How to connect a smartphone to a TV: via USB, HDMI, Wi-Fi

Today, it is not surprising that using a smartphone you can watch videos, surf the Internet, check mail and much more. The owners of such a gadget want to expand its capabilities and are trying to figure out how to connect a smartphone to a TV. This allows you to watch your favorite movies, photos and listen to music no longer on a relatively small phone monitor, but on a large screen.

Connect via HDMI

Method to connect your smartphone to TV it was no coincidence that it was brought to the forefront via HDMI: at the moment it is the most popular way. This type of connector can be found on almost all modern gadgets (year of release above 2010). Connecting via HDMI has many advantages, including high image quality, high speed transmission without delays in both video format and audio.

Obviously, an HDMI connector is required to make a connection on the phone. This condition must be met for both the smartphone and the TV. The presence of such a connector will be described in the instructions. However, you can find it yourself - just inspect the smartphone.

Picture 1. HDMI on smartphone

Another feature of this connection method is its versatility. As a rule, each TV has a connector for an HDMI cable, so it doesn’t matter whether it is an old LG or a completely new Samsung - it will still be possible to connect to the TV through it.

We connect using the following algorithm:

• First of all, turn off the smartphone and the TV itself;
• We connect the two devices with a cable and turn them on;
• After the TV and the phone have been turned on, the setting is done automatically and the “mirroring” function starts, or in the English version - mirroring. The picture on the gadget displays will be transferred to the TV screen.

There are frequent cases when offline configuration does not occur. Do not be scared, as this is easily corrected manually:

• We go to a separate settings menu for each device;
• In the TV menu, you must select the appropriate signal type - HDMI. Some models have several connectors for such a cable, if so, select the number involved;
• On the smartphone itself, we activate the ability to transmit a signal via HDMI.

As you can see, connecting a smartphone to a TV via HDMI is quite simple. The main task is to properly connect the connector and select the video input.

In the absence of a micro connector, there are special micro USB to HDMI converters. The device converts the signal and sends it to the TV so that it can recognize it. Using similar technology, you should not count on receiving a high-quality picture.

USB connection

There is another way to connect a smartphone to a TV - via USB. The option works with any gadget, be it Lenovo, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, etc. However, it should be noted that in this case the picture from the smartphone to the TV may not be duplicated. The condition depends on the phone model. In this case, only a black screen will be visible on the phone. But there is an advantage - the gadget will be used as a USB drive, which acts as the main signal source.

Figure 2 Connection through USB

You will have to manage files through the TV interface using the remote control. Modern TVs, both Chinese and branded, allow you to open not only video or audio data, but also most text and presentation editors. This allows you to turn the TV into a board on which presentations or just slide shows are shown.

Setting up a connection is quite simple:

• A mini or micro USB cable (depending on the smartphone) must be connected on the one hand, to the phone, and on the other, to the TV connector located on the rear panel.

Figure 3 Connector USB

• It is important not to forget to turn off both devices, as otherwise, offline configuration will not start.

Wireless connection

Wireless connection of a smartphone to a TV is by far the most promising type of connection, therefore absolutely every TV manufacturer is trying to create a special application that allows you to connect a TV and smartphone via wifi.

For example, LG offers users of its phone and TV a special software product - Smart Share. It connects two devices through a wireless connection. For this reason, almost all modern TVs are equipped with a Wi-Fi module, which can easily connect the gadget to the TV.

To connect a smartphone to a TV, Apple offers its customers to purchase a special set-top box called Apple TV. This method is simple (setting takes only a couple of clicks) and high image transmission settings. The connection itself is also via Wi-Fi.

Figure 4 Apple Tv

The entire wireless connection algorithm consists of several steps:

1. Set up your home Wi-Fi network;
2. We connect devices to it;
3. We activate the wireless function on the gadget and TV.

Wi-Fi Direct

A distinctive feature is the connection setup without a router and a configured Wi-Fi network. Simply put, this is a direct connection to the TV gadget. But there is a nuance: both devices must support the Wi-Fi Direct function (you can read about this in the instructions). The following steps will help to connect the gadget to the TV directly without the use of "intermediaries":

• We launch Wi–FiDirect on the phone. This is done like this: go to the "Settings" section and the subsection of wireless networks. We look directly there for Direct itself and activate the technology;

Figure 5 Wi-Fi Direct on Android

• We set up the TV. We go to the “Settings” menu section and to the network subsection (on some models, on the control panel, there is a special button that allows you to go to the “Network”). We are looking for the Wi-Fi Direct function and turn it on by ticking or clicking “OK”. Now it should be possible to select a device in order to make a connection. We are looking for our smartphone and send a connection request and accept it on the phone.

Figure 6 Wi-Fi Direct on TV

Connection completed. It is worth noting that this technology is not only simple, but also has a good transmission quality. But, despite this, it is not very popular among users.

Connection via tulip

It is an analog composite connection. Previously, it was the most popular connection option. To conduct it, you will need a cable consisting of 3 colored wires (white, yellow and red). Usually they come with a TV. The method is not always possible due to the technical component (3 wires have nowhere to connect in a smartphone). The quality of image and sound transmission leaves much to be desired, so it was replaced by a more convenient connection via HDMI.

We control the TV from a smartphone (video)

Modern phones can be used as a remote control for the TV: it is possible to select a channel, change the volume, but the main goal is easier “surfing” on the Internet due to the presence of a keyboard and a large screen.

However, not every TV, even a modern one, supports this function. You can find out on the manufacturer’s website or in the instructions (although in some cases this is not noted).

We configure the gadget as a control panel:

• Set up your home Wi-Fi network. If the router does not support such a function, then it can be purchased separately;
• We connect the TV to the wireless network (we wait until the installation is completed, then enter the username and password);
• Download the application to your phone - Remote App. The choice of program depends on the brand of TV;
• We match the TV and the gadget in the application, following the instructions.

There are some restrictions, for example, almost all TVs do not have the Wake-On-LAN function, which allows you to turn on the TV from the phone. All the described methods are easy enough to implement and you just choose the one that is convenient.

Read also: How to output image from iPad to TV.