The Google Chromecast has been hailed as one of the easiest and most affordable ways to stream video content from mobile devices and computers to a TV, however, many users do experience one particular issue with it — dropped connections.
Thankfully, for those who experience dropped connections often, Google has introduced a new Ethernet adapter for Chromecast that costs only $15.
The Chromecast itself connects to 2.4 Ghz wireless networks, which are often crowded, meaning that finding a completely clear signal is very difficult. This can often cause significant interruptions to video using the Chromecast. While being able to connect to 5 Ghz networks would help the issue a lot, so far, Chromecasts cannot connect to them.
This adapter, however, should be a good fix to those issues, at least in the meantime. The adapter is simply a power brick that plugs into the Chromecast, offering both power and data transfer at the same time. Then, the user simply needs to plug an Ethernet cable into the adapter from the Internet router, and users should have great quality, uninterrupted video streaming. The adapter supports data transfers of up to 100 Mbps, which should be more than enough for video streaming.
Of course, it's likely that the next Chromecast will support 5 Ghz wireless networks, which should solve the issue for most users, however, for those who want to be extra sure or don't want to buy a new Chromecast when it finally comes out, the new adapter is a great option. It will be especially useful for individuals who have their wireless router near the TV, eliminating the need to run an Ethernet cable across the room.
Users will be pleased to see the focus that Google has kept on the Chromecast. Only a few weeks ago, the company announced that Chromecast would support Google Slides, allowing users to easily cast their presentations from their smartphone.
The company is also reportedly going to use Chromecast as more of a gaming device as time goes, on allowing users to stream games from their smartphones to their TV and use their phones as controllers for the games. Of course, this will require a good connection between devices, making it even more important that the Chromecast doesn't drop its connection to the Internet.
Chromecast isn't the only streaming device that Google offers, with the company also offering a more fully-featured device called the Nexus Player. The Nexus Player has not been anywhere near as successful as the Chromecast, however, largely because of the price, with the Nexus Player coming in at $79, compared with the Chromecast's $35.
Via: TheNextWeb
