Interference with Wireless Mouse/Keyboard? - Google Chromecast

I've been a huge supporter of Chromecast since the very beginning (I bought it on the day it was announced.), and have used it extensively since receiving it. But recently, my roommate is blaming Chromecast for interfering with his wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse. His bedroom is 2 rooms away from the Chromecast, with the wireless router located in the room between the Chromecast and his room (not sure if distance has an effect on it). I thought that Chromecast basically acts as a small WiFi network that communicates with your own router, and so if Chromecast is interfering, then all wireless networks (on 2.4 GHz band) would be causing interference as well. I've used a Microsoft wireless mouse quite often in our apartment, and have never had problems that I could attribute to Chromecast.
Are his concerns with Chromecast interference justified at all? Or has anyone else experienced issues like this?
I tried looking up if others had this problem, but wasn't able to find anything…

Quevvy said:
recently, my roommate is blaming Chromecast for interfering with his wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse. His bedroom is 2 rooms away from the Chromecast, with the wireless router located in the room between the Chromecast and his room (not sure if distance has an effect on it). I thought that Chromecast basically acts as a small WiFi network that communicates with your own router, and so if Chromecast is interfering, then all wireless networks (on 2.4 GHz band) would be causing interference as well. I've used a Microsoft wireless mouse quite often in our apartment, and have never had problems that I could attribute to Chromecast.
Are his concerns with Chromecast interference justified at all? Or has anyone else experienced issues like this?
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Click to collapse
Chromecast is a wireless client just like your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. Same rules apply, and I do not believe its radio is any more powerful than standard, so unless your roommate's keyboard/mouse receiver is extremely close to Chromecast, I can't think of a reason it would be troublesome. Especially from a bedroom away.
More likely his keyboard/mouse receiver is too close to another wireless antenna.
That said, my bedroom TV (which is on the other side of the wall from my router) has been picking up interference on the audio channel from the router. I know it's from the router because I turned off the router's radio and the interference went away. Also, repositioning the router (moving it so it's diagonal rather than exactly opposite the TV) changes the amount of interference. Keep in mind this is an old analog TV that is connected to Chromecast through a mess of spare converters (that cost more than Chromecast) I had.
So inteference can happen, but I really don't think it's from Chromecast in your case.
Have you roommate try new batteries in their keyboard/mouse - and try putting the USB receiver on a hub, extension cable, or in a different USB port and see if that makes a difference.
If the problem is lag, it could also be the system itself getting USB errors from another USB device.
You could also change the 2.4 GHz wireless channel on the router, but as you said before, if it's really the network it would be affected by just about any network traffic, not just Chromecast.
Of course the easiest elimination is simply to unplug Chromecast and wait until the keyboard/mouse problem reappears. Almost certain it will happen without Chromecast in the mix, unless Chromecast is the only wireless device in the place.

Use Wifi Mouse for Android/iOS. It works flawlessly with my desktop streaming to Chromecast two rooms away
http://wifimouse.necta.us/

Tell your roommate to change his wireless mouse's channel.

Related

[Q] Network problems

Hello.
Since XDA is the only forum I'm loyal to I decided to ask you guys.
I've get my broadband directly from ethernet ports integrated in my walls, and all those ports are connected to a switch. The problem is that I've got a wifi router that I'd like to use so I can connect my laptop and my phone to the network, which works fine if I connect it to one of the ports in my walls, but I also have a XBox 360 connected to one of these ports. And since I always stream music and video from my laptop to my XBox this gives me a problem.
I've temporarily solved this by setting up the router right beside my XBox and hooking the XBox to the router, and it works fine, but I can't connect to the wifi if I leave my livingroom.
Also tried to connect the router inbetween the switch and the cables that goes to the wall ports, but this was totally useless because then I only had acceptable wifi connection in my hallway and my kitchen.
So my question is this, is there anyway to have the router connected to one of these ethernet ports, my computer connected to the router and the XBox connected to another ethernet port and get them to be able to communicate?
EDIT: Disabled DHCP on the router as I've found in a guide, but that was only possible to do on the LAN part of the router, no such setting on the wireless page, so still the same problem.
Sounds a bit compilcated I guess, but I think it should be possible to use this router as some kind of extender for the already existing network.
Regards
Izaac
Tell me, how large is your living room again? -____-
Jk, alright, from my point of view, just place the router at the farthest point between those three gadgets, and buy a wifi extender for the other two. That thing just a couple of bucks anyway. Problem solved. No need for another router.
What is your switch currently connected to for internet access?
If you have it hooked to a modem, then it is probably a 1 port router/modem since you don't have problems drawing an ip on your other items.
You are on the right track. Turning off DHCP is correct. There is no dhcp on the wireless portion so don't look for it. Then you want to set your wireless router with a static ip on your lan side so you can get into it if you need(use something out of the normal range like xxx.xxx.xxx.200). Make sure the static IP is part of your LAN subnet. Those two things turn your wireless router into a switch/wireless access point. From here on out forget about the WAN or Internet port on the router. Use only the LAN ports.
You can now use this wifi router anywhere you want. Place it where you get the best wireless signal.
Wire things up this way wherever you place it:
Connect wall ethernet port to one of the LAN ports. Then connect any other devices needing internet access to the other LAN ports.(Computer, XBOX, whatever...)
Then connect wirelessly with your wireless device.
If you need to modify the router settings, you can browse to xxx.xxx.xxx.200 ( or whatever you set the router static lan ip to) from your computer .
Any devices that need DHCP will draw the address from further upstream from the modem/router.
I live in a two floor appartment with the router on the second floor, most of the building is made of concrete, my router is on the second floor, and i have excellent reception all over the place.
- How long is your cable (from the router to the wall 1 meter? 5? Make it as short as possible)
- Are you using 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz? The most common frequency is 2.4, so if your neighbours are using 2.4, it might disrupt your connection from time to time, so try to change the channel.
- Move the router if your wireless phone or any wireless things are operating on 2.4 GHz nearby. They will disrupt the signal.
Oy..... I forgot to tell him to get Wi-Fi Analytics from the play store to check his signal and find the best channel to use.

chrome tab over wifi

So my PC is connected to my router by Ethernet cable. I can cast my chrome tabs and watch video play smooth with no issues. If i use my laptop that has similar specs as my pc and i connect via wifi, video will play very choppy on my tv. I have even tried it right next to my router to ensure the highest speed. A friend of mine is having the same issue with his computer which is also connected over wifi. Even at the lowest video settings its still choppy. Is this a known issue with trying to cast your tab over wifi or am I missing something?
herculese1 said:
So my PC is connected to my router by Ethernet cable. I can cast my chrome tabs and watch video play smooth with no issues. If i use my laptop that has similar specs as my pc and i connect via wifi, video will play very choppy on my tv. I have even tried it right next to my router to ensure the highest speed. A friend of mine is having the same issue with his computer which is also connected over wifi. Even at the lowest video settings its still choppy. Is this a known issue with trying to cast your tab over wifi or am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm guess that if your router is not an "N" router (802.11n), it's probably having a hard time taking the stream from your laptop then sending it back to the Chromecast (I could be wrong). I have an N rounter and can stream wirelesly from my desktop to the chromecast with little to no stutter.
Also, make sure your chromecast has a good wifi signal. I had to use the included HDMI extender to give mine a little extra boost in signal.
Instead of telling us it's similar specs, what are the actual specs?
lebeauc said:
I'm guess that if your router is not an "N" router (802.11n), it's probably having a hard time taking the stream from your laptop then sending it back to the Chromecast (I could be wrong). I have an N rounter and can stream wirelesly from my desktop to the chromecast with little to no stutter.
Also, make sure your chromecast has a good wifi signal. I had to use the included HDMI extender to give mine a little extra boost in signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes my router is a "N". I have a Cisco E4200V2 which is a pretty good router.
Also, make sure your chromecast has a good wifi signal. I had to use the included HDMI extender to give mine a little extra boost in signal.[/QUOTE]
luega said:
Is your tab configuration a little low? Try another tab one more time,if still choppy,that is not issue of tab but TV.
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Click to collapse
My chromecast doesn't move and it has enough wifi signal to stream when using the ethernet connected computer so it should have the wifi signal. How would it be the tv? It works fine with my desktop.
Wireless connection will always be less reliable than a wired connection. I also doubt that your laptop has the same specs as your desktop in reality. Also, keep in mind that the tab/screen casting feature is still under development and not entirely reliable.
Roberek said:
Wireless connection will always be less reliable than a wired connection. I also doubt that your laptop has the same specs as your desktop in reality. Also, keep in mind that the tab/screen casting feature is still under development and not entirely reliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea i am hoping that when it comes out of beta it will be better over wifi. my pc (6 years old) is has a core 2 quad and it runs perfectly. My friend has a less than 1 year old mac that is quad core and has the issue over wifi. Theirs no way his 1 year old mac is not strong enough to support chromecast. I was ready to say "oh well it doesn't work over wifi smoothly" however it seems some people on here are claiming it should.
herculese1 said:
Yes my router is a "N". I have a Cisco E4200V2 which is a pretty good router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even with good N router, you still need to setup right
For example use only G and N mix better yet N only
Set router to use 40MHz instead of 20Mhz
Use WPA2 AES for security instead of something else
There are tons of optimization that you can do to the network.
Best way is to hack your router firmware and replace it with DDWrt
There is a large community full of people over at DDWrt that know their wireless stuff.
I have a D link router cheap but hack with DDWrt and I am streaming ok
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

Chromecast in hotels

The main thing that I was hoping to do with Chromecast was to use it in hotels while travelling. From what I'm reading, there are 2 major problems that would make this not a good option for hotels:
1. Sounds like there's not a way currently to accommodate wi-fi hotspots that require a web page login. This is the situation you find in most hotels.
2. The DNS is hard-coded to Google's DNS servers. This means that if you're travelling away from your home country and you need to use DNS proxies to reach restricted sources, (e.g., Netflix, BBC, Spotify), you're out of luck.
Those two restrictions make the Chromecast not very useful for my purposes. Root access would have been an approach to fix item #2, but now that's gone. So, I'm wondering if anybody knows of any development that's underway to deal with these issues? I took a quick look at the Chromecast API and I didn't see any way to manage the wi-fi connection or to change the DNS settings. I'm hoping some clever developer will figure out a way to deal with this.
Interesting, I was hoping to do the same thing. Some hotels don't require login but most do now. Has anyone tested it?
You could use a laptop and a micro router. I carry a mini tplink router to hotels to use. You can put it and a laptop on that router then stream from the browser to the chromecast. Not perfect but a workaround. Not sure if there is a way to stream directly from a phone or tablet yet.
Virtual Router should work, as (I believe) it supports multicast. Unfortunately, quite a few wifi cards will crash when using it, though. I have an Alfa AWUS036H that I use for... security testing... but that unfortunately can't sustain a connection with the software enabled.
I've used my rooted phone as wifi hotspot/router and then connect tablet or laptop to control chromecast. Unfortunately if a phone is in hotspot mode, chromecasting on same phone won't work so need to use second device to control chromecast.
Using a travel router would work, and maybe using a second Android phone as well, but all of that is defeating the purpose of using the Chromecast device. If I have to go through all of that, I might as well just use an HDMI dongle with my Android phone instead of the Chromecast.
The advantage that the Chromecast would have over phone+dongle is that the Chromecast is small and easy to attach to the TV and I wouldn't have to disconnect it when I was finished. That plus the fact that I would be able to use the phone as a remote control.
But if I've got to pack a travel router and set it up to run Chromecast, the convenience factor is gone. Also, unless there's a wired connection available, putting the 2nd phone or router in the picture would provide only half of the wi-fi bandwidth and slow the connection. Hotel wireless connections are usually pretty slow to begin with.
If somebody comes up with a solution to fix these issues on Chromecast, then I will definitely use it. Otherwise, I'll stick with the phone+hdmi dongle.
One advantage to using the CC is quality. The mhl adapters just don't have the quality and at a hotel with decent speed the router is not an issue. Besides you will not loose speed if you are plugging your router into the LAN.
woody1 said:
Using a travel router would work, and maybe using a second Android phone as well, but all of that is defeating the purpose of using the Chromecast device. If I have to go through all of that, I might as well just use an HDMI dongle with my Android phone instead of the Chromecast.
The advantage that the Chromecast would have over phone+dongle is that the Chromecast is small and easy to attach to the TV and I wouldn't have to disconnect it when I was finished. That plus the fact that I would be able to use the phone as a remote control.
But if I've got to pack a travel router and set it up to run Chromecast, the convenience factor is gone. Also, unless there's a wired connection available, putting the 2nd phone or router in the picture would provide only half of the wi-fi bandwidth and slow the connection. Hotel wireless connections are usually pretty slow to begin with.
If somebody comes up with a solution to fix these issues on Chromecast, then I will definitely use it. Otherwise, I'll stick with the phone+hdmi dongle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
life is better with r00t
willverduzco said:
Virtual Router I have an Alfa AWUS036H that I use for... security testing...
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Click to collapse
Riiiiiiiiight :silly:
willverduzco said:
[I have an Alfa AWUS036H that I use for... security testing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol i have one of those too, and we all know exactly why you have it
http://readwrite.com/2013/08/06/chromecast-hotel-travel-wi-fi-challenges#awesm=~ofCmrzdqug8DvB
http://www.connectify.me/hotspot-chromecast-best-friend/
yeah connectify gives my really inconsistent results. so far only netflix and youtube have worked. music hasn't at all. If I could figure out the cause I'd buy the pro version while its still on sale.
At one point I was planning to get a WL-330NUL mini router. Watch video here. (Supposedly the world's smallest) Given that it's a WiFi router... I believe it could work with the chromecast dongle using a WiFi connected smartphone/tablet/laptop. Looking at the video it appears that in standalone mode it can route using Ethernet on the WAN end and using a laptop it can route using WiFi in the WAN end. In the later scenario the laptop is used to authenticate with the hotel WiFi network and the router dongle appears to act as an AP. Not 100% sure of the second scenario, but it "appears" to be so. The router can be found online for the same price you paid for your chromecast. If I get a chance, before the end of the week, I might stop by B&H Photo-Video and pick one up.
Edit:
Here is another video that shows the features a bit more clearly
I really think that the Chromecast was designed as a way to turn your TV into a "smart" TV... not so much to be a portable device for media streaming. Even bringing it between three houses is annoying as you need to go through the full setup process each time you move between wireless networks since it only stores the most recent network.
Even if you could get it to connect to a hotel's WiFi I would not use it that way, since there's no option to restrict who on the network can cast content to the device.
raptir said:
Even if you could get it to connect to a hotel's WiFi I would not use it that way, since there's no option to restrict who on the network can cast content to the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In hotels all the WiFi connected devices are segregated. Try it. Connect two devices to "most if not all" hotel WiFi networks and the two devices can not connect to each other even while connecting from the same room. This is done for security purposes. With the set up I mentioned with the mini WiFi router any devices connecting to the wireless network created by the mini router needs to authenticate with the AP function of the router.
I use a tplink micro router. I plug into the ether net and it still requires that I log in. So I'm not sure if that will even work.
Life is better with root.
tamanaco said:
In hotels all the WiFi connected devices are segregated. Try it. Connect two devices to "most if not all" hotel WiFi networks and the two devices can not connect to each other even while connecting from the same room. This is done for security purposes. With the set up I mentioned with the mini WiFi router any devices connecting to the wireless network created by the mini router needs to authenticate with the AP function of the router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that would work. You're relying on the hotel having a wired connection in addition to wireless, which I do not see as often unless you're staying in business hotels.
Still, my post was more trying to point out that design decisions like only remembering one wireless hotspot make it seem like they did not intend this to be used for travelling.
raptir said:
Yeah, that would work. You're relying on the hotel having a wired connection in addition to wireless, which I do not see as often unless you're staying in business hotels.
Still, my post was more trying to point out that design decisions like only remembering one wireless hotspot make it seem like they did not intend this to be used for travelling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I was not clear enough in my previous post... when "combined" with a laptop the mini router-laptop setup can act as WiFi LAN to WiFi WAN router. The "Laptop's" WiFi adapter links and authenticates with the hotel's WiFi AP and acts as a bridge to the USB connected mini WiFi router. The mini router then acts as a wireless AP for the wireless nodes in your room. Your chromecast and smartphone/tablet would then link and authenticate to the AP in the mini router and talk to each other as they would be in the same WiFi LAN segment. Both of them will then go out to the Internet using the WiFi connection of the laptop WiFi adapter. Take a look at the second video that I added at the end of my initial post.
tamanaco said:
Maybe I was not clear enough in my previous post... when "combined" with a laptop the mini router setup can act as WiFi LAN to WiFi WAN router. The "Laptop's" WiFi adapter links and authenticates with the hotel's WiFi AP and acts as a bridge to the USB connected mini WiFi router. The mini router then acts as a wireless AP for the wireless nodes in your room. Your chromecast and smartphone/tablet would then link and authenticate to the AP in the mini router and talk to each other as they would be in the same WiFi LAN segment. Both of them will then go out to the Internet using the WiFi connection of the laptop WiFi adapter. Take a look at the second video that I added at the end of my initial post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah. I guess I'm just not seeing why you would go through all of that hassle when an HDMI cable would do the same thing. The Chromecast is great for convenience, when you remove that it just doesn't seem like a good solution to me.
raptir said:
Ah. I guess I'm just not seeing why you would go through all of that hassle when an HDMI cable would do the same thing. The Chromecast is great for convenience, when you remove that it just doesn't seem like a good solution to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might not be a good solution for you, but for those of us that carry a laptop when we travel having two extra dongles would not be much of a hassle. Remember, even if the chromecast had its own browser to authenticate to the hotels WiFi and access the Internet your smartphone/tablet would not be able see it. You need to create your own wireless LAN segment in your hotel room for both devices to connect and a way for both to have access to the Internet via a router in order for the chromecast to work You need to replicate an environment similar to your home wireless network for the chromecast to work as designed.
Edit: Btw, I agree that having a laptop or tablet with separate HDMI port an HDMI cable is a better solution, but since this thread was about chromecast in hotels I was trying to keep the discussion relevant while exploring a "possible" solution.
tamanaco said:
It might not be a good solution for you, but for those of us that carry a laptop when we travel having two extra dongles would not be much of a hassle. Remember, even if the chromecast had its own browser to authenticate to the hotels WiFi and access the Internet your smartphone/tablet would not be able see it. You need to create your own wireless LAN segment in your hotel room for both devices to connect and a way for both to have access to the Internet via a router in order for the chromecast to work You need to replicate an environment similar to your home wireless network for the chromecast to work as designed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it just comes down to a matter of opinion. I do carry a laptop when I travel and I still think that plugging it into the TV with an HDMI cable would be easier than going through all that. The chromecast is less capable but more convenient than an HDMI cable, but if you've got a setup that causes the chromecast to be the less convenient option I just don't see why you'd go with it.
raptir said:
I guess it just comes down to a matter of opinion. I do carry a laptop when I travel and I still think that plugging it into the TV with an HDMI cable would be easier than going through all that. The chromecast is less capable but more convenient than an HDMI cable, but if you've got a setup that causes the chromecast to be the less convenient option I just don't see why you'd go with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had updated my post before your reply. In essence we're in agreement about having an HDMI cable, but I believe that the possibility exist for making this work with just a smartphone with bluetooth and the chromecast dongle. My understanding is that the chromecast also has bluetooth capabilities. So a firmware update and basic browser in the chromecast can be use to authenticate with the hotel's WiFi network while the smartphone can act as a remote via Bluetooth. Just speculating here... but who knows.

Chromecast and CAT5/6

I hate WiFi when it comes to media. Is there any possible way to run some CAT6 to my Chromecast and wire it in?
If not anything other device that works similar that I can hard wire?
Landmine said:
I hate WiFi when it comes to media. Is there any possible way to run some CAT6 to my Chromecast and wire it in?
If not anything other device that works similar that I can hard wire?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I ever heard of, honestly, the CC does not have any issues with regard to wifi speeds for me, I too would prefer ethernet over wifi for everything, but never have any issues using wifi with this.
You can always hook up a roku with ethernet, though it won't have some applications like AllCast and the like, but it might be all you need, though I'm not sure what your exact needs are.
You can also buy a slimport adapter and run a hdmi cable from your device to your TV directly.
There are some TV's and devices (Netgear PTV 3000 IIRC) which support Miracast that I think you can get working, ooops nm that's wireless too.
Just looking to keep the wifi dependency limited. I'd like to see less buffering and less loading bars.
Landmine said:
Just looking to keep the wifi dependency limited. I'd like to see less buffering and less loading bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never get buffering that's caused by the wifi...ever.
An HDMI extension cable and moving Chromecast away from the TV (out from behind, especially) can do wonders for WiFi reception and overall usability.
Kind of defeats the purpose of Chromecast.
If you are going to use a cable why don't you just run an hdmi from your PC.
No need for any of this unless you have a horrible wi fi connection.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Richieboy67 said:
Kind of defeats the purpose of Chromecast.
If you are going to use a cable why don't you just run an hdmi from your PC.
No need for any of this unless you have a horrible wi fi connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm only going to half-agree here...
A good number of people have experienced much-improved streaming by moving their Chromecast away from the TV. Even with a powerful router, the TV itself is a pretty big obstruction for the signal.
There's a reason why Google includes an HDMI extender, beyond just stupid recessed HDMI ports.
Chromecast doesn't really give you a good indication when its WiFi signal is poor or unstable. So even if your other WiFi devices have great connectivity, that doesn't mean squat for the one WiFi device that is sitting right next to the giant EM-radiating/blocking TV, the Chromecast.
bhiga said:
I'm only going to half-agree here...
A good number of people have experienced much-improved streaming by moving their Chromecast away from the TV. Even with a powerful router, the TV itself is a pretty big obstruction for the signal.
There's a reason why Google includes an HDMI extender, beyond just stupid recessed HDMI ports.
Chromecast doesn't really give you a good indication when its WiFi signal is poor or unstable. So even if your other WiFi devices have great connectivity, that doesn't mean squat for the one WiFi device that is sitting right next to the giant EM-radiating/blocking TV, the Chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must have misread the op. I thought he wanted to use a cable instead of wifi. Extending the chromecast away from the tv is different then running a network connection directly to your Chromecast.
My point was just that the CC is meant to be portable and simple..no need for a network cable, etc.
As for the extension cable, this is not really to separate your cc from the tv. It is an antenna to increase reception.
Richieboy67 said:
I must have misread the op. I thought he wanted to use a cable instead of wifi. Extending the chromecast away from the tv is different then running a network connection directly to your Chromecast.
My point was just that the CC is meant to be portable and simple..no need for a network cable, etc.
As for the extension cable, this is not really to separate your cc from the tv. It is an antenna to increase reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you're right - the OP wanted to use a wired network connection rather than a wireless network connection.
Do you have a reference for the use of the HDMI extender as an antenna? I'm curious to know how they've pulled that off.
bhiga said:
No, you're right - the OP wanted to use a wired network connection rather than a wireless network connection.
Do you have a reference for the use of the HDMI extender as an antenna? I'm curious to know how they've pulled that off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not able to look that up right now but I could have sworn it said something about that right in the CC website in the description. I could be wrong though.
##I think I was wrong on that extender thing. I think you are right as it just being an extender mainly to use if you do not have room to plug in your CC. I am not sure how much reception it will really increase though which is part of the reason I thought it acted as an antenna. lol It seems to me they could figure out how to use the cable that way fairly easily but even if it was an antenna I am not sure how much it would help for the extra money it would have cost.
Fortunately for me I do not have many wifi issues at all. I can get a decent wifi connection at my mail box even but I could see people possible having issues in a big city where there are thousands of wifi signals all around. Here there are only 3 or 4 others I see.
Well I see no reason why it would not be possible to create a network dongle that could plug into the CCast to provide wired Network other than the software (aka OS) not supporting the drivers for the Dongle.
If Google was willing it would be easy for them to create a small dongle (like the HDMI Extender) that could provide power and also add a port for Ethernet. The USB seems to have a full wiring to accommodate external peripherals like a Network Dongle.
As to why you would want this it's to increase the available bandwidth for streaming and I agree with @bhiga that it hardly defeats the purpose of the CCast. I personally think the only reason the CCast doesn't have a wired connection at this point was to keep the price down below $45 where a Roku would be competitively priced option.
I sure expect if Google releases a NextGen CCast it will have Wired network capability...And hopefully more Codec and Container support than the current model does.
bhiga said:
An HDMI extension cable and moving Chromecast away from the TV (out from behind, especially) can do wonders for WiFi reception and overall usability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bhiga said:
I'm only going to half-agree here...
A good number of people have experienced much-improved streaming by moving their Chromecast away from the TV. Even with a powerful router, the TV itself is a pretty big obstruction for the signal.
There's a reason why Google includes an HDMI extender, beyond just stupid recessed HDMI ports.
Chromecast doesn't really give you a good indication when its WiFi signal is poor or unstable. So even if your other WiFi devices have great connectivity, that doesn't mean squat for the one WiFi device that is sitting right next to the giant EM-radiating/blocking TV, the Chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is tangential, hopefully not too far off topic.
To see if your signal behind the TV is terrible, check out "Wifi Analyzer" and watch the signal strength -
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer
The TV blocking a wifi signal really depends on the geometry of the whole house, as well as the TV design and construction I would think.
Anyway, until there's a wired solution, that may prove helpful to some.
EarlyMon said:
This is tangential, hopefully not too far off topic.
To see if your signal behind the TV is terrible, check out "Wifi Analyzer" and watch the signal strength -
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer
The TV blocking a wifi signal really depends on the geometry of the whole house, as well as the TV design and construction I would think.
Anyway, until there's a wired solution, that may prove helpful to some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's usually because the TV itself has a ton of shielding to protect it from outside interference and RF from the many devices that are usually located near it.
The quick and best solution is probably to add an AP range extender on the wall the TV is located.
Most people forget that Router placement is still important even despite the advances of the N Standard...
The new AC standard is supposed to solve that even better than N if I'm not mistaken.

Help - jerky playback

Hi guys,
I have received a US version of chromecast and it set up all fine on my network.
The problem is, no matter if the video is online or on my phone, no matter if I use localcast or Allcast, I am still getting the same problem... jerky playback.
It will play for around 8 seconds and then freeze for around 5 Seconds. It is really doing my head in.
The router is right next to my TV (inches away from the chrome cast dongle) and I have a 60mbs connection (42mbs using speedtest.net)
I even tested my connection by streaming the same 720p video to my phone at the same time as to my chromecast, my phone played it fine where as the chromecast jerked as I explained above.
I have checked my wifi traffic and my router is using totally a clear channel range (9-13)
my router is a virgin media branded netgear superhub 2 (vmdg485)
I'm not sure what software version my chromecast has but it updated when I was setting it up.
Can someone please shed some light onto the situation?
I'm willing to do anything to get it working right! (My dad has 2 of them and has the same type of router as me and doesn't have a single problem with his although his are the UK versions of chromecast)
Definitely sounds like an issue with Chromecast's network accessibility.
First off, move Chromecast farther away from your router. Having two wireless devices too close to each other will also cause interference. Use the HDMI extender if you aren't already using it so Chromecast is also farther from the frame of your TV, especially if you have ports that plug parallel to the TV (running against the chassis), rather than perpendicular (sticking out).
Just checking, are you using a VPN or DNS redirector (Unotelly, Unlocator, etc)?
I believe Netflix works in the UK? If so, you can try the Netflix diagnostic video to see what Chromecast's bitrate is.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/har...or-video-check-chromecast-throughput-t2820546
Most likely your issue is simply that Chromecast is getting very poor WiFi reception.
I bet a savvy developer could make a few $ by writing a Chromecast network throughput test app...
bhiga said:
Definitely sounds like an issue with Chromecast's network accessibility.
First off, move Chromecast farther away from your router. Having two wireless devices too close to each other will also cause interference. Use the HDMI extender if you aren't already using it so Chromecast is also farther from the frame of your TV, especially if you have ports that plug parallel to the TV (running against the chassis), rather than perpendicular (sticking out).
Just checking, are you using a VPN or DNS redirector (Unotelly, Unlocator, etc)?
I believe Netflix works in the UK? If so, you can try the Netflix diagnostic video to see what Chromecast's bitrate is.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/har...or-video-check-chromecast-throughput-t2820546
Most likely your issue is simply that Chromecast is getting very poor WiFi reception.
I bet a savvy developer could make a few $ by writing a Chromecast network throughput test app...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found what the issue is, the chromecast is overheating.
I have been carefully taking note on what happens.
It will play fine for around 1:30 hours, then the lip sync starts to go off a little, and then the playback becomes unwatchable due to it jerking so much.
I have checked the chromecast and the outer case must be around 45°c (the same temperature as one of them baths you have to slowly lower yourself in to, in fear of scalding your manhood) lol.
Can anything be done for a chromecast which overheats?
Chillerhippie said:
I have checked the chromecast and the outer case must be around 45°c (the same temperature as one of them baths you have to slowly lower yourself in to, in fear of scalding your manhood) lol.
Can anything be done for a chromecast which overheats?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it's meant to run a little hot, the Chromecast chassis is half heatsink, so it's made to transfer heat to the outside.
My units run around 54C (I assume it's internal temperature).
The biggest and best thing to do is to use the HDMI extender or a longer HDMI extension cable to get Chromecast farther from the television (which is quite the heat source itself).
It'll also improve Chromecast's WiFi reception so it's a win-win.
I was thinking about doing this:
(minus the bit with the antenna.) I have a few heat syncs lying around I could do it with.
Do you think it's worth the effort or a bit of an overkill?
Chillerhippie said:
I was thinking about doing this:
(minus the bit with the antenna.) I have a few heat syncs lying around I could do it with.
Do you think it's worth the effort or a bit of an overkill?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting and fun, but definitely overkill. I would go through the troubleshooting and get a replacement from Google before going to this (warranty voiding) extreme.
At least in the US Chromecast RMA was quick and zero cost, Google paid shipping both ways.

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