How to Mirror Your Phone Screen to a TV Without Wi-Fi

Have you ever wanted to share videos or photos from your phone on your TV, only to realize there‘s no Wi-Fi available? Don‘t worry – you can actually mirror your screen wirelessly or with a wired connection even without an internet connection.

This guide will teach you three simple methods to cast your Android or iPhone display to a TV without relying on your home Wi-Fi network. We‘ll also look at related concepts like Miracast, Chromecast, and AirPlay so you have a better understanding of how screen mirroring works.

Overview: Phone-to-TV Mirroring Without Wi-Fi

First, let‘s quickly compare some wireless display technologies and when an internet connection is required:

To recap, Miracast and AirPlay allow your Android phone or iPhone to directly communicate with your Smart TV to mirror the screen. This forms a local "peer-to-peer" connection without the need for an internet connection or home Wi-Fi network.

Chromecast, on the other hand, requires both your phone and the Chromecast dongle to be connected to a Wi-Fi network with internet access to stream media.

The catch is that wireless screen mirroring methods typically can‘t stream DRM-protected content like Netflix or YouTube due to content license restrictions. But you can mirror your device‘s interface and local media files.

Now let‘s look at three easy ways to mirror your phone‘s display to a TV without Wi-Fi access:

Method 1: Cast Wirelessly from Mobile Hotspot

We‘ll first look at creating an improvised Wi-Fi network using your phone‘s mobile hotspot capabilities.

The benefit of this method is you avoid dealing with cables. The downside is it consumes data bandwidth from Phone #1 hosting the hotspot.

Step 1: Enable Mobile Hotspot on Phone #1

First, we‘ll designate Phone #1 as the "hotspot" to generate a Wi-Fi network that Phone #2 and the TV can connect to.

On Android, open your quick settings panel and tap on Mobile Hotspot to enable the feature. Give your hotspot network a name and password.

On iPhone, navigate to Settings app > Personal Hotspot to turn on personal hotspot mode. Ensure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also enabled.

Enabling the personal mobile hotspot in iOS settings

Step 2: Connect Secondary Devices to the Mobile Hotspot

Now on Phone #2 and your Television, open Wi-Fi settings and scan for available wireless networks. You should see the broadcasted hotspot Wi-Fi signal from Phone #1 in this list.

Select and connect to your phone‘s hotspot SSID just like you would any other Wi-Fi access point. You may need to enter the hotspot password if one was set.

Connecting a secondary phone to the mobile hotspot network

Step 3: Cast Phone #2 Screen to Television

Finally, we just need to enable wireless display casting from Phone #2 to the TV since they are both now linked by Phone #1‘s Wi-Fi hotspot.

On Android devices, enable Smart View in your quick settings panel, then select your TV. On iPhone, enable Screen Mirroring in Control Center. Your TV may prompt you to accept the casting request.

And that‘s it! Your screens should now be wirelessly mirrored over the improvised hotspot network. Pretty cool right?

The connection may be a little laggy since everything is routing through the phone hosting the hotpot. For best results, use a high-bandwidth 5G phone to provide the local Wi-Fi network.

Method 2: Connect Devices to Spare Router

Rather than consume mobile data, we can also use an old spare router to provide the local Wi-Fi network needed for wireless casting.

Step 1: Power On Old Wi-Fi Router

First, plug in your spare Wi-Fi router or access point using the power adapter to turn it on. Any router will work – when powered on it will automatically broadcast its wireless network.

Tip: If you‘ve used the router before, consider resetting it to factory default settings so the default SSID and password are printed on the label.

Step 2: Join Phone and TV to Router‘s Wi-Fi Network

Now on your phone and television, open Wi-Fi settings and connect to the spare router‘s wireless network name (SSID) once scanned.

For example, my old router‘s default network name is NETGEAR102. Enter the Wi-Fi password found on the router label if prompted.

Connecting phone to spare router‘s wireless signal

Once connected, you‘ve created an improvised Wi-Fi network through the reuse of an old router (with no internet connectivity needed)!

Step 3: Cast Phone to TV as Usual

Finally, simply tap on your phone‘s casting controls via Smart View (Android) or Screen Mirroring (iPhone) to enable display mirroring over router Wi-Fi. Select your TV as the receiving device when prompted.

That‘s it! You now have an isolated Wi-Fi signal perfect for casting your phone‘s screen to your television.

The main advantage of using a spare router is you avoid consuming mobile data. And it provides better range than mobile hotspot Wi-Fi if your testing area is large.

Method 3: Mirror via USB-C to HDMI Adapter

If your Television lacks wireless display capabilities, don‘t worry! You can still mirror with a physical wired connection using a USB-C to HDMI adapter connected directly between your phone and TV.

Here are the simple steps:

Step 1: Connect USB-C to HDMI Adapter

First, plug the USB-C connector on your adapter cable into your phone‘s charging port (newer phones only – ensure DisplayPort alt mode is supported).

Next, connect an HDMI cable between the adapter‘s HDMI output to an open HDMI port on your Television.

Tip: Consider using a short 6 inch HDMI cable to link phone and TV to keep things tidy.

Wired display mirroring using USB-C to HDMI adapter

Step 2: Select HDMI Input on Television

Finally, grab your TV remote and switch to the HDMI input that your phone is now physically connected through.

For example, if using HDMI port #2 on your TV, switch to HDMI2 input. The phone screen should immediately start mirroring! No Wi-Fi or internet needed.

And that‘s all there is to it! Mirroring over HDMI provides less latency than wireless and guarantees compatibility. The only catch is dealing with physical wires.

Recommended Adapter: Anker USB-C to HDMI

For easy wired screen mirroring to any TV with HDMI, I recommend Anker‘s USB-C to HDMI Adapter. At only $12, it flawlessly mirrors up to 4K video from your USB-C phone. Plug-and-play operation with no software or drivers to install.

So if you need a physical mirroring solution, Anker‘s adapter is a cost-effective recommendation with great performance.

Additional Phone to TV Mirroring Questions

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions when casting your phone display without Wi-Fi access:

Can I mirror Netflix or YouTube to the TV?
Unfortunately not – streaming services require online DRM checks so can‘t be screened mirrored through wireless protocols like Miracast. You can mirror your device home screen though.

My phone hotspot SSID isn‘t showing up?
First ensure hotspot mode is enabled in your phone‘s settings. Connect your phone to power. Disable and re-enable the hotspot if issues.

Do I need internet for Miracast or AirPlay mirroring?
Nope! Miracast and AirPlay create direct wireless links between your phone and TV with no internet needed.

Can I use Chromecast without Wi-Fi or internet?
No – Chromecast devices need an active internet connection to function for media streaming.

Still have questions on display mirroring? Let me know in the comments!

Summary

To recap, there are three great ways to mirror your phone‘s display to a large-screen TV without relying on your home Wi-Fi connection:

1. Mobile hotspot – Use one phone as a portable Wi-Fi router for wireless casting
2. Spare router – Leverage old router to generate Wi-Fi signal
3. USB-C to HDMI adapter – Hardwire phone to TV‘s HDMI port

I hope this guide was helpful explaining the methods and technologies involved in phone-to-TV display mirroring without internet. Let me know if you have any other questions!