In our testing, we found DISH Anywhere (included in your DISH subscription) to be a great way to watch TV on the go, with lots of features and supported streaming devices. The only significant drawbacks are non-interruptible commercials and overloading slower internet connections, such as satellite connections. For related articles visit unlimited wireless internet.
Is the DISH Anywhere app any good?
We think you’ll like DISH Anywhere. In fact, It’s a solid mobile app with an intuitive interface that lets you stream live TV, DVR recordings, and on-demand markers on your computer or transportable device. You can also quickly and easily set and manage DVR timers and parental controls for your entire DISH setup.
DISH Anywhere checks on Google Play (3.3 stars) and the Apple Store (4.3) mention technical issues, including frequent crashes, but we didn’t experience any during testing.
However, we have complaints: DISH Anywhere can’t pause commercials (except for DVR recordings), and satellite Internet customers may experience bandwidth issues.
Are you looking for a DISH satellite TV service? We recommend America’s Top 200 ($109.99 per month). It offers more than 240 channels, includes the Hopper Duo DVR (or the fantastic Hopper 3 for an additional $5.00 per month), and has a two-year price lock.
And, of course, you also get the DISH Anywhere app, which lets you. . .
What can I do with DISH Anywhere?
You can watch TV from home with your PC, smartphone, or tablet (hence DISH Anywhere). You can also do a few other things with DISH Anywhere.
DISH Anywhere features
Stream live TV, DVR recordings, on-demand markers, and rented or purchased content – at home or on the go – to your computer or mobile device
Transferring (that’s DISH-speak for “downloading”) DVR recordings to watch offline
- Set and manage DVR timers
- Create up to five user profiles
- Watch TV on up to five devices simultaneously
- Create watchlists and manage parental controls
- Pair the DISH Anywhere app with an Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Use your smartphone as a DISH remote control
- Let’s dive a little deeper into the features of DISH Anywhere.
Watching TV at home with DISH Anywhere
Okay, there are times when you can use DISH Anywhere at home, such as when the household can’t agree on a particular program. As we mentioned earlier, DISH Anywhere supports up to five users at once.
Keep in mind that depending on the internet usage in your household, you might run into bandwidth issues. Wait – bandwidth? Isn’t DISH a satellite service? Yes, but DISH Anywhere is a streaming app that needs an internet connection.
Watch offline with DISH Anywhere.
With DISH Anywhere, you can transfer (download) DVR recordings to your mobile device for offline viewing. This is very handy for satellite internet customers, as it can avoid the bandwidth and data usage issues mentioned above.
How does it work?
Well, once you’ve transferred a movie to your device, you’re no longer streaming it over your Internet connection. That’s probably why we were able to get around the one-user restriction.
And if you’re watching a transfer over your mobile network, no data will be consumed if you’re thinking of doing your transfers over your home network.
Another benefit of transferring your DVR recordings to your mobile device is skipping commercials. You can’t skip commercials on DISH movies and shows on demand – but you can if you record them on your DVR.
However, there is one caveat: If you transfer DVR recordings to a mobile device, the recording will be deleted from your DVR. So don’t transfer shows that someone at home wants to watch while you’re away.
Manage parental control with DISH Anywhere.
In 2021, kids will be devilishly tech-savvy. Luckily, DISH is partnering with Common Sense Media to offer some of the best parental controls around.
