Wi-Fi & connectivity

[Seabrook]

I don't know enough about any of this to be sarcastic!  So, I'll pass on investigation and just hope the Wifi signal from the router upstairs is sufficient.

[Strega2]

No, the TV will not pass the internet from its ethernet out through its HDMI input port.  HDMI ports are just meant for audio video connections.  But since you already have an ethernet cable there, you could get a Roku Ultra and plug straight into that!  (The Roku Ultra has an ethernet connection already.)

That said, the Wi-Fi connection will probably be fine, and is certainly worth testing first.  That's how most people do it.

[Seabrook]

I don't understand your response.

I currently have an ethernet cable from the upstairs router to the basement TV which is no longer being used since we discontinued Verizon TV.  Based on the other responses it sounds like having that ethernet cable won't help me receive Roku streaming content without, perhaps, adding a MoCa adapter at $75 to $129.

[Strega2]

I didn’t understand your terminology of “FIOS cable” to mean ethernet.  I looked up some Verizon FIOS install guides which showed ethernet going out to PCs and a coaxial cable going out to TVs.  So I thought it was that coaxial TV cable that you were referring to.  Lots of people have homes pre-wired with coax cable and MoCA is a way of getting ethernet onto the same cable. This is very convenient for someone who has a home like that.

Ethernet is just ethernet – no MoCA adapter needed, and it doesn’t matter what ISP you have.  However, stick models don’t have ethernet connections – just Wi-Fi.   So definitely try what you have first. 

[Seabrook]

Ah! This is the response I was looking for: what I was proposing won't work but a Roku Ultra will work. 

So, if the Roku which I can borrow from the upstairs TV doesn't receive a satisfactory signal when installed on the basement TV I can buy a $99. Ultra and use that with my existing FIOS ethernet cable which currently provides phone and internet.

Thank you for your response.

[Strega2]

Sounds like a good plan!

[atc98092]

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@Seabrook wrote:

Thank you for your response.

Actually I meant connecting the FIOS cable (ethernet) to the basement TV and then plugging in the Roku stick to the HDMI port to see if that configuration would allow the Roku to access the internet for its streaming content.  The answer apparently is NO.

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The FIOS coax cable is not the same as Ethernet. If you only have Internet service from FIOS, that cable will only make the Internet available through the router you have upstairs. Running the coax to another location will not send the Internet anywhere else. Connecting the coax directly to the F connector on your TV will not provide Internet access to the TV itself or any device connected to it. It's not like the TV signal that would be available via the coax in multiple places in your home. The Internet comes into your home via that coax (or a fiber cable to the house) but it must be converted into Ethernet/WiFi by the router. 

I don't know of any TV that offers the ability to connect a coax cable and extract the Internet data feed from it for the TV's use, and it certainly would not provide Internet to any other connected device. 

[atc98092]

I should have scrolled down further before my last response. Having the Ethernet cable already at your TV simplifies everything. Again, that cable can't be used on a Roku Stick, but it will work on a Roku Ultra, or using a 3rd party USB adapter you could use a Roku Express 4K+. 

Since you have the cable there already, if your upstairs WiFi isn't strong enough you could add a WiFi access point using that cable in the proximity of your TV. You would then have a strong wireless signal on both floors. But I can completely understand if you'd rather not get into the complexities of adding that to your network. In that case, using a Roku with an Ethernet jack (Ultra) is the simplest way to make it all work.