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Hulu Live

V
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Why won't Hulu Live work with T-Mobile Internet? Looking the question up online says:

 

“T-Mobile Home Internet supports most video streaming services, like YouTube TV or Netflix. However, at the moment, Hulu + Live TV is not supported due to a technical requirement in delivering the service. We’re working closely with Hulu to resolve this as quickly as possible,” a T-Mobile spokesperson said in a statement.

 

This is very unacceptable in today's market. With Hulu being a cloud supported application, it should take nothing to support the service. It's a simple data service that should be provided and supported. 5G is just a carrier, it's a link to internet services. Why is it, the service is not supported? I would like a deeper technical answer as to why such a simple thing is not 'supported'? 

43 replies

T

Why won't Hulu Live work with T-Mobile Internet? Looking the question up online says:

 

“T-Mobile Home Internet supports most video streaming services, like YouTube TV or Netflix. However, at the moment, Hulu + Live TV is not supported due to a technical requirement in delivering the service. We’re working closely with Hulu to resolve this as quickly as possible,” a T-Mobile spokesperson said in a statement.

 

This is very unacceptable in today's market. With Hulu being a cloud supported application, it should take nothing to support the service. It's a simple data service that should be provided and supported. 5G is just a carrier, it's a link to internet services. Why is it, the service is not supported? I would like a deeper technical answer as to why such a simple thing is not 'supported'? 

I had same problem but I just called Hulu customer service. I gave them my IP address and my customer information and they had me hooked up in no time. Back to being able to watch live tv. 

A

I set up my T-Mobile gateway yesterday.  My IP address has changed multiple times.   So Hulu Live not working for reasons already provided in prior posts.   However also having to take extra steps when logging into financial accounts, as get the message about a new computer/device logging in.  

Hulu customer service said that they will only override my IP address for a limited amount of times.   

 

So not sure that the cost/benefit is worth staying with this Internet system.    Was very exited about the prospects but now disappointed.

 

D

Still doesn’t answer, why my TV upstairs didn’t crash, it wasn’t on the app, it was on the smart hub.  This makes me feel, it is something in the app.

Exactly! I got this resolved once & three days later (last night) it suddenly said I wasn’t home in my bedroom, but no issue at all in the living room. After an hour, they got my bedroom up and running & now it’s not working in my living room- both tvs are obviously on the same internet connection & both are connected to an AppleTV. The explanation about the IP address changing has to be BS

P

call hulu and they will do a manual overwrite. they did advise me that T-Mobile may roll your ip address, so if they do, you will have to call again.

 

G

I had the same issue, but I got into a chat with hulu and the guy was able to override it. So after about 30min he fixed it. Yeah he asked me if I was using a hotspot lol... Seems to work good and cheaper than Cox

D
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It hasn’t been mentioned here, so I thought I’d chime in.  FuboTV has the same location problem.  They also use your ip and had me located in Minneapolis MN. I live 350 miles southeast of there.  The thing about Fubo was that they wanted to charge me another 10 bucks a month for an RSN (Regional Sports Network) fee for Minneapolis.  After several attempts to resolve this, I cancelled and never did get a refund.  So if you’re using Fubo along with TMHI, be prepared for some possible extra charges along with not receiving local live TV.  I went with You Tube TV and haven’t looked back.

C

from what I have read the issue will not be resolved quickly. Hulu+ Live is owned by Xfinity who would love the internet monopoly. I am an Xfinty EX customer and love my Tmobile internet.

C
Userlevel 5
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I have used YouTubeTV with TMO Home Internet and it works on my Apple TV because it asks me to verify my location by signing into my mobile app. The reason why the mobile app can accurately track geolocation is because of the built in GPS on all smartphones.

Hulu TV can do the same thing as YouTube or TMO can figure out a way to match public IP to the correct geolocation.  But as others have said, there is a business relationship with TMO and YouTube so I wouldn’t hold my breadth on Hulu TV getting “fixed” anytime soon.

R

Hulu is owned/operated by Comcast, which is a CABLE company. There is no incentive for them to modify their services to work on a competitor’s wireless network. It is very unlikely they will make any changes, whether they lose customers or not. 

D
Userlevel 3
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Not that i want to excuse Comcast, but actually Hulu is co-owned by Disney and Comcast with Comcast being a silent partner and Disney set to assume full ownership in 2024. So, although it might be true that Hulu is unmotivated to solve the issue because of the Comcast connection, I think it’s more likely that it just hasn’t become a big enough issue to warrant them changing their system. As of Q4 2021 Hulu with Live TV had 4 million subscribers. T-Mobile Home Internet likely has way fewer than that, so the overlap between the two services is likely relatively small. As both services grow, it’s more likely Hulu will be forced to find a solution if T-Mobile doesn't itself.

A

That this still hasn’t been resolved is absurd.

I just left the hell that is being a comcast customer for a couple decades and I am not going back for the sake of Hulu Live TV (to which I just upgraded to replace Xfinity).

And here I am on hold for 40 minutes, waiting for my second “override” since switching to TMHI early this week. This is how you lose customers. (T-Mobile is lucky I’m dead set against going back to Comcast...and I’m probably not the only one.)

ericwade

At some point the number of T-Mobile home internet users will be so large that Hulu will have to fix this issue. However it’s obviously not there yet. So I’m using YouTube TV, I don’t like it as much as Hulu Live but I can deal with it.

W
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More likely that Hulu Live sees the T-Mobile Home Internet as a mobile hotspot and not a home internet device.  Hulu requires a home internet device.  This would be an issue for Hulu to rectify, not T-Mobile.   

Hulu’s live TV doesn’t work on T-Mobile home Internet | Ars Technica

 

 

 

 

Not true. this can be done with a different network configuration and segmentation by the carrier, that is a T-Mobile problem.

J
Badge +1

More likely that Hulu Live sees the T-Mobile Home Internet as a mobile hotspot and not a home internet device.  Hulu requires a home internet device.  This would be an issue for Hulu to rectify, not T-Mobile.   

Hulu’s live TV doesn’t work on T-Mobile home Internet | Ars Technica

 

 

 

 

Not true. this can be done with a different network configuration and segmentation by the carrier, that is a T-Mobile problem.

It may be possible that there was something either side could do to make things work. I do know that every other streaming service works with TMHI. Practically speaking, there is more competition for Live TV streaming services than home internet, so if I change something to make this work, it’s not going to be my home internet.

B

Has anyone tried connecting their streaming device (ie - firestick) through a separate router connected via Ethernet to the TMobile Gateway, in lieu of using the TMobile gateway's router functionm. Interested in learning if this is a potential workaround so that the IP addy is stable? OR if somewhere downstream the gateway still broadcasts its own dynamic IP addy in the signal to Hulu?

B
Userlevel 4
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T-Mobile always assigns your publicly visible IP address (unless using a VPN). Hulu utilizes IP-based geo-location services for that address which really amount to nothing more than a wild guess.

A separate router assigns a private IP address which can be static (depending on how that router is configured). This will also result in a double NAT (network address translation).

Anything connected to that router will still be using the TMO public IP address.

P.S. Sorry to say this really isn’t a TMO issue, but rather a content provider issue for those relying upon inaccurate IP based geolocation services. Content providers relying upon a device’s GPS don’t have this problem; however not all devices support GPS. FWIW, YouTube TV and others are a little more forgiving and don’t require jumping through hoops to update your location as needed.

B

Thanks BobT - I kind of figured that would be the case, but not a networking pro....just know enough to be dangerous sometimes!  

 

I've looked into some of the other content providers like YouTube, sling, Paramount, etc...unfortunately Hulu is the only one I've found with all the channels my wife and I watch, within it's lineup using the DVR function (in addition to LiveTV) to blast through commercials.  In this regard, I really miss my cable subscription package, but not the yr/yr 11-20% cost increases, or living hearing my neighbor's tv through the walls of our homes (I now live almost a.mile away from my nearest neighbor between two cornfields in the country).  So everywhere ya look, there's a trade off I guess ;-)

E

The issue is with the location requirements.  T-Mobile’s Home Internet uses cellular, which can’t give an accurate location and in a lot of cases, can’t even issue an IP within 100 miles of where the modem actually is.  This location restriction being within a very close radius of the Hulu’s Live TV subscribers billing address is why Live TV isn’t compatible with T-Mobile’s Home Internet service currently.  

Exactlt

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