How to Use Chromecast Without Connecting to Wi-Fi

How to Use Chromecast Without Connecting to Wi-Fi - Chromecast takes command to stream content via a Wi-Fi connection. What happens if your Wi-Fi is broken? This can also be troublesome if your guests want to give something and you have no intention of giving them access to your Wi-Fi network.

Luckily, there are several ways to use Chromecast without connecting to your Wi-Fi.

What to Do When Your Wi-Fi is Down

If you want to use Chromecast but the internet is down, there are several ways to keep the party going.

1. Use a Portable Router

If you are on the go and want to watch content via Chromecast, we recommend you bring a portable router. This is a small Wi-Fi router that uses cellular broadband to send and receive data. You connect your device to the router as normal.

If you want to take this route, you must ensure that Chromecast is registered with a portable router. If it is registered with a router that is not in the room (like your home router when you travel) you will see a black screen when using Chromecast. If this happens, hold the button next to Chromecast until the yellow light flashes white. This resets Chromecast and allows you to connect it to your cellular router via the Home application.

After the cellular router is set up, you can allow people to connect it and cast it to Chromecast as if it were a normal router.

2. Use the Telephone Hotspot

Most modern smartphones have a hotspot feature that turns their cellular connection into a Wi-Fi access point. This hotspot is not dedicated as a portable router, and the phone itself cannot be a user on the network it provides, so you cannot remove it. However, if you are in an emergency and you want to use a device other than your cellphone, you can set up your Chromecast just like you use a portable router.

What to Do If You Don't Want Your Guests to Access Your Wi-Fi Network

There are some restrictions that you must obey when using Chromecast without guests using your Wi-Fi.

First, Chromecast itself must be connected to a router with an active Internet connection. If you don't have this, it's likely to cause problems and refuse to work. Second, people who want to do casting must enable Wi-Fi, but not connect to the router. Also, they must have an Internet connection, possibly via a 4G connection.

Thus, this Chromecast feature is only useful to allow guests to deliver their content to your screen. If you want to connect Chromecast to a hotel television and transmit without connecting to Wi-Fi, you will be very disappointed.

Enabling Guest Mode

To allow guests to cast to your Chromecast, you must first activate Guest Mode.

To get started, boot the Home application on your mobile. This is an application that you downloaded during Chromecast setup, and the icon is a rainbow-colored house. After you enter, select the television for which you want to set guest mode.

On the device screen, tap the gear in the top right.

Scroll down and find the Guest Mode option. Tap and activate.

Chromecast will give you a PIN. It's not important to write it down, but if you have people who are waiting to be connected, you can give it to them.

Connecting Through Guest Mode

When your guests arrive, they can connect to Chromecast using a PIN. Just remember, guests must activate Wi-Fi but not connected to anything, plus an internet connection from other sources - such as 4G.

When they want to do casting, ask them to go through the typical steps in casting content. When it's time to choose a device, guests should see a Chromecast ready for casting. If they knock on it, the television will emit four tones that humans cannot hear. If the guest device picks up these tones, Chromecast will automatically connect to it.

If the device doesn't hear a tone, Chromecast will ask for a PIN instead. This use case is where the PIN from before will be useful. If you can't remember the PIN, put the Chromecast in standby mode, and look at the top right. It should say "PIN" followed by four numbers. Ask the guest to enter this number into their application, and it must display their screen.

Give Your Guest the Best

If your guests want to use Chromecast, you don't need to give them your Wi-Fi details. Although the steps are a bit convoluted, it is possible to give guests a special way to install on your television without fiddling with the router's password.

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