Novice question

[terryp13]

I'm about to buy my first Smart TV but wish to remain my BT Youview box for Apps like NOWTV that the new Panasonic doesn't support.  So my question is do I run the internet/ethernet cable from hub to box or from hub to TV?  And whichever option is best how do I then connect box to TV? 

Do both TV and box operate to full capacity even though one won't be receiving the broadband signal directly?

Apols for the simplicity of the question

[gg30340 · Accepted solution]

You need to run an Ethernet cable from your BT hub to both the  Smart TV  and the BT Youview box so that they can access the Internet independently.

[terryp13]

Thanks for the prompt reply.  So there's a device/product that effectively splits the cable - not literally I presume?

As I said, novice question!

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@terryp13 wrote:

Thanks for the prompt reply.  So there's a device/product that effectively splits the cable - not literally I presume?

As I said, novice question!

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You just need an Ethernet switch. You only need one cable from the home hub to this switch, and then you can plug in any other Ethernet connected devices.

[licquorice]

You either need 2 cables or a cheap unmanaged four or five port Ethernet switch at the TV/box end to provide one input and 3/4 outputs.

Typing as @Keith_Beddoe  posted

[terryp13]

Amazing. Thanks very much. And it does that without compromising the quality of the broadband signal?

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@terryp13 wrote:

Amazing. Thanks very much. And it does that without compromising the quality of the broadband signal?

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An Ethernet switch should not affect the speed. Obviously if all devices connected to it are demanding the full bandwidth, then it will be shared between them, however in practice, devices that stream video do not utilise the full bandwidth all of the time, so you would not notice any difference.

The TP-Link TL-SG1005D is one option, under £15.

You may also need a couple of Ethernet patch cables to run from the switch to the devices.

They are available in different lengths, and are not expensive.

[licquorice]

It's no different to using the Ethernet ports on your hub. The hub incorporates an Ethernet switch.

[terryp13]

That's brilliant. Again, thanks very much. 

It's another question (apologies) but I'm unclear whether Panasonic (TV) or BT becomes my on-screen streaming default and I toggle between them. Does that even make sense? I'm confusing myself now!!

[NigelB72]

That is down to personal choice. We have a Smart TV, BT TV, PS5 and Roku streaming sticks but out of choice, we use the Roku for streaming services.