Solved! Cast to Chromecast across extended networks

[cow.hat]

Hello,

You guys seem to be one of the first results on all of my tech searches, so this time I figured I'd come right to you. I'm wondering if it's possible to use a Chromecast across a WiFi range extender, ie cast from a device attached to the "main" network to a Chromecast attached to the "extended" network. I know they are designed to be on one network and I have had trouble with it in the past, but I'm wondering if a) there's some settings I can fiddle with to make it work with extenders I have, or b) other extenders I can buy that will mimic a single network to make this possible.

Edit: I would also take advice on products to replace the Chromecasts with, basically I need to be able to share a browser tab from my laptop, to a monitor too far away to be on the same single network.

Cheers,
Terrance

 

[kanewolf]

The problem with streaming (or casting) and wireless extenders is the bandwidth is halved by the extender. There just isn't enough time to transmit the required amount of data. WIFI is a half duplex network. So the extender can only do 1 of the 4 things it has to do at a time (assuming a single band frequency band). It can (pick 1) receive from the base, transmit to the base, receive from the client, transmit to the client. You would do much better to investigate powerline network adapters for the remote area.

 

[cow.hat]

The problem with streaming (or casting) and wireless extenders is the bandwidth is halved by the extender. There just isn't enough time to transmit the required amount of data. WIFI is a half duplex network. So the extender can only do 1 of the 4 things it has to do at a time (assuming a single band frequency band). It can (pick 1) receive from the base, transmit to the base, receive from the client, transmit to the client. You would do much better to investigate powerline network adapters for the remote area.

Unfortunately I don't think power line is an option since we are bringing these to big theatres with complicated electrical setups and stuff. That's also the main thing that makes it a nightmare for testing. Thanks though!

 

[cow.hat]

I don't know if it helps or hurts finding an answer but all the streaming stuff is local files from my laptop, the only reason we're connected to the internet at all is because Chromecast refuses to function without an internet connection (even if everything you want it to do is local)

 

[kanewolf]

The problem with streaming (or casting) and wireless extenders is the bandwidth is halved by the extender. There just isn't enough time to transmit the required amount of data. WIFI is a half duplex network. So the extender can only do 1 of the 4 things it has to do at a time (assuming a single band frequency band). It can (pick 1) receive from the base, transmit to the base, receive from the client, transmit to the client. You would do much better to investigate powerline network adapters for the remote area.

Unfortunately I don't think power line is an option since we are bringing these to big theatres with complicated electrical setups and stuff. That's also the main thing that makes it a nightmare for testing. Thanks though!

I would think that in a commercial building, the cost of getting ethernet installed would just be part of the installation price... Getting ethernet to the location is the correct answer. If you didn't bid it as part of the job, then it is your bad.

 

[cow.hat]

The problem with streaming (or casting) and wireless extenders is the bandwidth is halved by the extender. There just isn't enough time to transmit the required amount of data. WIFI is a half duplex network. So the extender can only do 1 of the 4 things it has to do at a time (assuming a single band frequency band). It can (pick 1) receive from the base, transmit to the base, receive from the client, transmit to the client. You would do much better to investigate powerline network adapters for the remote area.

Unfortunately I don't think power line is an option since we are bringing these to big theatres with complicated electrical setups and stuff. That's also the main thing that makes it a nightmare for testing. Thanks though!

I would think that in a commercial building, the cost of getting ethernet installed would just be part of the installation price... Getting ethernet to the location is the correct answer. If you didn't bid it as part of the job, then it is your bad.

Sorry I guess I wasn't clear on what my job is, I'm with a travelling show that needs these monitors, would we need a temporary and portable solution that we can set up when we arrive and bring out with us when we leave. And since these are usually huge, old concrete theatres, a single router is rarely able to reach everywhere at once.

 

[jsmithepa]

A travelling show will have a team of AV personnel to set this stuff up, in a very short time, and tear them down when done. Is a highly choreographed, minute planning kind of things so you are not missing any needed equipment or silly cables etc. And you wouldn't have any time to ask questions. Is execute-execute.

 

[cow.hat]

A travelling show will have a team of AV personnel to set this stuff up, in a very short time, and tear them down when done. Is a highly choreographed, minute planning kind of things so you are not missing any needed equipment or silly cables etc. And you wouldn't have any time to ask questions. Is execute-execute.

Nope, it's just me. We are a very small organisation and our tech needs are simple, there's just this one thing that's dragging me down hence why I'm trying to find a work around.

 

[kanewolf]

A travelling show will have a team of AV personnel to set this stuff up, in a very short time, and tear them down when done. Is a highly choreographed, minute planning kind of things so you are not missing any needed equipment or silly cables etc. And you wouldn't have any time to ask questions. Is execute-execute.

Nope, it's just me. We are a very small organisation and our tech needs are simple, there's just this one thing that's dragging me down hence why I'm trying to find a work around.

It may be simpler to have multiple laptops with the same materials on them.