A year ago I posted optimized wireless settings for the original Chromecast. Because the second generation features a 5Ghz wireless AC chip, I wanted to post an update. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your Chromecast II:
Determine best Chromecast location:
Although the switch to an AC capable chip is an upgrade, you’re going to have to factor in the limitations of the 5GHz band. 5Ghz provides much faster speeds than 2.4GHz, but has a smaller cell size and does not pass through walls and floors as easily. It is then, even more important for you to make sure your chromecast is within good range of your home router. If you have signal issues with the Chromecast:
- Try adjusting the antennae on the router and test for better connection.
- Remove metal objects or other electronics from the immediate area of the router
- Try adjusting the Chromecast away from other electronics (if possible)
- Make sure the USB end of the chromecast is plugged in via USB power adapter rather than to the TV (more power may provide stable signal strength)
- Remove other wireless devices from the area (5Ghz wireless phones, wireless soundbars etc)
Optimize 5 Ghz wireless settings:
(NOTE: These settings assume you have a dual-band router. Not all settings will be the same for everyone, so only make one change at a time and analyse results to find what works best for your particular setup)
The first step is to determine the the best transmission speed possible:
- You’ll need to take inventory of your 5Ghz wireless devices and set your connection speed for the highest possible so that all of your devices are able to connect. To do this, change your transmission settings to AC only, then test to see which devices can connect and which cannot. If all of your devices are still able to connect, then AC only should remain. However it’s likely that your have a few wireless N devices that need to connect to the 5GHZ network (or will work optimally over 5GHz). If so, set your 5Ghz network to N + AC. If you have really old network devices that operate over wireless A, you may need to set your 5Ghz band to Auto.
Adjust the channel if necessary:
- To do this, download the wifi analyser app on your smart phone. Run the app and look for 5Ghz networks other than your own. Likely if you own your own home you won’t find any, because 5Ghz networks don’t travel as well as 2.4ghz networks. If you see no other networks than your own, then you can leave channel configuration of the 5Ghz network alone. If you do see a few others, note the channel that the other networks are using and adjust your channel settings to avoid overlap.
Optimize Channel width:
- On many wireless routers, you’ll see the option to adjust the width of the channel. You’ll need to play around with these settings for yourself as these will differ by make and model of the router. Typically larger bands may provide better throughput, some AC chips though may only be able to communicate through certain widths; like before start by testing the highest setting and monitor performance and connectivity. Test lower widths and compare until you’ve found the optimal setting.
Add Chromecast to QOS:
- If you’ve set up QOS, make sure you have the new Chromecast set to the same QOS priority as your cast device, especially if you are tab casting. Video streaming requires lots of bandwidth, so make sure this setting is High or Highest (or whichever setting allows for high amounts of bandwidth).
Enable WMM:
- WMM stands for wireless multimedia. Enabling this will help improve stability and quality of audio and video streaming.
Enable Frame Burst:
- Frame Burst allows for a burst of packets to be sent at once, removing overhead associated with sending them individually.
Many of the settings for the original Chromecast still apply. View them: Here
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