Where I live AT&T isn’t provisioned for U verse internet. And I’m trying to skip signing up with Charter. So I’m looking to do this: I have AT&T 4G LTE service on my phone. (Moto X). Right now to watch Netflix I have a hotspot device from US Cellular. I connect the phone to that as well as the Chromecast dongle.
I’m paying 2 bills to watch movies. I have 15 GB/month on the phone and that’s more than enough. (My Netflix is set to the low quality speed so it’s plenty enough data.)
To connect to the Chromecast on the phone I have to enable WiFi, which bypasses the data link. I need the data link to stream the movies. They don’t seem to play well with each other.
My phone and plan allow tethering/hotspot. I need to configure this setup so the phone can stream with the data link and broadcast to the Chromecast via WiFi, but I must be overlooking something.
I called AT&T this morning and the tech walked me through setting up the tether, but something is still amiss. The phone connects to Chromecast after I enable WiFi, but it kills the data link. When I open Netflix I don’t have the cast icon. Any help?
I was wondering if physically connecting the dongle to the phone with the micro USB cable would work but not sure if there’s a special setup I need to configure in the settings.
Hopefully this is clear enough to let you know what I’m trying to do. If anyone can help it’ll be a Doper!
You use the hotspot for the data (internet) connection. It creates a WiFi network to share that internet connection and your phone and Chromecast are simply connected to that WiFi network.
You can watch Netflix directly on your phone without a WiFi connection - the app will use your cellular connection - but once you have your phone connected to a WiFi network, it tries to use that connection automatically. Plus, the only way it can talk to Chromecast is via WiFi.
So if I’m understanding the issues correctly, it seems to me that your only problem is in believing that your phone is the source for the data connection, but it isn’t in this deal. The mobile hotspot has the data connection independently of the phone.
I still can’t figure this goddamned thing out. Let me resta, e goal since my OP was a little long-winded. I’m trying to connect the chromecast to my phone using the phone’s data and talking the hotspot device out of the equation.
I go to the setup page and all it has is a link to the chromecast app. I did the factory reset on the dongle. I turned on the tethering and got the icon in the status bar on the phone and the network data icon was on as well.
I opened the app and it wanted Wi-Fi turned on so I hit ok. Data icon is still on. The dongle connected and the phone popped up a window asking for the SSID. I entered that, selected WPA 2 and entered the password. (I changed the SSID name earlier on the phone (possible problem?)) When I go to Wi-Fi hotspot setup on the phone’s settings it shows the new SSID name. When I try to connect the dongle it gives me a name/password error.
Could it be the renaming? I don’t know how to find the original SSID for the phone. This is getting very frustrating since I know it should work but I must be overlooking a simple step. Again, tethering is allowed with my phone and plan.
It’s still somewhat confused. If your phone is asking for the SSID, it seems to me that the phone is connecting to the Chromecast as a WiFi network. If you are truly using the phone as a hotspot, then the Chromecast dongle should be asking for the SSID of the network you want to connect to, which would be set when you configure your phone’s hotspot.
I admit I haven’t done this setup but I have used my phone’s hotspot to provide connections for laptops and my Kindle. They all want to know the SSID of the phone, or find it by scanning, then allow you to enter the password and connect via the phone.
And, in a nutshell. It looks like your setup is back to front, with the dongle being the access point and the phone being the client.
Personally, I would try to get some other WiFi device to connect to your phone’s WiFi, just to be certain the password is working.
Test it with a friend’s phone or ask someone at work, or go to a Starbucks and offer to buy someone their coffee if they’ll help you for a minute. If you can verify that your phone’s wifi hotspot is setup correctly, then you’ll better know where you’re at when you tackle chromecast again.
Actually, I’ve reread your post #4 and see that I got it wrong. Re-enter the phone hotspot settings, with a new (different) SSID and password. They are what you will need to enter in the Chromecast WiFi connection screen. To avoid confusion, make sure your existing hotspot device is turned off or at least has a distinctly different SSID. Also, don’t try to use the Chromecast app on your phone to control the dongle. That way lies an ever decreasing circle of interaction and madness. As far as I can see, the hotspot must be completely separate from the Chromecast app that you may be running on your phone now…
Remember that your phone becomes a WiFi access point when you use the hotspot feature. It is no longer another device on the WiFi network, it is the core of the network.