Microsoft wireless display adaptor

[SamanthaD]

Less of a question - more a review.

 

TL DR - Great bit of kit, only uses Miracast so doesn't work with iOS and lacks Enterprise grade connectivity, but cheap and well worth a look.

 

We've been looking at wireless casting options for a while and have pushed out a solution to test which we're not overly happy with. However we saw these little beauties and thought we've give them a test. At around £60 a pop they're not exactly pricey so we bought a few and installed them in a couple of meeting rooms. Installation took minutes as it's just an HDMI and a USB lead, with a short USB extension if you need it. Designed for screens but no reason it couldn't fit on a suitable projector either (if no USB just get a cheap USB socket adaptor).

 

Casting via Windows 10 is a doddle, Win+K and your machine will find the adaptor. Connect and it's treated as another screen connected to your system, so you can Extend, Duplicate etc to your hearts content! You can also duplicate certain screens, so if you're using a twin screen system you can easily have a preview monitor on the desk and send that monitor's image to the screen.

 

The only real issue is with updates. This does not connect to the network (it used WiFi Direct to connect) so the only way to update firmware etc is via an app on your laptop when you're connected, so if one needs updating it will be a case of go to the room and do it rather than an enterprise type solution. This, along with the lack of support for iOS (it uses Miracast which iOS doesn't support), are the main reasons for us not pushing this out across campus. But for a small school where popping along to all the classrooms and doing this would only take half a day, or having one in the loan projector bag so you can wireless cast to the projector without trailing cables across the sports hall, I'd fully recommend it.