Smart TVs have an advantage over non-smart TVs. They not only connect to the internet but also let you stream media wirelessly from your smartphones and tablets. It uses a technology popularly called DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), something most Smart TVs today come built with. All you need apart from a smart TV is a smartphone or tablet, and a wireless router. You can also connect a NAS (network attached storage) to your router and use it to stream all your media content on your TV. Once you have all those devices, just follow these simple steps and you’ll be able to enjoy your movies and music on your large screen TV.
Connecting your devices to the network
To use DLNA on your TV, you need to connect both, your TV and your smartphone or tablet to the same network. You can do this on both devices by going into their Network settings and searching for your wireless network. Select your home wireless network from this list and enter your WiFi network password. In case of smart TVs, you can also use a LAN cable to connect them with the router.
Loading a DLNA app on your smartphone
To stream content from your smartphone, you need to have a DLNA app installed on it. One of the most popular DLNA apps is BubbleUPnP, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for free. Some smartphones also come with pre-loaded DLNA apps.
Selecting a device
Once you have the BubbleUPnP app loaded on your smartphone, you are presented with a screen with four menus at the bottom - Now Playing, Playlist, Library and Devices. Before you select a file, you need to select a device that you want to stream to. You can access this list by clicking on Devices, present on the main screen of the app. Select your TV from the list of renderers. If you’re streaming content from your handheld device, then you can select this too. If you have a separate network storage drive, you can choose to stream from it too.
Streaming media content on the TV
Once you select the device, you need to select the content you want to play on it. You can access all your media by selecting first the source from where you want to play. BubbleUPnP segregates all your songs, videos and images into folders. You can click on the file you want to stream. Once you select the file, the app will start streaming it on to your TV. You can either select one file or create a playlist of your preference. You can also control the volume of the TV, with the help of the volume keys present on your phone. Skipping through the video or song is also possible. You can also use DLNA to stream photos to the TV. Some Smart TVs do not even need a router as a medium to stream media files from a smartphone. To do this, you need to have a smart TV and a smartphone that support Miracast. This technology uses Wi-Fi Direct to stream content and is great for use in short distances such as in a living room. Miracast also allows you to duplicate your smartphone screen on to your smart TV. This means, you can play movies, music and also play games and use apps on the large screen.
Vivo y51L ko TV sa connect kasa kara
Can I connect my Onn TV. It does not have wifi. My phone has wifi hotspot. DLNA comparable. My phone is a J7prime Samsung. No one seems to be able to help me. Thankyou Very Much. Cyndie.
Hi Cyndie, Your TV needs to support DLNA for this to work. You can purchase a smart streaming solution such as an Amazon Fire Stick or a Google Chromecast for your TV, for it to work. You can use DLNA using your phone as a hotspot, but it’s preferable using a dedicated router. You also need to install a DLNA client on your phone.
My tv support DLNA…..but is not a smart tv.
how to us dlna.
Hi Akash,
You can refer to one of our expert guide on how to stream content to a non-smart TV using DLNA.
https://www.reliancedigital.in/solutionbox/how-to-stream-music-and-movies-to-a-non-smart-tv-using-dlna/