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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Wifi Tether

I have been trying to get my chromecast to work correctly on a wifi network tethered from my GNex and I was hoping to gather info from others trying the same.
So far to get the chromecast to show up on my tethered network I had to set it up on a standard network first. Once it had updated to the latest version it then works on the tethered network. This means that I can see the chromcast from other devices on the tethered network.
What I am trying to achieve is to use my GNex as the wifi hotspot AND connect to the chromecast. With the newest update this has been working but only with Play Music. I have tried RemoteCast and that works but Netflix, and Youtube do not. Bubble uPNP does not recognize the chromecast either.
Anyone have similar/different experiences?
It seems like the issue is that the apps are not recognizing the chromecast's broadcast on a tethered (ip isolation) network.

Cothek said:
I have been trying to get my chromecast to work correctly on a wifi network tethered from my GNex and I was hoping to gather info from others trying the same.
So far to get the chromecast to show up on my tethered network I had to set it up on a standard network first. Once it had updated to the latest version it then works on the tethered network. This means that I can see the chromcast from other devices on the tethered network.
What I am trying to achieve is to use my GNex as the wifi hotspot AND connect to the chromecast. With the newest update this has been working but only with Play Music. I have tried RemoteCast and that works but Netflix, and Youtube do not. Bubble uPNP does not recognize the chromecast either.
Anyone have similar/different experiences?
It seems like the issue is that the apps are not recognizing the chromecast's broadcast on a tethered (ip isolation) network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using hotspot on my gs4 and everything worked fine. I think the gnex tether is booked because I still can't use it on a windows PC, only other android and iOS devices.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

WiFi Network dependency

Hi,
Do I need a standalone WiFi network available to cast from my device to the TV or not?
Will I be able to go to friend and cast something from my tablet to his TV even thou he does not have WiFi at home?

Yes, you need a WiFi network and an Internet connection accessible from that.
If you just have your tablet and Chromecast, the Chromecast won't be able to find a network, as your tablet is not a WiFi access point.
I don't know of anyone who has tried setting up their phone/tablet as a WiFi hot spot and connecting Chromecast to that. I'm not certain how Android hotspot NATs and/or isolates clients.
Best to just bring a small wireless router. There are a number of "travel router" devices that have an internal battery or can be powered via USB.
Connect it to your friend's Internet connection, then off you go.
If the goal is just to show stuff from your tablet on your friend's TV, it might be easier/cheaper to just go hardwired with an HDMI or VGA output adapter for your tablet, if it has that option.

bhiga said:
I don't know of anyone who has tried setting up their phone/tablet as a WiFi hot spot and connecting Chromecast to that. I'm not certain how Android hotspot NATs and/or isolates clients.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ooOOoo interesting idea.
I'll have to try that this weekend.

-Lawless said:
ooOOoo interesting idea.
I'll have to try that this weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that Chromecast still needs a connection to the Internet in order to negotiate the application launch.

Thus the Hotspot. Just might work.

My friend is technologically challenged
He's got no internet at home apart from out mobile phones which we can use for internet at his place...
So, can I use my phone's Wifi hotspot to and use my phone/tablet to stream the web to his TV?
How does the Chrome cast work? Is the tablet interphase only used to set up a link between the dongle and the wifi sender/ router?

For native apps, Chromecast works more like a your phone/tablet in the fact that it pulls the requested data and plays on its own. The video isn't going from the Internet to your phone/tablet, then from your phone/tablet to the Chromecast, your phone/tablet "hands off" the request to the Chromecast and the video goes directly from the Internet to the Chromecast. The control via tablet/phone is done through a "side" channel that Chromecast listens on, which also lets your phone/tablet know what Chromecast is doing.
For example, YouTube...
You open YouTube on your phone/tablet
You find a video
You cast it to your Chromecast
Chromecast "phones home" to Google to figure out how to handle the request (I think)
Google replies with "Use the YouTube app"
Chromecast runs its YouTube app to open the link and starts playing
While it's playing on, Chromecast sends its status to your phone/tablet and listens for control commands.
So... Using your phone's WiFi Hotspot for the Chromecast might (should?) work, and what'll happen is Chromecast will connect to your phone via WiFi, and your phone will connect to Internet via mobile network.
In this case the streaming performance will be limited by both your phone's mobile data speed as well as the WiFi connection speed/stability between your phone and the Chromecast.
While I don't necessarily think this will provide a good viewing experience, it's an interesting experiment.
If you have a rooted Chromecast with Kyocast, you should be able to use the un-timebombed AllCast/AirCast to stream video stored on your phone to the Chromecast. It'll still use mobile data to "phone home" (to the Kyocast server) to figure out how to deal with the request, which will launch the AllCast/AirCast magic. From there I believe the video data will stream directly from your phone to the Chromecast, not using your mobile data... I think.

bhiga said:
For native apps, Chromecast works more like a your phone/tablet in the fact that it pulls the requested data and plays on its own. The video isn't going from the Internet to your phone/tablet, then from your phone/tablet to the Chromecast, your phone/tablet "hands off" the request to the Chromecast and the video goes directly from the Internet to the Chromecast. The control via tablet/phone is done through a "side" channel that Chromecast listens on, which also lets your phone/tablet know what Chromecast is doing.
For example, YouTube...
You open YouTube on your phone/tablet
You find a video
You cast it to your Chromecast
Chromecast "phones home" to Google to figure out how to handle the request (I think)
Google replies with "Use the YouTube app"
Chromecast runs its YouTube app to open the link and starts playing
While it's playing on, Chromecast sends its status to your phone/tablet and listens for control commands.
So... Using your phone's WiFi Hotspot for the Chromecast might (should?) work, and what'll happen is Chromecast will connect to your phone via WiFi, and your phone will connect to Internet via mobile network.
In this case the streaming performance will be limited by both your phone's mobile data speed as well as the WiFi connection speed/stability between your phone and the Chromecast.
While I don't necessarily think this will provide a good viewing experience, it's an interesting experiment.
If you have a rooted Chromecast with Kyocast, you should be able to use the un-timebombed AllCast/AirCast to stream video stored on your phone to the Chromecast. It'll still use mobile data to "phone home" (to the Kyocast server) to figure out how to deal with the request, which will launch the AllCast/AirCast magic. From there I believe the video data will stream directly from your phone to the Chromecast, not using your mobile data... I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx so much for all this data. Not sure whether I wanna try the rooting now. Will wait to see what Google has in store in the next month. It's rooting the dongle easy? Rooting phones comes naturally by now...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4

It's really easy with Flashcast but if your Chromecast has been connected to the Internet for more than a few minutes then it has probably auto updated to a non-root able state.

-Lawless said:
ooOOoo interesting idea.
I'll have to try that this weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been doing that for weeks now, if you access 3G (4G) from your device then set it as an access point, and connect to its network with CC. Then all you need is something else to connect to Netflix and the same WiFi access point (a tablet for example or another phone) and you can send it to CC.
The other device is necessary because the Netflix app doesn't show the CC share icon when connected to 3G, whereas on the other device because it's connected to 3G through a mobile WiFi access point it does.
You could use a MiFi instead.
I use it in hotels this way with the CC plugged into the hotel TV (if I'm lucky)

Chromecast without WiFi?

So you can connect a phone that's not on the wifi network to cast videos pics etc. How does it send to the Chromecast?
I thought it had to go through the router or does it stream directly from the phone now?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2791313

debernardis said:
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2791313
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is referring to the announcement by Google at Google IO that mentioned being able to stream via proximity without having to be connected to the Local WiFi.
The CCast itself still needs to be connected to a WiFi AP but the phone that is sending to it does not.
It will use location data and show a code on the screen to make a connection over Cell Data.
What they didn't mention is what can be sent to the CCast...
Is it locally stored content?
Is it merely a way to get control and connect to the CCast (For gaming use)
Or does it allow you to do everything you could do if you were connected to the local AP without having to be connected to the local AP...
One thing that is certain is the CCast itself STILL requires having an internet connection and Wireless AP to connect to.
Which the link you posted will help if no other AP is available.
Unfortunately while they announced that feature I don't think it has been implemented or made live yet.

rosswaa said:
So you can connect a phone that's not on the wifi network to cast videos pics etc. How does it send to the Chromecast?
I thought it had to go through the router or does it stream directly from the phone now?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Chromecast application supports screen casting in your phone then there is a way to cast local media from your phone without external router using phone as WiFi hotspot. Instructions for this can be found from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54976131&postcount=36.

How can I use chromecast on a closed network (no internet)

If the network has internet initially, it buys me the time to enable screen casting after which the link remains up. The problem is when powering on the chromecast without internet access. It effectively disables the device and makes it invisible to the screen cast search.
Is there any way to circumvent this limitation? I don't need the chromecast to have any access to the internet at all for my usage.

Xenosis said:
If the network has internet initially, it buys me the time to enable screen casting after which the link remains up. The problem is when powering on the chromecast without internet access. It effectively disables the device and makes it invisible to the screen cast search.
Is there any way to circumvent this limitation? I don't need the chromecast to have any access to the internet at all for my usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope the CCast needs Internet to load the app it uses to display your screen or anything that is being streamed to it!

Asphyx said:
Nope the CCast needs Internet to load the app it uses to display your screen or anything that is being streamed to it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it might be theoretically possible to supply that app in the closed network?
It doesn't need the internet for screen casting at all, just the in-app chromecast link, which I don't use at all. I just use the mirroring functionality.

Xenosis said:
So it might be theoretically possible to supply that app in the closed network?
It doesn't need the internet for screen casting at all, just the in-app chromecast link, which I don't use at all. I just use the mirroring functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope!
Not unless it is rooted and you have your own local Whitelisting that points to your own app....
And you would STILL have to fnd some way of downloading and storing a local version of the mirroring app that is normally loaded from the internet to point to with your custom whitelist.

Asphyx said:
Nope!
Not unless it is rooted and you have your own local Whitelisting that points to your own app....
And you would STILL have to fnd some way of downloading and storing a local version of the mirroring app that is normally loaded from the internet to point to with your custom whitelist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im not able to do any kind of "offline" playback
which was a big part of me rooting ...
so how would i go about trying to have a local app for the whitelist etc ....

miniminus said:
im not able to do any kind of "offline" playback
which was a big part of me rooting ...
so how would i go about trying to have a local app for the whitelist etc ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Next to impossible....
The playback will stay offline but it still needs an internet connection to load the player that will do the playback....

i've been googling for hours. the whole world is crying out for this.. Give me Chromecast mirroring without internet!
Surely with a rooted phone and rooted CC it must be achievable.
Anyone ever log where the CC goes looking for the streaming app? If we can work out that surely we can:
Download it manually.
Host the app on laptop/tablet - Redirect via DNS or webserver.. proxy.. something!..
I may try and hook up my CC through my wifi internet sharing so i can wireshark to see where and what its doing via the internet.. so i can then attempt to spoof it..
(I really want to get this working on WifiAP alone - no internet). (I got a lot of places with no internet whatsover available).
Any other suggestions would be appreciated..
(I dont have a rooted CC at this point so i may have trouble).

Sage said:
i've been googling for hours. the whole world is crying out for this.. Give me Chromecast mirroring without internet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you want to look at using is Miracast....But it requires having a device that supports it.
Most Miracast Dongles also have a DLNA Mode that will allow you to send streams of content to directly play on it allowing you to use other apps on the launching device.

Asphyx said:
What you want to look at using is Miracast....But it requires having a device that supports it.
Most Miracast Dongles also have a DLNA Mode that will allow you to send streams of content to directly play on it allowing you to use other apps on the launching device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I happen to be in a particularly rare (I hope) situation as the HTC One m7 that I have cannot properly do miracasting but can do chromecasting very well. By not properly, I mean netflix screen remains black on the receiving device when attempting to miracast.

Xenosis said:
I happen to be in a particularly rare (I hope) situation as the HTC One m7 that I have cannot properly do miracasting but can do chromecasting very well. By not properly, I mean netflix screen remains black on the receiving device when attempting to miracast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep there is a lot involved in getting any of these to work due to the limitations of both systems...
There are other ways to go about getting what you want...
1 - Get a Roku which you can send content to using a variety of means or control directly if you get a model with a remote.
2 - Get one of the many Android Sticks and load up a DLNA player (like aVia) that most CCast capable apps can send content to directly.
3 - If you have a cell phone simply buy and add a Mobile Hotspot device to the account that shares your data allotment. You won't be using a lot of data if all you are doing is streaming local content, just the small data needed to load up the receiver app the CCast needs. And you have Data and Internet capability anywhere when you need it.
But the CCast itself is meant to be little more than adding some smart capability to a TV which in most cases requires internet access.
That's why it's so cheap because it doesn't require any storage to keep Apps on the device it gets it all from the Internet....
Unfortunately it also gives Google complete control of what can be displayed on the device which is why everyone was so quick to root the device.
Perhaps in the future some Developer will make a custom rom that allows direct streaming without the need for Internet connection...
But who knows what kind of hornets nest that might stir up with the content providers. Right now everyone agrees the most important thing is to get more support from content providers for the CCast Device and concept.
Anything that might get them to shy away is probably not worth doing right now

Asphyx said:
Yep there is a lot involved in getting any of these to work due to the limitations of both systems...
There are other ways to go about getting what you want...
1 - Get a Roku which you can send content to using a variety of means or control directly if you get a model with a remote.
2 - Get one of the many Android Sticks and load up a DLNA player (like aVia) that most CCast capable apps can send content to directly.
3 - If you have a cell phone simply buy and add a Mobile Hotspot device to the account that shares your data allotment. You won't be using a lot of data if all you are doing is streaming local content, just the small data needed to load up the receiver app the CCast needs. And you have Data and Internet capability anywhere when you need it.
But the CCast itself is meant to be little more than adding some smart capability to a TV which in most cases requires internet access.
That's why it's so cheap because it doesn't require any storage to keep Apps on the device it gets it all from the Internet....
Unfortunately it also gives Google complete control of what can be displayed on the device which is why everyone was so quick to root the device.
Perhaps in the future some Developer will make a custom rom that allows direct streaming without the need for Internet connection...
But who knows what kind of hornets nest that might stir up with the content providers. Right now everyone agrees the most important thing is to get more support from content providers for the CCast Device and concept.
Anything that might get them to shy away is probably not worth doing right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello. I'm trying to mirror my new Nexus 6 to my TV using a Microsoft Wireless Display adapter. The N6 does not officially support miracast, but I enabled through a build.prop edit and using WiFi Direct. It works perfect for everything except Netflix and Hulu (just audio works with a black screen and controls displaying). I'm guessing this is a HDCP/DRM problem. Anyway around this? Would Chromecast work? The N6 does support CC., but I DO NOT have internet in my home. I don't want to stream anything on the TV. Just stream on my phone and display on the TV. If I use hotspot to establish an initial connection for the Chromecast, then turn the hotspot off, would mirroring still work?
Thanks

Direct answer I think is no if you need to get external content. If you enable a hotspot, you will be able to hook the chromecast up to your phone and it will have internet. You would then be stuck as to connect to the chromecast you would have to disable the hotspot. After doing that, your chromecast is thrown into the abyss and needs a new network to connect to.
If your intended usage is in-home then you just need a chromecast pushing device in an isolated wifi network. That wifi network can be your phone with tethering on. You can use another phone (doesn't need data, just wifi) to cast to your chromecast and get data over the tethered connection.
If you want to cast a local file to chromecast, you can get any cheapo router that would be connected to nothing and that should all work smoothly without even using a hotspot.
I happen to be in the same boat when it comes to black screen miracast and yes I think it is an HDCP problem. I am searching high and low for a way to disable HDCP checking when outputing over wifi.
Useful info though not about my phone or yours:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z2/help/how-to-skip-disable-hdcp-checkcan-t2854550
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nex...-mirroring-broken-t2599349/page2#post57456682
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2660448&page=2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=49265142&postcount=118

ryan4a said:
Hello. I'm trying to mirror my new Nexus 6 to my TV using a Microsoft Wireless Display adapter. The N6 does not officially support miracast, but I enabled through a build.prop edit and using WiFi Direct. It works perfect for everything except Netflix and Hulu (just audio works with a black screen and controls displaying). I'm guessing this is a HDCP/DRM problem. Anyway around this? Would Chromecast work? The N6 does support CC., but I DO NOT have internet in my home. I don't want to stream anything on the TV. Just stream on my phone and display on the TV. If I use hotspot to establish an initial connection for the Chromecast, then turn the hotspot off, would mirroring still work?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No your Video issue is probably a codec issue with your wireless display adapter.
I'm pretty sure also that Netflix and Hulu have protected their displays so that screen casting would not work.
It's not HDCP/DRM per say but it is a way of protecting the content from being copied.

Xenosis said:
Direct answer I think is no if you need to get external content. If you enable a hotspot, you will be able to hook the chromecast up to your phone and it will have internet. You would then be stuck as to connect to the chromecast you would have to disable the hotspot. After doing that, your chromecast is thrown into the abyss and needs a new network to connect to.
If your intended usage is in-home then you just need a chromecast pushing device in an isolated wifi network. That wifi network can be your phone with tethering on. You can use another phone (doesn't need data, just wifi) to cast to your chromecast and get data over the tethered connection.
If you want to cast a local file to chromecast, you can get any cheapo router that would be connected to nothing and that should all work smoothly without even using a hotspot.
I happen to be in the same boat when it comes to black screen miracast and yes I think it is an HDCP problem. I am searching high and low for a way to disable HDCP checking when outputing over wifi.
Useful info though not about my phone or yours:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z2/help/how-to-skip-disable-hdcp-checkcan-t2854550
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nex...-mirroring-broken-t2599349/page2#post57456682
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2660448&page=2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=49265142&postcount=118
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. This solution worked...sort of. I'm was able to tether my data from my Nexus 6 to an ipad and the chromecast to establish the initial connection. Now, I disconnect the ipad and the chromecast will still be connected to my tethered network. This allows me to stream Netflix and also mirror local content using only the chromecast and my tethered N6. It is a workaround, but I was hoping to use pure miracast and avoid tethering. But oh well.
---------- Post added at 05:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:55 PM ----------
Asphyx said:
No your Video issue is probably a codec issue with your wireless display adapter.
I'm pretty sure also that Netflix and Hulu have protected their displays so that screen casting would not work.
It's not HDCP/DRM per say but it is a way of protecting the content from being copied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. That's what I thought too. See my response above.Looks like I'll be returning the microsoft adapter, unless the following will eventually work:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/nexus-6-miracast-t2952461/post57462471#post57462471

Asphyx said:
No your Video issue is probably a codec issue with your wireless display adapter.
I'm pretty sure also that Netflix and Hulu have protected their displays so that screen casting would not work.
It's not HDCP/DRM per say but it is a way of protecting the content from being copied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any way around this limitation?

ryan4a said:
Thanks. This solution worked...sort of. I'm was able to tether my data from my Nexus 6 to an ipad and the chromecast to establish the initial connection. Now, I disconnect the ipad and the chromecast will still be connected to my tethered network. This allows me to stream Netflix and also mirror local content using only the chromecast and my tethered N6. It is a workaround, but I was hoping to use pure miracast and avoid tethering. But oh well.
---------- Post added at 05:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:55 PM ----------
Thanks. That's what I thought too. See my response above.Looks like I'll be returning the microsoft adapter, unless the following will eventually work:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/nexus-6-miracast-t2952461/post57462471#post57462471
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even better solution - try this out:
You can set up a mobile hotspot, pair the chromecast to that hotspot one time with another android device, and than go into the chromecast app on the hotspot phone, and finally ignore turning wifi back on and just cast screen to the chromecast. It works flawlessly.

Xenosis said:
Even better solution - try this out:
You can set up a mobile hotspot, pair the chromecast to that hotspot one time with another android device, and than go into the chromecast app on the hotspot phone, and finally ignore turning wifi back on and just cast screen to the chromecast. It works flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Not sure I know what you mean. I'm really trying to eliminate the need for hotspot completely. I have an unlimited data plant and I'm worried AT&T will find out about my unauthorized tethering, then force me into a capped plan.

ryan4a said:
Thanks. Not sure I know what you mean. I'm really trying to eliminate the need for hotspot completely. I have an unlimited data plant and I'm worried AT&T will find out about my unauthorized tethering, then force me into a capped plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what's great about using screen cast. The chromecast won't actually be pulling data from the hotspot. It's somehow piggybacking on the devices hotspot wifi network subnet and just pushing data directly to the chromecast. Your phone will authentically be pulling any stream data from your data plan as it would normally.
ie the chromecast is just a receiver in this configuration. In terms of actually casting an app, I'm not even sure if that is possible so I don't think you'd even accidentally be having your chromecast use data.
There would be the small amount of chromecast traffic checking for an update or whatever it does idly and that would go out over your phones data.
To be safe I would recommend something like this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.formichelli.tetheringfix&hl=en
I don't think they could force you to change plans but they could charge you for the additional hotspot service. A working tether fix should spoof any hotspot traffic as your phone. Typically these giant companies aren't worried about the small-fry data users (talking insignificant here with a chromecast).

Xenosis said:
That's what's great about using screen cast. The chromecast won't actually be pulling data from the hotspot. It's somehow piggybacking on the devices hotspot wifi network subnet and just pushing data directly to the chromecast. Your phone will authentically be pulling any stream data from your data plan as it would normally.
ie the chromecast is just a receiver in this configuration. In terms of actually casting an app, I'm not even sure if that is possible so I don't think you'd even accidentally be having your chromecast use data.
There would be the small amount of chromecast traffic checking for an update or whatever it does idly and that would go out over your phones data.
To be safe I would recommend something like this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.formichelli.tetheringfix&hl=en
I don't think they could force you to change plans but they could charge you for the additional hotspot service. A working tether fix should spoof any hotspot traffic as your phone. Typically these giant companies aren't worried about the small-fry data users (talking insignificant here with a chromecast).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right...this method works for casting the screen and playing YouTube videos only. But if I want to use Netflix or Hulu, I have to cast it through the chromecast. When I try to simply mirror Netflix, I get the same black screen I get when using a regular miracast dongle. So the chromecast is using my data, but maybe it would be the same amount as if I was streaming Netflix directly on my phone.
And here is how I enabled tethering on an unlimited plant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wF2BZ2gx7r8
Not sure if this uses the same method as the app you referenced above, or if AT&T will notice.

ryan4a said:
Right...this method works for casting the screen and playing YouTube videos only. But if I want to use Netflix or Hulu, I have to cast it through the chromecast. When I try to simply mirror Netflix, I get the same black screen I get when using a regular miracast dongle. So the chromecast is using my data, but maybe it would be the same amount as if I was streaming Netflix directly on my phone.
And here is how I enabled tethering on an unlimited plant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wF2BZ2gx7r8
Not sure if this uses the same method as the app you referenced above, or if AT&T will notice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. That is too bad. I have the same miracast problem with Netflix but chromecast always worked for screen casting (whole OS) and normal app-based casting.