Connecting your television to the Internet makes it possible for you to access (through the TV set) content that would otherwise have been out of reach to you. Definitely, the moment you connect your TV to the Internet, you find that you are able to access a greater variety of content. And you may find that some of the content you have a chance to access, once you connect your TV to the Internet, is of a higher quality than what would otherwise have been available to you. And some premium content that you would have had to pay for (if you wanted to access it in the traditional way) would be available to you for free, once you connect your TV to the Internet.
You have to realize that we are living in an age where some content creators have ditched the traditional model of TV broadcast. They have instead chosen to focus all their efforts on online platforms. So their content can only be accessed online, and this means that if your TV set is not connected to the Internet, such content would be out of reach for you. Connecting your TV to the Internet also enhances its capabilities. So you find that, having connected the TV to the Internet, you can now watch (through it) online podcasts, slideshow presentations, and many other things. These are things you would otherwise only have been able to watch on computing devices – such as laptops, smart-phones, desktop computers… and so on. But you are now able to access them through your TV (that is, via the TV’s bigger and better screen). You are then able to enjoy such content better, on a bigger screen, than would have been possible if you were watching (or, as it were, squinting at) them on a minuscule phone screen.
Therefore, connecting your TV to the Internet can be beneficial at so many levels.
The specific type of TV that can be connected to the Internet
In most cases, it is only ‘smart’ TVs that can be connected to the Internet. Therefore, before thinking of connecting your TV set to the Internet, you have to be sure that it is a smart TV. But then again, there are said to be ways in which ordinary TVs can be converted into smart TVs. In theory, any TV that has a HDMI port at the back (or on the side) can be turned into a smart TV, with some little effort and investment.
One really just needs to buy a smart-media player, like the Amazon Fire stick or the Apple TV stick – and then connect it to the TV via the TV’s HDMI port. This would then effectively turn the old TV into a smart TV, capable of connecting to the Internet (albeit indirectly).
Even if your TV is of the era when they didn’t come with HDMI ports, there is a device you can purchase, known as HDMI to RCA adapter, after which you would still be in a position to turn the device into a smart TV… So when you come to think of it, almost any TV set can be converted into a smart TV, after which it would be capable of being connected to the Internet.
Considerations you need to make, before connecting your TV to the Internet
One of the considerations you need to make is on the type of content you will be seeking to access, on your TV, via the Internet. This will inform you what the best way to connect the TV to the Internet is. In this regard, for instance, the needs of an individual who will be seeking to just access and view Slideshare presentations (and a few music videos here and there) would probably be different from those of an individual who would be seeking to watch full-length movies.
Another consideration you need to make is on the nature of Internet access that is available. In this regard, you could be in a place where there is Wi-Fi or in a place where you have to rely on cable/wired Ethernet connection.
There is also a cost consideration to be made. If you are in a place where Internet connectivity is expensive, then this would be an important consideration.
Further, there are security considerations: like if what you have access to is Wi-Fi.
What you need to have, to connect your TV to the Internet
As noted above, the television set itself needs to be a ‘smart TV’. It may be one that was designed, right from the outset, to be a smart TV. Or it may be one that has been turned into a smart TV by attaching it to, say, an Amazon Fire stick or Apple TV stick (through the HDMI port).
You, of course, also need to have the Internet connection, and it has to be high speed: given the nature of content, which is most multimedia.
If you will be using a wired connection (as opposed to wireless) you will need to have the cables with which to connect your TV to the Internet, as well as a router. The cables may be, for instance, of the Ethernet variety.
Steps you will need to follow, to connect your TV to the Internet
If you are using a wire-based connection (as opposed to wireless) you would need to locate the Ethernet port on your TV (typically at the back). Then you would need to connect the cable, from your Internet router to the said Ethernet port. Having made the physical connection, you would get your TV’s remote, go to ‘menu’, then select ‘network settings’ and enable the wired connection. The TV would then have been connected to the Internet, enhancing its capabilities a great deal. If what you have is a traditional TV, which was not initially designed to be smart (but which was turned smart by connecting it to a device like Amazon Fire or Apple TV), things would be slightly different. In this case, you would have to connect the Ethernet cable from the router to the Amazon fire (or Apple TV stick or whatever other device). Content would then be moving from the device (Amazon Fire stick, Apple TV and so on) to the TV via the HDMI connection. But once the connection is made, from the Amazon Fire or Apple TV or whatever other device to the router, the rest of the procedure is the same. That is where you would use the remote to go to ‘menu’, then ‘network settings’ and then you select ‘wired connection’ – and enable it.
If you are using a wireless connection (like Wi-Fi), there would, of course, be no physical cable connection to be made between the TV and a router. So it would be just a question of being sure that the wireless Internet is available. Then once you are sure that, for instance, there is Wi-Fi connectivity, you’d need to pick up the TV’s remote, go to ‘menu’, then navigate to ‘network settings’. Then you’d need to select the wi-fi network you wish to connect to by name and key in the wi-fi password. The TV would then have been connected to the Internet, after which you can be in a position to access all manner of web-based content.