You can stream your own entertainment to your hotels TV with these 3 devices
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Here's a nifty trick for enjoying your own on-demand entertainment on your hotel's TV anytime you travel.
Whenever you stay in a hotel — whether you're traveling for for business or vacation — chances are you often find yourself with some downtime. During work trips you might have your evenings to yourself, and when you're on vacation, you'll probably want s chance to recharge between excursions and adventures.
Aside from reading, you can always watch whatever TV channels the hotel gets, or stream on your laptop, but it's so much nicer and more comfortable to watch your latest Netflix obsession on your room's big television, instead of propping up your computer or iPad in bed. While some cutting-edge hotels offer smart TVs, through which you can log in to your streaming services, these aren't exactly widespread.
There's an easy way to get your own content on the hotel's TV, though; bring your own streaming device to plug into the hotel's TV. You can either bring the same device you use at home, or you can buy a new inexpensive one dedicated for travel.
It's easy to set up: Just connect it to the TV's HDMI port, plug in the power adapter, and connect to Wi-Fi. Just like that, you're good to go. You'll only need to log in to your various services once; every other time you check into a hotel and bring your device, it will still be logged in to all of your accounts.
Here are a few of the best — and most portable — options for streaming Netflix, Hulu, and other programming to your hotel room's TV.
You may notice that Google's Chromecast isn't on the list — unfortunately, that device can be a bit tricky to use in hotels. The Chromecast doesn't always work well with Wi-Fi networks that require a you to enter information, such as a username or room number, on a web-based form — unfortunately, that's common for hotel networks. That means you that you might bring your Chromecast on a long trip and plug it in, only to find out you can't get it to work.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick
If you're at all invested in the Amazon digital media ecosystem, then look no further — this device can stream everything you'll need in a small package and at a great price.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick looks like a beefy USB drive, except it has an HDMI plug sticking out so that you can plug it directly into the TV. The only cable you'll need is a power cord.
The Fire TV Stick offers streaming from a ton of services including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, Starz, and, of course, Amazon Prime Video. You can also stream Prime Music through the TV. If you have a subscription to DirectTV Now or Sling TV, you can even stream certain live channels and sports — although chances are your hotel's TV gets those channels already.
The latest version of the Fire TV Stick comes programmed with Amazon's Alexa service, which you can use through the included remote control. You can tell Alexa to play a certain show, open an app, order a pizza, search for something, or more. If you're using the Fire TV Stick at home, you can configure it to work with other Amazon Echo devices.
If you do plan to use the device at home and you have a 4K television, you can also consider the slightly larger regular Fire TV.
Click here to buy the Amazon Fire TV Stick for $39.99
The Roku Streaming Stick
The Roku Streaming Stick has a similar design to the Amazon Fire TV Stick, and basically looks like an oversized USB drive with an HDMI plug at the end. It's similarly easy to set up. Plug it in to the hotel TV, connect the power adapter, and connect to Wi-Fi.
The Roku Streaming Stick has access to Netflix and Hulu, as well as Amazon Prime Video, HBO, DirectTV Now, and a handful of other TV networks and apps like YouTube and Pandora. You can also rent on-demand movies through the Roku Channel store, which is a great way to watch movies that aren't available through streaming services yet.
It's one of the best overall options, especially for the price, although it isn't as tightly integrated with a digital ecosystem as the other devices on this list.
Click here to buy the Roku Streaming Stick for $46.48
The Apple TV
The Apple TV is the biggest device on this list — it's not nearly as compact and svelte as the Roku or Fire TV Stick. Instead, it's a small box that sits next to your TV, so you'll need to plug an HDMI cable into the Apple TV to connect it to the TV, and there's a separate power cord.
However, if you're highly invested in Apple's ecosystem, and regularly purchase or rent music, movies, or TV episodes from iTunes, then the Apple TV is the ultimate streaming device. You can access your entire iTunes library, as well as the major streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Prime. There are also plenty of other channels, including NBC Sports.
You can operate the Apple TV with the included remote control, or with a remote app on your iOS device. You can also connect your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to the Apple TV to mirror your screen on the TV or stream content locally stored content.
Like the other devices on this list, the Apple TV will remember your login information for each service, so you won't need to reenter it each time. You'll just need to connect to the hotel's Wi-Fi.
Aside from the Apple TV's size, it has one other downside: price. While it's more powerful and responsive than the other brands' portable models, it's significantly more expensive, starting at $149. However, for that price you'll get seamless integration with every other Apple product and service you use. That trade-off may well be worthwhile to you.
Click here to buy the Apple TV for $149.
David Slotnick Senior Reporter, Airlines David is a Senior Transportation Reporter for Business Insider. He primarily covers airlines and air travel. A native New Yorker and avid photographer, David previously covered travel, credit-card rewards, and frequent-flyer programs. Before joining Business Insider, David was a freelance writer and editor — before that, he worked in public affairs. He earned his bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College and his master's from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram, visit his website, or send him an e-mail at dslotnick@businessinsider.com. Here are some of his recent stories:- The president of Emirates says passengers will never again be as comfortable as they have been aboard the enormous discontinued Airbus A380
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