Did you know that Windows 10 has a built-in feature called Miracast that allows you to project a Windows PC onto a monitor or television wirelessly? Most people don’t know of this feature.
An Industry Standard
The Miracast standard, developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, was first used by Google on Android devices. As the use of phones for all applications grew, projecting onto a larger display became a need. Miracast was first introduced in 2012 and was significantly endorsed in 2017 for Wi-Fi Direct. Windows 10 and Windows 11 both support this standard.
Google developed Chromecast for this purpose but it has some limitations compared to Miracast. Most significantly, Miracast does not require a local Wi-Fi connection as Chromecast does. Miracast devices actually generate and use a private Wi-Fi signal just for casting.
For Apple devices, Apple has this capability also built in to their software. It is not compatible with Windows but that is no surprise.
Easily Improve your effectiveness as a presenter
Have you ever visited a customer and wanted to project your pc for a group? Miracast is a simple solution but there is more to the picture. If you travel on your job (or on vacation to a family reunion) you will want to better understand this technology and set it up for your success.
Many monitors support Miracast natively. If the monitor does NOT support Miracast, there are other options. The popular streaming media player Roku supports Miracast as does Fire Stick. Additionally, Microsoft and at least one other manufacturer, Anycast, have developed products that will allow Miracast to work on any smart TV. All that is needed is a Smart Tv that has at least one HDMI port and one USB port and does not require a local Wi-Fi signal.
External Device May be required
The cost of an external device is as low as $15 and as high as $70. The main reason that there are higher priced units is that those units support higher resolutions (1k vs 4k). A 4k unit is more expensive as it should be. This has nothing to do with the Miracast feature.
Any unit is simple to set up. If you are using a Roku or Firestick unit, it is ready to cast as soon as it is setup. The Microsoft or Anycast products have to be setup as well but the process is simple and can be done in 15 minutes.
Once set up, you go to the Windows Settings/System/display and select Connect to a wireless display.
You will have to decide if you want to mirror or extend the display but this is no different than adding a second monitor.
If you have any questions about this topic or technology, please give us a call at 815.510.7045 or i[email protected]. Helping you to be more productive is our goal.