When your sharing photos and videos with your friends, skip gathering around your small mobile screen and opt for screen mirroring by connecting your mobile to a TV. You can connect a mobile phone to your TV using one of three methods:

• A physical wired connection using HDMI cables
• Using a compatible Smart TV
• Using a wireless display adapter

How to Connect Mobile Using Cables

If you’re using an older mobile phone, physically connecting your phone to the TV via an HDMI cable may offer the easiest screen mirroring experience.  Using a cable connection eliminates the need for extra software or new technology. After purchasing the correct cable that fits your phone’s charging port, the process for connecting your mobile to the TV using an HDMI cable is as simple as plugging one end into your phone and the other end into your TV’s HDMI port. Switch the TV source input to your HDMI port and you’ll be ready to screen mirror.

How a Mobile Device Can Connect to a Smart TV

In order to wirelessly screen mirror your mobile device to a smart TV, both your TV and mobile must be compatible using screen sharing technology such as Miracast. Miracast is the wireless display standard that many Android 4.2 or newer mobile devices and smart TVs feature for screen mirroring. If both of your devices feature Miracast technology, then you can pair them.

To connect a phone to a smart TV, follow these simple steps:

1. Ensure both your TV and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Turn on “screen mirroring” from the input menu of your TV.
3. Open the “wireless display” menu in your smartphone’s settings app and tap “screen mirroring” to turn on.
4. Select your TV from the list of devices.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete set up. This sometimes requires entering a code displayed on your TV into your smartphone to establish a connection.

How a Mobile Device Can Connect to a TV Using a Wireless Display Adapter

If your TV doesn’t have screen mirroring capabilities built into it, then an alternative is using a wireless display adapter or dongle. These adapters plug into your TV’s open HDMI port and act as a receiver to your mobile device.

Connecting your mobile to a TV using a wireless display adapter follows a similar process to connecting to a smart TV.

1. Plug your wireless display adapter into the HDMI port of your TV and into a power source, such as a wall outlet or power strip.
2. Turn on screen mirroring from the “Display” menu of your smartphone’s settings app.
3. Pair your devices following the on-screen queues using the instructions provided by the wireless display adapter manufacturer

A note on Apple products: Apple products require brand specific equipment and adapters for screen mirroring.