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Why is chromecast so stupid?

So I'm on vacation, in another country, in a hotel. I took my chromecast and downloaded offline music to be able to use the TV for at least some entertainment.

Wifi is with login, chromecast doesn't support that. And it has isolation so I was prepared that it won't work through the hotel wifi. So I used another phone to create a Hotspot, but with no internet because roaming here is crazy expensive.

I thought that would work, but chromecast simply refuses to work if there is no internet access.

Why does it need internet if I'm streaming locally anyway?

So I temporarily activate data roaming, and hooray it works, so I quickly disconnect because I have no idea what this shit of a device will start sending to Google and how much I'm gonna pay for it. It works for 10 minutes then it crashes and needs internet again.

Most useless piece of crap I ever bought.

Should have brought my RPi instead but it's busy keeping my home alive and well while I'm gone. Should have ordered in bulk.

Comments
  • 1
    Thanks for this rant! I've taken a Chromecast away for this reason. Never used it though.
    I now know creating a Hotspot doesn't work. That's bizarre. Thanks for the heads up!
  • 0
    @itsdaniel0 I believe that's what the ++ button was made for
  • 1
    @calmyourtities You can't add a personal message with the ++ button 😉
  • 3
    It's simple: The cast itself does not store any so called apps. That is for every app on your phone, there is a corresponding part for the cast on the net.
    When you start casting from your phone two things happen:
    1) The cast downloads the player
    2) The casting app sends the player a link to the ressource that should be played, mostly an http ressource.
    There's a app named "Local cast" that does enable streaming from the phone by opening up servers on tbe phone. Still requires The player part to be downloaded tho
  • 0
    Why not directy plug your smartphone/laptop into the TV?
  • 0
    @Skayo I don't have a laptop. I like to travel light. That's why the chromecast.

    Hooking up my phone to the TV via USB only charges the phone. And there is no hdmi support on my phone.
  • 0
    <@AndSoWeCode>
    Headphone Jack?
  • 0
    @Kimmax yeah, makes sense, but still bad. Why download the app each time? That's wasteful and useless. Why not keep it on the phone instead? Or keep it running on chromecast even after the internet connection disappeared?
  • 1
    @Kimmax this is partly what makes Chromecast awesome. It's a super simple, dirt cheap device and it doesn't use any resources on your phone when you use it.
  • 1
    @AndSoWeCode it's just how it was designed. It's not meant for travel plug and play. It's designed to be cheap, so you can easily afford a bunch and stick it into everything in your house. Hence the audio cast
  • 0
    @Skayo I want ambiance. Not solo.
  • 0
    @JonStodle cheap? It's more expensive than a RPi. It should do more.
  • 1
    Aaand this is why they sell small wifi routers for travel.
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