signal.

This doesn't fix the problem of all smart TVs being a bit crap at being smart. The Sony TV doesn't do Netflix in the UK even though US models apparently do, as does the PS3.

It does do Love Film though, which my Apple TV does not.  If I want to switch from Netflix, I have that option.

For now it's not plugged in.  I just wanted to see if it'd work.  This little router goes in the box of useful things in case I want to temporarily hook up a wired only device to the network.

The only problem I could see is that it could slow the entire network down having multiple access points too close to each other.  I think that there's probably a market for a USB WiFi dongle that also has a LAN port, but that is just a device on the network rather than an access point.