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You got very lucky that the lack of expected hardware didn't crash the boot process. If anyone is considering doing this, I'd suggest tampering with the analog part of the wireless radio instead, so that the OS still sees a Wi-Fi chip, just that it's no longer able to receive anything.

People so often fail to remember this as an option. I once wanted an Android device for listening to podcasts at the gym, but the device couldn't have any cameras or radios or microphones because of the gym's policy. I just popped it open, unsnapped a few connections, and problem solved.

Would just not giving the TV access to wifi be enough or is it constantly bugging you with pop ups?

Some people might be paranoid that the TV would automatically connect to any unencrypted Wi-Fi in range, but I think it's an urban legend as I've never seen it properly demonstrated and documented.