Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends
Sling TV is a relatively simplestreaming servicethat aims to to ( mostly ) replace your cable television service subscription . Along with being one of the less - expensive options , Sling TValso delivers admission tostreaming live TV . However , you might be wondering whether you in reality need the internet to learn . It ’s one of those basic questions deserving find out out before you sign up .
So let ’s spell it out : Yes , you need the cyberspace to watch Sling TV because it is an internet - based cyclosis service . Mostly . More on that caveat in a second .
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends
Sling TV is a multi - platform telecasting allocator , or MPVD . It ’s basically the internet version of an old - school cable TV subscription . You pay something every month and get to watch the same channel on your TV via an app . And you’re able to do so on just about any modern platform , whether it ’s Roku or Amazon Fire TV ( the two big ) , Apple TV , Android TV , Google TV , or any of the various impertinent TVs out there .
The one affair they all have in common is that you’re able to connect them to the net . And you ’ll have to if you desire to watch Sling TV on them . It can be your home internet or the fluid internet via your phone . So long as it ’s fast enough , either will do .
One agency in which this might be just a little puzzling is that Sling TV has a habit of pushing you toward something calledAirTV , which is Sling TV ’s branded - version of an over - the - air tuner and antenna organization that receives your local program channels — which in and of themselves do n’t take an internet connexion to receive — and include them with your Sling television service . Sling TV needs the internet . Over - the - gentle wind broadcast do not . ( OK , if you want to download a channel guide , that ’ll require the internet . But allow ’s not confuse things even further . )
As long as we ’re talking rudiments here , rent ’s reckon at net speed for Sling TV . The bottom line is this : If you have a broadband connection , you should be good to go . Sling order a 3 Mbps connection is o.k. for tablet and smartphones , and it should be . A 5 Mbps connection works if you ’re streaming just one matter at a time on a TV . And if you have multiple streams , you should have a 25 Mbs link or high .
That ’s pretty stock these days for broadband connections and modern LTE or 5 G networks , too . Everyone ’s situation is different , though .
But one affair that is n’t ? Everyone involve some kind of internet connexion to ascertain Sling TV .
