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I have a Tilt and expect to stay in a hotel that has Internet access via Ethernet, but no WiFi.
Any ideas on how to best connect my Tilt to their Ethernet?
First idea is maybe a WiFi travel router or AP like the DWL-6730AP, but I hate the idea of carrying along extra equipment when the whole point of the Tilt is to avoid bringing my laptop.
Is there some sort of Ethernet-to-USB dongle?
The Tilt has Ethernet support native. Go to settings, select Wifi & switch to NE2000 Compatible Ethernet Driver.
capite said:
I have a Tilt and expect to stay in a hotel that has Internet access via Ethernet, but no WiFi.
Any ideas on how to best connect my Tilt to their Ethernet?
First idea is maybe a WiFi travel router or AP like the DWL-6730AP, but I hate the idea of carrying along extra equipment when the whole point of the Tilt is to avoid bringing my laptop.
Is there some sort of Ethernet-to-USB dongle?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. welcome to xda-devs
2. there is no memory card- or USB-based Ethernet interface for the Kaiser, sorry. Ethernet cards have only been produced as CF cards.
You could use something like a Linksys (or any brand, for that matter) WiFi router to do the trick and then connect to it.
You may run into an issue, though, because most hotels have an entry page where you have to accept their terms of service (yes, even the free ones do this) before getting out to the internet. It is possible that your router will not forward that properly to your phone, or that PIE won't render it properly and you won't be able to finish the signup.
Also note that unless you have something like a WRT54G Linksys router with custom firmware (like DD-WRT), you will be double-NATted, which may, in itself, cause problems.
@GSLEON3 - sure, the IP stack in the Tilt supports Ethernet, but you have to get Layer 1 out of the way first - the physical layer. If you can't physically connect an ethernet cable to the phone, how are you gonna get to the internet?
A lot of hotels have WiFi bridges so that you can use wireless-only devices on their network. Maybe they have one available? Then again, now that I think about it, maybe not. I'm thinking of the other way around where you don't have WiFi in your laptop and they only have WiFi, not ethernet connections. Nevermind. It's late...
I *think* this might work.....
Eithernet-to-USB cable
(http://www.ipenabled.com/netusb.html)
Then patch to a female-female USB coupler (http://www.revealcable.co.uk/acatalog/info_1_AA1582.html)
Then connect that to your normal PC sync cable.
Eithernet at one end, microUSB at the other.
The USB on the Kaiser doesn't work that way. It can act like a client (think ext. hard drive) but not a host (your PC). It's the same reason you can't connect an external hard drive to your phone.
capite said:
I have a Tilt and expect to stay in a hotel that has Internet access via Ethernet, but no WiFi.
Any ideas on how to best connect my Tilt to their Ethernet?
First idea is maybe a WiFi travel router or AP like the DWL-6730AP, but I hate the idea of carrying along extra equipment when the whole point of the Tilt is to avoid bringing my laptop.
Is there some sort of Ethernet-to-USB dongle?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the 3COM Travel Router (3CRTV10075/WL-534) as its a small portable router with NAT and Firewall (stops others in the hotel from seeing your devices). It can be configured as Router, AP or Client so that in AP mode it will connect directly to the Ethernet connection in a hotel room and you have access for both your phone and laptop.
Thanks for the welcome and the ideas, everybody!
It's a shame the USB port won't work for an Internet connection. Has anyone ever tried just in case?
I guess it's a travel router then, I'll go with the 3Com unless anyone can confirm they have used the tiny Netgear WGR101 successfully.
Is the microSD conector I/O capable?? If so, we can plug there normal ethernet card....
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.
I have already set up the chromecast with my wireless network through my phone. It seems there is no way to get it to work with my wired PC that is on the same network. I am assuming that this is just the way it is and I'd like to confirm that.
jbaruch76 said:
I have already set up the chromecast with my wireless network through my phone. It seems there is no way to get it to work with my wired PC that is on the same network. I am assuming that this is just the way it is and I'd like to confirm that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to be sending a wireless signal to the chromecast so no I don't think it will work on ethernet
My desktop works hardwired into my router, no problems. Just downloaded the extension for Chrome, and it worked.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Evo4gLI said:
My desktop works hardwired into my router, no problems. Just downloaded the extension for Chrome, and it worked.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well that is interesting. i have the extension installed, but it just says "no cast devices found." it works from phone, tablet and laptop. not sure what the problem could be.
jbaruch76 said:
well that is interesting. i have the extension installed, but it just says "no cast devices found." it works from phone, tablet and laptop. not sure what the problem could be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When setting it up the first time it does a Wireless to wireless connection from your phone or Wifi Computer to the device. If you don't have Wifi on your computer you will need to use the phone for the initial setup. Once it is on the wireless network you can connect with any device connected to that network, wired or wireless. well that is once your router does not sepereate the wireless and wired clients
I'm having this same problem with my chromecast. Chrome cannot find the chromecast on the desktop; on Wifi or on ethernet. My laptops and all my android devices work without a problem though. Hopefully google hammers out some of these bugs
msm903 said:
When setting it up the first time it does a Wireless to wireless connection from your phone or Wifi Computer to the device. If you don't have Wifi on your computer you will need to use the phone for the initial setup. Once it is on the wireless network you can connect with any device connected to that network, wired or wireless. well that is once your router does not sepereate the wireless and wired clients
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope this is how it'll work, as my network is similar. Router in the living room, with a cable going into a powerline Ethernet jack, emerging in my room where it connects to my desktop computer. So of course for initial setup I will need to use my phone or tablet because my desktop can't find the Chromecast if it's not connected to the router. But I'd certainly hope I can cast from desktop once the dongle has connected to the wi-fi.
Just to be sure - you're not running Windows XP are you? Because apparently XP is not compatible with Google Cast...
Router settings
Ensure you don't have your router settings on "isolate" (d'oi!)
Disable (or enable) any IGMP daemon.
Review your router settings - everything look sane? Any key words pop up?
uninstall your wireless network drivers and then scan for hardware changes; just let your computer reinstall the drivers. just got off the phone with the chrome ninjas and that fixed my problems.
I am also unable to see to see my Chromecast from wired PC's on my network. I tried disabling firewall, and checked all of my router settings. It's the stock Verizon router. I don't get it. It's a major negative that I can't see it from wired PC's.
foghelmut said:
I am also unable to see to see my Chromecast from wired PC's on my network. I tried disabling firewall, and checked all of my router settings. It's the stock Verizon router. I don't get it. It's a major negative that I can't see it from wired PC's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also on fios, so i'm thinking it's a problem with their router. I was going to try it later, but i found some information. If you login to the router then go to this site http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=6059 and it give you some IGMP settings, which are hidden otherwise.
jbaruch76 said:
I'm also on fios, so i'm thinking it's a problem with their router. I was going to try it later, but i found some information. If you login to the router then go to this site http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=6059 and it give you some IGMP settings, which are hidden otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That fixed it, thanks.
No trouble here with seeing Chromecast over Ethernet. Using a WRT54GL with Tomato installed.
My pc is connected to a airport express by Ethernet and I'm able to cast from it.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
solve?
solve?i have the problem with my HTC
jbaruch76 said:
I'm also on fios, so i'm thinking it's a problem with their router. I was going to try it later, but i found some information. If you login to the router then go to this site http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=6059 and it give you some IGMP settings, which are hidden otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disabling IGMP on my Verizon FIOS router resolved the issue, thanks.
jerseymonkey said:
Disabling IGMP on my Verizon FIOS router resolved the issue, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the only change you made? Just changing IGMP Proxy from enabled to disabled? I did that, restarted router and pc but I still don't see the chromecast from the wired connection.
jbaruch76 said:
Is that the only change you made? Just changing IGMP Proxy from enabled to disabled? I did that, restarted router and pc but I still don't see the chromecast from the wired connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you are adding the extension to Chrome. I initially downloaded the app and it kept saying I needed to have WiFi turned on. Also make sure in addition to IGMP disabled that you have wireless isolation off.
msm903 said:
When setting it up the first time it does a Wireless to wireless connection from your phone or Wifi Computer to the device. If you don't have Wifi on your computer you will need to use the phone for the initial setup. Once it is on the wireless network you can connect with any device connected to that network, wired or wireless. well that is once your router does not sepereate the wireless and wired clients
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly this
no ethernet
I have the same problem. Chromecast works fine with iPhone and Nexus7 on wifi network. But what I really want is to stream from the Chrome browser on my pc (as advertised!).
I installed the Chromecast extension, but it says no devices found.
I called Google Chromecast support directly, and two people there told me it couldn't be done. Unbelievable. I explained that my non-mobile desktop pc isn’t on a wireless network (why should it be?); it’s on a wired network (faster, more reliable), while all my wireless gadgets are on my wifi network (all from the same router). They say the pc must be on a wi-fi network (the same one as the Chromecast), not a wired network.
I'm hoping some smart guy here has a better answer.
The Chromecast connects very easily to the wifi network from the Actiontec router. No problem here.
For the part of the house where I need the Chromecasr, however, I have an Amped Wireless extender (AP300) into which ethernet from the router is connected and all devices in this part of the house have a very strong wireless signal.
The problem is that I can't get the Chromecast to connect to the extender's network, It sees the Chromecast I get the attached message when it tries to add to the network.
I am not very versed in networking so help is appreciated. I did check in the AP300's settings for isolation but couldn't find anything.
Thanks!
Exact same issue here...unable to connect (usually) to the Amped wireless repeater, but connect just fine with the main AP.
I wonder if this is an issue with other repeaters also?
jr461 said:
The Chromecast connects very easily to the wifi network from the Actiontec router. No problem here.
For the part of the house where I need the Chromecasr, however, I have an Amped Wireless extender (AP300) into which ethernet from the router is connected and all devices in this part of the house have a very strong wireless signal.
The problem is that I can't get the Chromecast to connect to the extender's network, It sees the Chromecast I get the attached message when it tries to add to the network.
I am not very versed in networking so help is appreciated. I did check in the AP300's settings for isolation but couldn't find anything.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to their document you need to turn off AP Isolation
support.google.com/chromecast/answer/3210071?hl=en#___plusone_0
---------
Yes. You will need to disable AP/Client isolation, also known as client isolation, on your router. Please refer to your router documentation to learn how to disable AP isolation.
If you do not have access to your router settings, or if you are attempting to connect through a guest, hotel or public network with AP/client isolation, you will be unable to set up your Chromecast.
If you are attempting to connect through a Wi-Fi extender, please check your extender settings. You will need to disable AP isolation on your Wi-Fi extender before setting up Chromecast to work with your Wi-Fi network.
---------
Sounds like they expect it to work on an extender....
mdelac01 said:
Exact same issue here...unable to connect (usually) to the Amped wireless repeater, but connect just fine with the main AP.
I wonder if this is an issue with other repeaters also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for anyone who comes across this thread looking for a solution...
I managed to get it working by going into my Amped Settings at setup.ampedwireless.com , then I disabled LAPP setting. Works like a charm! Could be screwing something up I really have no clue.
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...
Click to expand...
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.