If you love PC gaming as much as we do, then you surely want to play games on a large display. Usually, users are not satisfied with the small 15.6-inch displays supplied with their laptops. As a result, they move a notch up and buy an external monitor. However, even that monitor maxes out at 27 inches. Certainly, monitors larger than 27 inches are also available in the market, but they don’t make up for a wise financial decision. Consequently, people lastly prefer to play games on their TVs because of their massive size. That’s where the Steam link on LG Smart TV becomes important.
Generally, TVs nowadays start from at least 32 inches. But no one purchases that. Instead, most of us naturally purchase a TV that is larger than 43 inches or sometimes even 55 inches. As a result, the bigger the display, the better and more immersive the gaming experience. That’s why, plenty of people feel like playing their games on PC. While that is not possible due to hardware limitations, a certain thing called Steam link changed the complete landscape in 2015. With that being said, here’s how you can get Steam Link on LG Smart TV.
What Is Steam Link?
Steam Link is a software and hardware product developed by Valve Corporation for streaming Steam content (mainly gaming) from a PC or even a Steam Machine to a smartphone or other monitor and even TVs. Steam Link was originally released as a hardware device alongside the debut of Steam Machines in November 2015.
Unfortunately, Valve discontinued the Steam Link for LG Smart TV in November 2018, in favor of supporting its software-based Steam Link application for mobile devices and smart televisions, as well as providing Steam Link as a software package for the Raspberry Pi microcomputer.
Steam Link works by encoding and decoding the video and audio output of a Steam game on the host computer and streaming it to the client device. The client device then decodes the video and audio stream and displays it on its screen. The client device can be a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, a smart TV, or a computer running the Steam Link software.
Steam Link supports many controllers, including the Steam Controller, Xbox controllers, PlayStation controllers, and other brand Bluetooth controllers. Steam Link also supports keyboard and mouse input, but this can be more difficult to use on a mobile device or smart TV.
How to Play Steam Link or Games on LG Smart TV
As already said, Steam Link was discontinued in November 2018. While officially it is not possible to get the Steam link on an LG Smart TV, there are surely a bit complex and unofficial methods that can help you install the Steam link on an LG Smart TV.
Method 1: Install IHSPlay Steam Client on LG Smart TV
The very first method to install Steam client on LG Smart TV is via using IHSPlay. This is an excellent exploit application that works as a substitute for Steam Client but works the same as the official version. With that being said, let’s begin with the steps to install IHSPlay on LG Smart TV and get started with the Steam link.
Step 1: Jailbreak or Root LG Smart TV
The first step towards installing IHSplay on LG Smart TV is by rooting your LG TV. While this may sound outrageous, the process is usually simple if you manage to follow the steps accurately and carefully. You also need to know that rooting is not possible with the latest generations of LG Smart TVs.
That means, if your TV is purchased in between 2018 to 2021, it is possible to jailbreak or root your LG Smart TV. Anything newer than that, or running WebOS 6.xx, sorry but you will have to resort to the next method. With that in mind, here are the steps to root your LG Smart TV:
- Turn on your LG Smart TV and make sure that you have a solid internet connection. If the internet is slow, mind checking out our internet connection speedup guide.
- When downloaded, extract the software using a ZIP extractor.
- Now, turn on your TV and go to Settings.
- Using your Remote, click on Network.
- Enable LG Connect Apps.
- Now, open your TV’s browser and go to rootmy.tv or enter this directly in the address bar.
- Using your remote, slide the slider, and the app will take care of the rest.
- If you see a security prompt appear, agree to that.
Let the website finish its job, and you don’t need to do anything else. When done, the website will flash a message that, congratulations, your TV is rooted.
Step 2: Installing Homebrew on Jailbroken LG Smart TV
Now that your TV is rooted and ready for use, you will now be installing IHSPlay. Going by this way, your auto updates and installation of the WebOS will be blocked. As a result, you won’t receive any future updates from LG. However, you are allowed to update your LG Smart TV if any version is released after that. But keep in mind that doing so will unroot your TV. Now, let’s install IHSPlay from Homebrew:
- After rooting, you will be able to see the Homebrew Channel in the dashboard or ribbon menu. Click on that using your remote.
- Now, search for IHSPlay. This is the most important app in this guide.
- Open it and click on Install from the left side.
That’s it. Now, almost 70% of the work is complete on your side. The only thing left is to link your computer and TV, which is easy as well.
Step 3: Link Your PC and IHSPlay for Steam Link
Now that your TV is all set up to play games and get Steam link. However, the only step remaining is connecting your laptop and PC with the help of the Steam link. With that, here are the steps to link your PC and LG Smart TV together:
- Turn on your PC and make sure that it is connected to the internet.
- Now, launch Steam and go to Settings.
- From the left side panel, click on Remote Play.
- Put a tick mark on Enable Remote Play and then OK.
- Now, come back to your TV and go to Settings.
- Next, go to General, followed by External Devices, and select your Bluetooth Controller.
- Connect the WiFi and make sure that both your TV and PC are on the same WiFi network.
- Now, open IHSPlay, and you will immediately see that your PC’s name is appearing in the device list.
- Select it, and you will be able to see a 4-digit code.
- Enter that code on your TV as soon as the space appears, and click on Authorize Device.
Once everything is in space and successfully linked, your LG Smart TV will now run a Speed Test. No, this is not an internet speed test. This is a kind of latency speed test that will test the speed of data transfer with the help of a Steam link. This makes sense because if latency is too high, you will shoot someone, but the actual bullet might hit after a second or so, and that can make quite a lot of difference.
When that is done, you will see the complete Steam Library opened up on the big screen, and that is really a treat to watch. However, keep in mind that the IHSPlay is still in its early days and it cannot work like the full blown Steam app, so don’t try to fiddle around with settings otherwise it can crash. Unfortunately, if this method didn’t work for you, there’s another method just made for you.
Method 2: Install Steam Link Using Developer Mode
If the above method somehow didn’t work for you, that means your LG Smart TV is newer than you thought. it is also possible that it is updated and the exploit has been patched by LG. As a result, the next method involves a process that is allowed by the LG as well. In this process, you will be enabling developer mode that allows you to install third-party applications. So, without any further ado, let’s begin.
Step 1: Enable Developer Mode on LG Smart TV
First of all, you need to enable developer mode on LG Smart TV. The developer on this TV is far different from Samsung TVs and other smart devices if you have seen or enabled it. However, keep in mind that this process also requires you to use your PC. Here are the steps to enable developer mode on your LG Smart TV:
- First of all, go to LG Web Browser and open webostv.developer.lge.com/login.
- Sign in using your LG WebOS ID.
- If you don’t have an ID, create one using your computer as this will take a lot of time.
- Now, go to Content Store and search for Developer Mode and Install it on your TV.
- Open Developer Mode and you will have to sign in using the same ID and password.
- Enable Developer Mode using the toggle and it will ask you to restart your TV.
- After the restart, open the Developer Mode app and you will be presented with a Host Address and Passphrase. Write it somewhere as we will need it later.
That’s it for the TV part now, we will be working with the PC now.
Step 2: Setting up Steam Link
This step will require you that you have your PC with you and a WiFi connection. The same the better. Also, this is the most important step in this method so make sure that you follow everything carefully. Here are the steps:
- Open Google Chrome and go to this link. This is the official link to the GitHub page for WebOS DevMode.
- Depending on your PC, download the one with the extension .msi and x64 for a 64-Bit system.
- Go to the downloads folder and proceed with the installation.
- Open DevMode on your PC and click on Add Device.
- Enter the Host Address and Passphrase that you wrote down. Also, assign a name to your PC and click on Add.
- Now, both your PC and LG Smart TV will be connected.
- That’s it. Now, navigate to the App Store on your PC find IHSPlay, and install it.
- Now, launch Steam and go to Settings.
- From the left side panel, click on Remote Play.
- Put a tick mark on Enable Remote Play and then OK.
Now, your PC part is again over and the only thing remaining with the PC is linking it to your TV. That said, head over to the TV now and keep reading the next steps.
Step 3: Starting Steam Link on LG Smart TV
As you have already done everything on your PC, it is time to set things up a bit on your LG Smart TV. However, before you begin following these steps, make sure that your PC and laptop are connected to the Same WiFi network. It would be great if it is a WiFi with 5Ghz bandwidth.
- Restart your TV.
- Now, you will see the Homebrew app in the ribbon section.
- Open it and launch IHSPlay.
- Now, you will immediately see that your PC’s name is appearing in the device list.
- Select it, and you will be able to see a 4-digit code.
- Enter that code on your TV as soon as the space appears, and click on Authorize Device.
That’s it. Now, the entire process is completed and your LG Smart TV is able to work with Steam Link from your PC.
Is There Any Alternate Way?
Yes, there are plenty of alternatives that you can do if you don’t wish to go down this complicated route. However, while the next alternate route is extremely simple and easy to use, it will cost you a few bucks. That way is, by purchasing an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Chromecast, you can easily connect your LG Smart TV using Steam Link with your PC.
The Bottom Line
Well, that’s all we have here about how you can connect your LG Smart TV to your PC via Steam Link. We hope this guide has helped you. However, if you are still having any trouble doing the IHSPlay setup or anything of that type, make sure to drop a comment so that we can help you.
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