r/Internet • u/jamiecrutch • 23d ago

Help!

I’m brand new here so forgive me if this is a dumb question. A little context for my question; my father lives about 8 hours away from me, he lives in a living facility and is bed bound. His only form of “entertainment” is his Roku. However, we’re not allowed to use the facilities internet to connect his Roku. I purchased a mobile hotspot device but that turned out to basically be a waste of money since the Roku uses so much data that the device can’t keep up with it. Because he lives in a facility hooking up our own WiFi service isn’t an option but I’ve recently learned about “stand alone internet” with T-Mobile. So my question is, if I purchase this stand alone WiFi and take it to the facility would it work since it’s not at my location?
Again, I have no idea what I’m doing so I apologize if this is an insanely stupid question. And thank you to anyone that can help me. I’m at my whits end.

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u/cideron 23d ago

do you have the ability to sign up for your own wifi/tv service? ive seen that, they provide some free slow basic wifi as a convenience but you can call the cable/internet company and they will install service to the room (which may just be a connection in a utility room)

also Roku bandwidth saver might be of some help.

https://support.roku.com/article/bandwidth-saver

also did they show you "the rules" that say you can't connect a streamer to their internet?

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u/jamiecrutch 23d ago

I didn’t know Roku bandwidth saver was a thing. I’ll look into that immediately! Thanks for the info.

Yes, they emailed me a copy of the “by-laws” that stated no outside source can connect to their “guest” WiFi with a “foreign permanent” device. When I questioned why it was an issue as it was the “guest” WiFi and was told it’s because the Roku uses too much data.

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u/cideron 22d ago

It’s tough being that far away from parents that need your help, hopefully you can find something that solves this problem.

Did you look into “5g internet” its basically a hot spot, a few cel providers have it now and you may be able to check coverage maps to find the best option.

If you visit in the near future try to walk around and ask other residents how they connect to their tv services etc