Should I upgrade from the original chromecast to the new one?

[Terrorizer]

Hi all,

I have the original chromecast, which I love. I realize the new chromecast has some new features, like multiple wifi antennas and some other wifi things, but will this be noticeable to the average user? I really don't want to spend $35 to "upgrade" an item and not see any noticeable benefits. I guess my real question is, if I have a basic cable internet connection and a run of the mill router/modem in an apartment will the new chromecast speed things up or are there other bottlenecks in my connection that would negate the upgrade?

Thanks.

 

[jmarkey77]

I noticed it loads videos a good bit faster and seems to buffer less now that it's on my 5ghz network instead of 2.4ghz. That alone was worth it to me.

Then I got 3 months of Google music for free which I already pay for, 1 HD movie rental for free and another $6 Google play credit. Before taxes I paid -$5.99 for the device. That's right, better than free. Can't beat that!

 

[Terrorizer]

Ok, newb question here, how do I know if I have a 5ghz network? Is that determined by my ISP package, or by my modem/router?

 

[jmarkey77]

Determined by your router. Most new routers do both. Check your manual or Google your model number and you'll find out pretty quickly.

If it's provided by your ISP you can call them and ask too.

 

[Terrorizer]

I see mine is single band. Is it worth upgrading to a multiband router to speed up my chromecast? Although with an upgraded router my Motorola surfboard modem or basic cox internet connection may be the bottle neck.

 

[jmarkey77]

Depends, a solid maybe. There are WiFi apps that will check the congestion around you. I use WiFi analyzer, you can use it to see other signals and their strength.

If you live in connected homes or apartments it's almost guaranteed you'll want to move to the 5ghz range.

 

[jmarkey77]

I live on about a half acre of land with about 30ft between the homes and you can see the difference between 2.4ghz and 5ghz.

It's part because fewer people use 5ghz and because 5ghz doesn't have the same range keeping the existing signals from messing with your signal too much.

 

[Bob Garon]

I noticed it loads videos a good bit faster and seems to buffer less now that it's on my 5ghz network instead of 2.4ghz. That alone was worth it to me.

Then I got 3 months of Google music for free which I already pay for, 1 HD movie rental for free and another $6 Google play credit. Before taxes I paid -$5.99 for the device. That's right, better than free. Can't beat that!

How did you get the Google Play Music credit to work for you? I already had signed up prior, cancelled, and then it said that I couldn't get it to because it's for new customers only. What did you do so that you got it?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[jmarkey77]

I just clicked the promotion, odd that it gave you that message.

 

[tonyr6]

Then I got 3 months of Google music for free which I already pay for, 1 HD movie rental for free and another $6 Google play credit. Before taxes I paid -$5.99 for the device. That's right, better than free. Can't beat that!

I got zero months of Google music for free because it said I was a subscriber, 1 HD movie rental for a movie I have already on Blu-Ray and another $0 Google play credit no credit available. Before taxes I paid $34.99. That's right worse than free. What a ripoff.

Anyway if you have the current Chromecast don't bother wasting your money on the new one. Just wire it with the Ethernet adapter. It is not much faster like they claimed with Netflix it takes just as long to buffer and still starts out like mud.