Chrome Cast: What It Is, How It Works and What Can Be Done with It

We are going to explain everything you need to know about Google’s Chrome cast, explaining what this device is, how it works and what you can do with it. It is one of the company’s most successful and well-known hardware products, which greatly facilitates the sending of content from your mobile to the TV.

We will start by explaining what exactly the Chrome cast is with its basic concepts, and then we will go deeper to explain in a simple way how this device works. Finally, we will end with a list of more than ten functions of all kinds that you can do to get the most out of it.

What is the Chrome Cast?

The Chromecast is a device manufactured by Google , and with which you can send content from your mobile, your tablet or your PC to the television on which it is connected. With this, if you have found a video on YouTube that you want to share with the rest of the room or see on the big screen, you can do it in an extremely simple way.

The device itself is what is called a dongle, which is very similar to a USB stick, but with an HDMI connection and a small computer inside to do its functions. What you have to do is simply connect this HDMI pin to the TV, link it to your home Wi-Fi connection and send content.

And these are two of its main advantages, that you do not need to connect by cable to the device from which you want to send content nor do you have to navigate in any internal operating system of the pin as happens with the Amazon Fire TV Stick and some of its alternatives . You simply press the button to synchronize with the Chromecast of your mobile device and that’s it.

But that does not mean that the Chromecast is totally wireless, since it has a power cable with which you have to connect it to a socket. Once you have done and configured it, you can send content from Android devices from version 4.0.3 for mobile phones or tablets, iOS from version 7.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod, the Chrome browser, and computers with the system Chrome OS operating.

How the Chromecast works

To understand how the Chromecast works you have to understand two concepts. The first is DLNA, a technology to communicate devices through a network that is configured within your home network, which means that all devices will have to be using the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet subnet. All will have to be compatible with DLNA, and there must be a device that acts as a server to offer content, while the rest act as receivers.

And the second concept is that of Miracast, a functionality that allows you to send two Android devices via Wi-Fi Direct (a technology that is used to easily connect two devices), practically in real time, and with minimal delay.

The Chromecast is a device that uses a technology that mixes the concepts of DLNA and Miracast, a protocol they have called Google Cast. With it, the Chromecast allows us to start and control the playback that is being made through other devices wirelessly.

The icon that identifies this technology and compatible applications is the one you see above. All you have to do is configure your Chromecast from the Google Home application, and once you have done it, click on this icon that you see above within the compatible application from which you want to send content and choose the Chromecast to which you want to send it.

Once the connection between your mobile, tablet and computer and the Chromecast is established, your device automatically becomes the remote control. In applications such as Netflix or YouTube, you will only have to click on the content you want to see, and instead of playing it on the device itself, it will do it directly on the TV where you have the Chromecast.

What can you do with a Chromecast?

Here is a small list of everything you can do with your Chromecast. You have everything, from basics like watching videos or playing music on your TV to others like being able to send your computer screen to watch it on TV or be able to play some compatible games.

Watch your favorite videos and movies on TV

It is the main function of the Chromecast, to be able to transmit the videos you are watching on your mobile to your television. Applications such as Netflix, HBO or YouTube, in addition to the official ones of several television channels, allow you to send content to the Google device so that you can enjoy their content on TV.

Watch videos in a group

One of the possibilities that the YouTube application has with the Chromecast is to create an automatic playlist. It does it automatically, and you simply have to press from any device that uses the same Wi-Fi on the videos so that the option to put it in the queue appears. This feature makes the small Google device a perfect complement for parties and gatherings.

Play live videos from Facebook

But in the era of social networks and instant messaging they are not all delayed videos, since there are more and more platforms that allow them to be broadcast live. In fact, live videos from Facebook and other pages also implement the Chromecast button by default from any browser without the need for extra applications, so it is another type of content that you can enjoy on your Chromecast.

Turn Your Mobile into a Desktop Console

In Google Play, the Android application store, you have a whole section of games compatible with Chromecast. This means that the small device also allows you to turn your mobile or tablet into a console that you can play on your television as if it were a desktop. This allows you to play games like the mythical Risk.

Project the Screen of Your Android or Browser

Android has the option to send screen to synchronize with your Chromecast and to be able to see exactly the same thing on TV as on the screen of your device. Also, Chrome supports Google Cast, so you can cast your browser tab or the entire desktop. All you have to do is open the browser options menu and choose the Send option, and it will automatically start searching for the closest Chromecast.

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