Gritty's Blog

With smart TV’s having embedded streaming apps, and the hotel’s custom interface just begging you to log into your service on their TV, why would you even bring a Roku or other streaming device to a hotel?

I’ll tell you: I don’t trust devices I don’t own. Hell, I don’t even trust devices I do own *cough* cellphone *cough*. So while bringing your own device only brings a modicum of data privacy if someone is still on the network monitoring your wifi data in the hotel, at least you’re not logging into an unknown hardware device.

Now, hooking up a Roku in a hotel used to be easy. Use the USB port or hook up via HDMI, grab the remote and switch inputs. Well, now there are “hospitality TVs” that have custom interfaces, and for reasons unknown, security features that disable things like changing the input, even when you use the buttons on the TV itself.

After some tinkering I finally figured it out.

Connect your device to the TV. I usually go for HDMI connections as I don’t trust how USB ports will work on different TVs.

If you look at the back of the TV, you’ll probably notice what looks like a network cable or phone cord plugged into your TV. This is what controls the hospitality portion of the TV. Pull that sucker out.

Doing so in my case allowed me to change the input – but ohhh no, not with the REMOTE – with the single button on the TV. It’s not just a power button, but is also the setup for the TV itself – this was disabled by the network cord. This also means I can’t control the volume with the remote either, but it’s a minor inconvenience for me personally.

Once I changed the input to the Roku I still had one more hurdle: the wifi login / captive portal. Luckily Roku helps you here by asking if you are at a hotel and handily starts its own wifi service that you connect to with your phone or computer so that you can get the Roku accepted through the login screen.

Once that’s all done, et voila, you can use your device in your hotel room.

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Replies: gritty@smallweb.space