The order that works
The usual way to get IPTV is to find an offer, pay for twelve months because it is cheapest, and then find out whether it works. That is exactly backwards, and it is expensive.
Your connection and your equipment set the ceiling on what any service can deliver to your living room. If they are not sufficient, the quality of the service is irrelevant. Both checks are free.
| Step | What you do | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Measure the connection at the TV | Nothing | 2 minutes |
| 2 | Check what the TV can run | Nothing | 5 minutes |
| 3 | Write down the channels you need | Nothing | 5 minutes |
| 4 | Choose and test a service | A short trial | Two evenings |
| 5 | Only then: a longer term | Whatever it costs | — |
Step 1: measure where the TV is
Not at the router, and not on the computer in the study. At the TV, on the device you intend to use, on a weekday evening. The difference between those measuring points is often a factor of three.
Comfortable at 15 Mbit/s. This is where most people land.
Comfortable at 35 Mbit/s. In practice needs a cable or very good 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Comfortable at 50 Mbit/s. A household all watching something different.
Below 8 Mbit/s reaching the TV you will not get steady Full HD, whichever service you buy. Mobile broadband with a data cap is a poor combination too: an evening of Full HD is around 11 GB.
Step 2: check what the TV can run
- Does the TV have its own app store? Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Android TV and Google TV do. If it has none, the answer is a box.
- Does it still receive updates? Apps on sets older than roughly 2018 tend to stop working as the apps require newer system versions.
- Can you run a network cable to it? If yes, do. It is the cheapest fix for most of the problems that otherwise appear in step 4.
If the first two answers are no, you need an extra device — but do not buy it until after step 4. It is cheaper to buy once, knowing what you need.
Step 3: write the list before you see the line-up
Five channels, written down, before you look at any provider's list. The reason is simple: read the list first and you will judge the service by what it happens to carry rather than by what you need.
A channel count of 20,000 is marketing and means nothing. The question that matters is whether your five are there, at the quality you want, and whether they will still be there in three months.
Sports rights change hands between seasons and are the most common reason a channel suddenly disappears. If a specific league is what you are after, check that it is carried now — not that it was carried when someone wrote a review last year.
Step 4: choose, and test short first
| Question | Good answer | Bad answer |
|---|---|---|
| What do they need to know about you? | A contact address and which device you use | Government ID, national insurance number |
| How do you pay? | Card or an established payment provider | Cryptocurrency or transfer only |
| How long is the first commitment? | The shortest available | Twelve months, for the discount |
| How quickly do the details arrive? | Minutes | No indication at all |
| What happens if it does not work? | Stated in the terms | There are no terms |
Do not commit to a year on the first purchase. A 50 % discount for twelve months looks like a large saving. It is one only if the service still exists and still works for twelve months, and you have no way of knowing that yet.
Unsure whether your connection is enough, or what your TV can run? Describe the setup in the chat. We do not recommend providers — that is the point of the site.