[SOLVED] WiFi connect XP laptop to TV

ImWolf

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Mar 18, 2019
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Dell Precision M6400
Windows XP / Linux Mint OS's
Hisense (none smart) TV

I want to be able to wifi connect from a laptop to my TV to play either online streamed video or videos I have saved to disk.

The laptop has built in wifi and HDMI port.

The TV does not have wifi capability, but does have HDMI input ports, and also a USB port.

I see products online to act as HDMI wifi receivers, but almost all of them are advertised to work with phones or tablets. None of these I've seen thus far are advertised to function with a Windows or Linux OS.

Please let me know what has worked for you.
 
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Then I was able to mirror the screen onto the TV with the "experimental" whole screen option in Chrome. This was a very choppy, lagged connection. Impossible to really work with a mouse. It was like looking at a distant star..... could only see where the mouse was a long time ago.

Tried playing a video.... audio and video totally out of sync.... cannot watch anything like this.

Did not see this thread before or I would have warned you, running things from chromecast or other casting programs will almost always result in lag video and audio and mouse/keyboard movements. There is just not enough bandwidth and software support for this outside of sending a low resolution image or for sharing still images like a photo...

gmagdna

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Plenty of options but IMO Chromecast is the easiest. Plugs into the TV HDMI and you cast from a Chrome tab - either load the URL of the streaming video, or Ctl + O to browse for local media.
 

gmagdna

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Chrome needs to be on the device from which you want to cast, certainly on a device that has access to the local media. There are casting apps for iOS and Android if you needed that, too.
 

ImWolf

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Chrome needs to be on the device from which you want to cast, certainly on a device that has access to the local media. There are casting apps for iOS and Android if you needed that, too.

I'd rather not install another monster web browser on the system if I don't need to.... IE and Firefox are already setup.

I was hoping that the associated software would be much lighter.
 

gmagdna

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There's a Firefox extension called fx_cast. Nothing I'm aware of to cast from IE. You can also look at the devices Screen Beam and AnyCast (Best Buy or Walmart in the US).
 
You don't have much more options but to install Chrome. Miracast is another technology where dongles are available, but your desktop (hardware and OS) does not support Miracast.

Another option is wireless HDMI bridge - pair of devices acting as transmitter (plugged into the computer) and receiver (plugged into TV), but you're looking at $xxx investment instead of $35 Chromecast.
 

ImWolf

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Thanks for the input.... I've looked into the devices suggested above, and I think my original "mission statement" was not accurate.

What I should have written instead is how can I use my TV as a 2nd monitor wireless?

Aside from just streaming or playing saved videos, I would also like to open other apps of any sort. This would include viewing documents, opening a DOS prompt, managing files, running CAD software..... etc.

The easy fix is probably to find 15' of HDMI cable, but who wants a cable strung across the living room full time?

From what I've read, I can't confirm Chromecast or anything else will achieve this.
 

gmagdna

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What I should have written instead is how can I use my TV as a 2nd monitor wireless?


Chromecast or Screenbeam work for that, too.

Chromecast - when selecting what to cast you have option to do the entire screen, so whatever is on your laptop screen is mirrored on the TV, through the Chromecast plugged into an HDMI. Chromecast requires a wifi connection. The strength and reliability of the wifi determines how well the cast works. I used both tab abd screen casting for years without any issues.

Screenbeam - uses Miracast installed on the laptop and the Screenberam device plugged into your TV HDMI. This device does not require wifi, instead the Screenbeam device creates it's own network for you to attach to so you can take it anywhere, i.e. places without wifi.

The HDMI bridge @Alabalcho referenced also works for mirroring the entire screen but as noted it's somewhat prohibitively expensive for infrequent use. Plus you'e dealing with some hardware that requires AC power and HDMI cables. But it's an option.
 
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ImWolf

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Alright..... thanks for that reply.... strange that the advertising I've been cruising does not spell all these capabilities out clearly.

I've been looking at prices on evilbay, do you think it matters if I buy 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation, or now the "ultimate" version of the Chromecast device?
 

gmagdna

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The Ultimate has an ethernet jack on the adapter where it plugs into an outlet so you can use it over WiFi or ethernet. If you don’t see a current or future need for the ethernet then I’d go with 2nd gen. 1st gen supported only 2.4 WiFi, 2nd supported 2.4 and 5. Then Ultimate added ethernet, as noted.
 

ImWolf

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The Ultimate has an ethernet jack on the adapter where it plugs into an outlet so you can use it over WiFi or ethernet. If you don’t see a current or future need for the ethernet then I’d go with 2nd gen. 1st gen supported only 2.4 WiFi, 2nd supported 2.4 and 5. Then Ultimate added ethernet, as noted.

Ordered a 2nd gen device..... shipping is at least a week.... I'll post back how it worked out....

Thanks,
Wolf
 

ImWolf

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Spent too much time now on this Chromecast device.

The "quickstart" guide does not allow for setup (connect to router) with a PC.

Most of the online resources point to links which no longer exist or have been changed.

I started by installing Chrome browser and the Chromecast extension. Would not detect the cast device.

Eventually had to D/L and install apps on my android phone just so that Chromecast device and router would talk to each other.

Then I was able to mirror the screen onto the TV with the "experimental" whole screen option in Chrome. This was a very choppy, lagged connection. Impossible to really work with a mouse. It was like looking at a distant star..... could only see where the mouse was a long time ago.

Tried playing a video.... audio and video totally out of sync.... cannot watch anything like this.

I have slow internet service, and having the signal go from the PC to the router, and then back across half the house to the chromecast attached to the TV doesn't help anything.

Considering how popular chromecast seems to be, I'm surprised I could not find 3rd party software that would allow me to direct connect from the PC to the chromecast device. Connecting through the router seems like a dumb strategy to start with.
 
Then I was able to mirror the screen onto the TV with the "experimental" whole screen option in Chrome. This was a very choppy, lagged connection. Impossible to really work with a mouse. It was like looking at a distant star..... could only see where the mouse was a long time ago.

Tried playing a video.... audio and video totally out of sync.... cannot watch anything like this.

Did not see this thread before or I would have warned you, running things from chromecast or other casting programs will almost always result in lag video and audio and mouse/keyboard movements. There is just not enough bandwidth and software support for this outside of sending a low resolution image or for sharing still images like a photo slide show. Wireless video is just not ready for very simple and high quality use yet. None of the A/V integrators I dealt with at work recommend wireless setups for much past sharing spreadsheets or low res video. We have done demos with some $500-$1,000 wireless equipment and they all had some drawbacks, especially with playing video.

For a wireless faster connection you will need a wireless HDMI setup between the computer and screen.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-wireless-hdmi-video-transmitter/
 
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