(3 Ways) How To Connect Phone To TV Without WiFi [2023]

You wanted to show some pictures to your friends via your phone on the TV.

But…no Wi-Fi connection…

Bummer!

No worries, help is on the way.

There are several easy ways to connect your phone to the TV without Wi-Fi.

So, read on the find out:

How to use a Chromecast without Wi-Fi.
How to connect your phone to the TV via a USB-C to HDMI cable.
How your laptop can function as a bridge between your phone and TV.
What Wi-Fi Direct is and how you can use it to connect your phone to the TV.
What screen mirroring is and how you can use it to connect your phone to the TV.
And lots more…

Can I connect a phone to a TV without Wi-Fi?

You can connect a phone to the TV without Wi-Fi with a USB-C to HDMI cable or adapter. You can also use Wi-Fi Direct technology (not the same as Wi-Fi). And if you have a Chromecast you can create a personal hotspot with a spare phone. This will then function as the router.

How to connect a phone to a TV without Wi-Fi? 3 ways

#1: USB to HDMI

USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode

The easiest way to connect your smartphone to the TV without Wi-Fi is to connect your smartphone straight to the HDMI input with a cable.

The latest smartphones have USB Type-C. But you also need a feature called DisplayPort Alt Mode. This allows your phone to send videos with sound to your TV.

So, check the manual of your smartphone (or Google it), to see if your smartphone has DP Alt mode.

If yes, you can use an adapter like this to connect it to one of your HDMI ports of the TV. Then try it out.

Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)

If your phone doesn’t have DP Alt mode but has Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), it’s also possible.

’’A what? Never heard of Mobile High-Definition Link.’’

With Mobile High-Definition Link, smartphones with micro USB can make a connection with the TV via HDMI.

But your TV also needs to support MHL. To find the HDMI port which can be used with MHL, you need to look for the MHL label on one of the HDMI ports or check the manual of your TV.

Another thing you can use to check if your TV has MHL is this link. That’s the official MHL website. And all the devices with MHL are registered there.

If the TV has not an HDMI input with MHL, don’t bother. It won’t work and it’s best to read on to the next fix.

Android devices

So, if your TV has an HDMI port with MHL, you need to know if your smartphone has MHL. Here we discuss an Android smartphone.

You can look into the manual or download the app: MHL checker. This app shows you quickly if your Android smartphone has MHL.

But if your phone doesn’t have the MHL feature, you have to use an adapter. Then try it out.

Reading tip: Can You Use A WiFi Adapter For Samsung TV? 5 Facts

Apple devices

For iPhones, they don’t have MHL. But we got you covered!

We found an adapter for iPhones as well. With this one, you will need to add also an HDMI cable.

Pro tip: Buy longer cables than usual if it’s possible. You see, you will control the TV with your smartphone via a cable. If the cables are too short, you will need to stand close to the TV. But when you buy longer cables, you have some more mobility.

Then plug everything in and try it out.

#2: Wi-Fi Direct & Miracast (Android only)

You’re familiar with how WiFi works. However, I want to introduce to you: Wi-Fi Direct.

It is different than regular Wi-Fi. Think more of it like BlueTooth, but 10 times faster for sending data.

With Wi-Fi Direct, you can make a wireless connection between 2 devices. For example with the TV and smartphone, but without using the router.

’’That’s pretty cool!”

The thing is, the TV also has to have Wi-Fi Direct. So, check its manual to see if this is the case.

Note: If your TV has Wi-Fi Direct, it’s possible. You first need to toggle it ‘On’ or enable it in the TV settings.

After that’s done, you can make a connection with your Android smartphone.

Take these in the Android smartphone settings:

Go to Settings.
Head to Wi-Fi.
Go to Additional Settings.
Select Wi-Fi Direct.

Then make a connection with the TV and try it out.

Miracast

A very cool app that can be used without Wi-Fi and works with Wi-Fi Direct technology is Miracast.

It lets you mirror the screen from your phone with the TV, without the use of the internet or router.

’’Mirror? What do you mean with that?’’

Well, what you see on the phone will also be shown on the TV screen.

So, let’s say you want to mirror a movie from your smartphone to the TV without the router. Then you can use Miracast.

’’Yes, but does the sound come from the smartphone or TV?’’

Good question.

And good news.

As your TV will be playing the sound and not the smartphone. Plus, with the Wi-Fi Direct technology, there is hardly any loss of the quality of the picture and sound.

For Android devices you can take these steps to install the Miracast app:

Go to the Google Playstore.
Search for the Miracast App.
Download and install the app.

Then check if your smart TV supports Miracast. They can have it built-in or you can buy a dongle that supports Miracast.

For visual guidance, you can check out this video:

#3: Chromecast

With a Chromecast, it’s also possible to use it without Wi-Fi. We just need to bypass the Wi-Fi.

’’How’re you gonna do that?’’

You just need to have another phone. With it, you can create a personal hotspot.

Then you connect your own phone and the Chromecast to that personal hotspot and voila!

Warning: Since you will be using mobile data, double-check your data bundle. You don’t want to have unexpected costs if you go over your data limits from your mobile data provider.

After that, you can create a Personal Hotspot.

On an Android phone it goes like this:

Go to Settings.
Select Hotspot.
Enable Hotspot.

Then write down the password. You will need it later to connect the other devices with the Personal Hotspot.

On an iPhone it goes like this:

Go to Settings.
Select Personal Hotspot.
Toggle on Allow Others to Join.

Then also write down the password. You will need it later to connect the other devices with the Personal Hotspot.

So, when the hotspot is active you need to connect the Chromecast and your own smartphone.

The same thing goes when you connect to Wi-Fi. But now, you connect to the personal hotspot.

Then try it out.

BONUS: Laptop

If the previous fixes didn’t suit you, you might like this one. It’s simply the use of a laptop.

For example, you have movies, pictures, or other stuff on your phone and you want to show these on your TV.

First, send them to your laptop. You can use the USB cable to transfer data from the phone to the laptop.

After that, you connect your laptop with an HDMI cable to the TV. Then you simply clone or duplicate the laptop screen and done.

So, now you at least know some extra fixes if you have no Wi-Fi and you still want to connect your smartphone to your TV.

Use it to your benefit.