Possible to cast from Android smartphone to Chromecast 3 without use of WiFi

[zoezydk]

I just got myself a Chromecast 3 for my Samsung "dumb TV" and hooked it up to the USB-port of the latter. When purchasing the Chromecast, I asked the seller in the store if it was possible to use it with the WiFi of my Samsung A5 (2017) smartphone (that is the integrated data plan of my phone's subscription). The seller responded quite doubtfully and ambiguously (as well as hesitatingly) that she "meant" that it wasn't a problem. If so, I could bring it back and get a refund. At home I realized that the Chromecast didn't work with the phone's data plan and after a bit of research, I found that a WiFi was required for making things work. So I got myself some WiFi and finally got the Chromecast set up and working - so far without any issues.

However, the new WiFi is an additional monthly expense and - though nice to have - essentially not required if the Chromecast could be made to work with the data plan of the phone instead. So I did some more research, trying to see if there was a way of getting this done and stumbled upon the following article...

http://www.androidauthority.com/chromecast-mirror-cast-wifi-397374/"]https://www.androidauthority.com/chromecast-mirror-cast-wifi-397374/

...in which there is a section headlined "Cast without a WiFi connection". This article is way back from June 25th, 2014 - so a bit outdated. However there is a mention of the possibility of selecting "Nearby Devices" and Chromecast without WiFi in some way. So I found the following page...

http://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7073953?hl=en"]https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7073953?hl=en

...from Google Chromecast support, explaining the steps for connecting without the use of WiFi. However, there is no mention of what internet connection to use instead, nor does it say if it is possible at all to connect the Samsung/Android device and then use the same data plan/shared WiFi from the phone itself.

So the open question I am trying to get answered is still if there is any way or possibility at all to make the Chromecast work on my phone's own WiFi where both the phone and Chromecast share and use the same network at the same time (or if that article somehow is erroneous or outdated. If the former is the case, I'd be grateful to have someone explain to me what point it is that they are trying to make in said article).

Any help and input on the above is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SpookDroid]

OK, the short answer is NO. Chromecast needs WiFi in order to work, period. Although announced, WiFi Direct (i.e. streaming directly from a device to the Chromecast without a router in the middle) was never implemented.

The title of the article is a bit deceiving. That allows you to use a Chromecast that you are not connected to the same network as, but the Chromecast itself still needs a valid internet connection to work.

Now, in theory, since your phone shares the data connection over WiFi, that should do the trick (as long as you don't mind that you are using hotspot data that might be limited/extra on your plan). What exactly isn't working when you do that or how are you trying to 'cast'?

 

[zoezydk]

OK, the short answer is NO. Chromecast needs WiFi in order to work, period. Although announced, WiFi Direct (i.e. streaming directly from a device to the Chromecast without a router in the middle) was never implemented.

Okay, that's a bummer. Do you know why they didn't pull through with this one and is there any hope, that this will be implemented in the near future after all?

The title of the article is a bit deceiving. That allows you to use a Chromecast that you are not connected to the same network as, but the Chromecast itself still needs a valid internet connection to work.

I think there are some words that got lost by accident in that paragraph and which are quite important in order to fully understand the whole meaning of what you wanted to say here. Could you kindly rephrase or correct? I am having trouble getting the meaning of this. Thanks.

Now, in theory, since your phone shares the data connection over WiFi, that should do the trick (as long as you don't mind that you are using hotspot data that might be limited/extra on your plan). What exactly isn't working when you do that or how are you trying to 'cast'?

Before I got my WiFi, I initially tried to hook up the Chromecast to my TV by connecting it to the USB-port, then downloaded the "Google Home" app for the setup of the Chromecast and turned on the "WiFi Hotspot" on my phone so the Chromecast had a WiFi connection. I don't remember the exact details but the Chromecast wasn't able to run on the WiFi while the phone used the same data connection. In short, it wasn't possible. Have you tried this or do you know if someone else did so?

As a side note..., I wouldn't have any issues using the phone's data plan if so. Currently I got only 50 GB but I can get an unlimited calls/data plan for the same monthly amount that I am now additionally paying for the WiFi. So this could be a big save on costs for my internet connection if I could use the phone's data plan with the Chromecast and the phone at the same time.

 

[SpookDroid]

I haven't tried it myself, but I can try when I get home. Also, check with your provider, your phone data (usually) is NOT the same as the data allotment you have for hotspot use. And sometimes if they do specify unlimited hotspot data, there's usually a threshold for prioritization and you might be slowed down to not-ideal-for-streaming speeds after a certain point.

EDIT: From a couple posts I saw, it seems you need a 3rd WiFi device to do the initial set up to the Chromecast and connect it to your phone's hotspot.

 

[zoezydk]

I haven't tried it myself, but I can try when I get home. Also, check with your provider, your phone data (usually) is NOT the same as the data allotment you have for hotspot use. And sometimes if they do specify unlimited hotspot data, there's usually a threshold for prioritization and you might be slowed down to not-ideal-for-streaming speeds after a certain point.

EDIT: From a couple posts I saw, it seems you need a 3rd WiFi device to do the initial set up to the Chromecast and connect it to your phone's hotspot.

Thanks for trying this out and seeing if it works. Highly appreciated. I don't believe that there are any limitations on how to use the WiFi with my carrier but I do think that you could be right in that they would lower the speed at some point as there often (but not always) is some paragraph that states that you get "unlimited data" when having a "reasonable data consumption" after which the slowdown will occur. I can check with my carrier on the latter.

And yeah, that's exactly what I thought could be a workaround for that particular problem. My idea was getting a secondary older/used Android device (smartphone) and then using that one to connect to my primary Android phone as well as to the Chromecast. That way, my current Android would work as a WiFi hotspot/router in the "middle" and the other two devices would be hooking up to it instead. This would also be the most cost-effective solution in the long run. Just not sure if there could be more issues arising that I don't know of here and now or can foresee at the very moment. You got any experience with this?

 

[SpookDroid]

Other than the consumption of data and of course power drain on your phone, nope... Only problem with 'older' devices is that, depending on how old they are and how often they're updated, some apps might cease working with older OS versions (like Netflix has done in the past). But you can try it out with someone else's device maybe? Perhaps you only need the 3rd device to do the initial set up and then after that the Chromecast will just connect automagically to the hotspot and you can control it with the same device acting as such.

 

[zoezydk]

Other than the consumption of data and of course power drain on your phone, nope... Only problem with 'older' devices is that, depending on how old they are and how often they're updated, some apps might cease working with older OS versions (like Netflix has done in the past). But you can try it out with someone else's device maybe? Perhaps you only need the 3rd device to do the initial set up and then after that the Chromecast will just connect automagically to the hotspot and you can control it with the same device acting as such.

You mention the power drain..., would you expect this kind of setup to take a dramatic toll on the primary Android device's battery? As in using up the capacity of the battery faster than normal and thus shortening the lifetime expectancy of the Android device as a whole?

Good idea, asking someone else with an Android device to come by and seeing if things can be made to work that way. This could take a while though as many of my friends and acquaintances who are using Android's are quite busy at the moment. I'd have to ask someone about this but down the road, this is possible.

I'm not sure that a 3rd device is only needed once during the setup since the whole thing - as you also pointed out initially - doesn't work without a WiFi in the middle somewhere, but I'll definitely have a go at it and see if Google surprises us pleasantly somehow. ;-)

By the way, did you already try out the setup at your home that you mentioned in your last post?

 

[SpookDroid]

I meant battery drain as in 'you're constantly using your phone for data, so battery will be used...a lot'. So I'd suggest you keep the phone plugged in if you're gonna be streaming for a while. Battery life in the long run would be affected but not by the streaming, but by the natural 'you're using more 'cycles' than normal' thing (and you probably wouldn't see a noticeable difference anyway, at least not for a while).

As for the 3rd device to set up, doesn't have to be an Android phone...
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/2998456?co=GENIE.Platform=iOS&hl=en

PS: I'm not home usually until night time, so it's gonna be a while before I can test it out

 

[zoezydk]

I meant battery drain as in 'you're constantly using your phone for data, so battery will be used...a lot'. So I'd suggest you keep the phone plugged in if you're gonna be streaming for a while. Battery life in the long run would be affected but not by the streaming, but by the natural 'you're using more 'cycles' than normal' thing (and you probably wouldn't see a noticeable difference anyway, at least not for a while).

Yeah, the phone would have to be constantly charged. Agree. I was more thinking about the wear and tear on the battery in the long run by using it that way and in that kind of setup. As for instance the 'cycles' thingy. Do you know or have any experience with what the shorter life expectancy for phone/battery would be dropping to in percentage and how long it would take to get there?

As for the 3rd device to set up, doesn't have to be an Android phone...
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/2998456?co=GENIE.Platform=iOS&hl=en

Uh, no thanks. No overpriced and hyped iPhone junk for me. You know what they are saying..., 'A doctor a day, keeps Apple away'. I'll just wait for my peeps to come by with their Android device somewhere in the future and then try this out with another device.

However, there is something interesting in that article you linked to. This paragraph here...

If you've already set up your Chromecast on a mobile device, you don't need to set it up again on a different mobile device if all devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.

...might just indicate, that there could actually be some "automagical" feature where you don't have to worry about pulling the plug on one of the two smartphones in my proposed setup once they are both on the same network. Doesn't it?

PS: I'm not home usually until night time, so it's gonna be a while before I can test it out

I understand. I got time and patience. Just whenever you are able to and feel like it if so. Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[zoezydk]

I meant battery drain as in 'you're constantly using your phone for data, so battery will be used...a lot'. So I'd suggest you keep the phone plugged in if you're gonna be streaming for a while. Battery life in the long run would be affected but not by the streaming, but by the natural 'you're using more 'cycles' than normal' thing (and you probably wouldn't see a noticeable difference anyway, at least not for a while).

As for the 3rd device to set up, doesn't have to be an Android phone...
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/2998456?co=GENIE.Platform=iOS&hl=en

PS: I'm not home usually until night time, so it's gonna be a while before I can test it out

Hi again!

Did you already have the opportunity to try this out at your home? My friends are all afraid of coming over right now due to the virus since all their girlfriends are pregnant at the moment (bad timing, I guess).

Looking forward to your reply.

 

[zoezydk]

Possible to cast from Android smartphone to Chromecast 3 without use of WiFi (part #2)

Hi,

I previously posted a similar post in regards to this question (mentioned in the title) but never found a decisive answer in terms of the matter at hand.

So, I am hereby trying again to see if someone knows the answer to the question in this older thread of mine...

https://forums.androidcentral.com/google-chromecast/995589-possible-cast-android-smartphone-chromecast-3-without-use-wifi.html#post6755843

To give a short review of the question in the above link, I am looking for a possibility to eliminate the router and my wifi that I currently run as my Wifi-network at home and substitute that with an ie. Android device such as a secondary (older) smartphone that I own via the data-plan of the SIM-card in that older phone.

At the moment, I got my Wifi connected to a Google Chromecast, my iRobot and my smartphone and a laptop PC. I usually control Chromecast from my phone and sometimes via Google Chrome on my laptop PC.

Looking forward to any help, big or small.

Thanks in advance.

 

[B. Diddy]

I merged your post to your previous thread and made you the owner of the post (since it was originally a guest post).

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

If you are using WiFi hotspot from a phone it may disconnect when something is not actively using it. I don't know if the phone you are using to hotspot has an always active option in the settings.

Otherwise you should be able to connect your devices to it and use it that way. But only if the hotspot is showing as active all the time unless you activate it and come t device to it when you literally want to cast.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[zoezydk]

Possible to cast from Android smartphone to Chromecast 3 without use of dedicated WiFi/router

Hi,

for some reason, I was unable to log into this forum with my old profile under which I posted the thread in the following link a while ago...

https://forums.androidcentral.com/g...hromecast-3-without-use-wifi.html#post6755843

However, I never really found a conclusion on the question and am still in need of an answer as i am considering using my old Android Galaxy A5 with a SIM-card to act as a router for my Chromecast 3 and remaining other devices instead of using my present fiber-connection running over an ordinary router.

Is anybody able to find said conclusion on the above question in the link?

Thanks in advance for any help given.

 

[mustang7757]

Re: Possible to cast from Android smartphone to Chromecast 3 without use of dedicated WiFi/router

Hi,

for some reason, I was unable to log into this forum with my old profile under which I posted the thread in the following link a while ago...

https://forums.androidcentral.com/g...hromecast-3-without-use-wifi.html#post6755843

However, I never really found a conclusion on the question and am still in need of an answer as i am considering using my old Android Galaxy A5 with a SIM-card to act as a router for my Chromecast 3 and remaining other devices instead of using my present fiber-connection running over an ordinary router.

Is anybody able to find said conclusion on the above question in the link?

Thanks in advance for any help given.

If you have issues with your account try email them here
community@futurenet.com

 

[B. Diddy]

I merged your threads and made you the owner of the guest post you made when you couldn't sign in.