Microsoft Wireless Adapters - Anyone use them?

[sonie]

We are looking at the Microsoft Wireless Adapters to use in the classrooms to allow staff to wirelessly project onto the Smartboards. From looking these work by plugging into a USB and HDMI similar to a Firestick/Chromecast.

 

Does anyone use them, are they reliable and would they work in an Education Environment?

[Katy]

We're trialling them in a few rooms at the moment and not heard anything bad yet, I think @BKGarry uses them in lots of rooms? (Sorry BKG if I've remembered the wrong person! haha)

[supportman]

Yeh seem to work great with Microsoft Surface laptops we have tested with.

[lmrogers]

I rolled them out over summer site wide as the school wanted minimum touch as staff moved room to room.

 

Really happy with them. Occasionally the adapters need rebooting (unplugging and plugging back in).

 

The only other problem was the sound. We had to wire the projectors into the speakers directly so that the sound would work wirelessly as well.

 

Staff have noticed that kids were connecting their phones to the projectors between lessons but that has been the only "problem" really. I did do a 6 step instruction sheet and stuck that on all teacher desks as well.

[Chuckster]

They work brilliantly with our Surface Pros, Dell laptops etc throughout the entire school.

 

YOu can also configure the adapters by installing the Wireless Display Adapter app from the Windows Store and from here you can change the name of the adapter so it's easily identifiable and set a pin prior to a successful connection.

 

Only downside is it doesn't work with Apple devices. You'll need Apple TV for that.

[box_l]

They work great for us, but as mentioned, there is no security that i have found, as you might find in AirPlay or others.

 

This has not caused an issue yet....

[Danp]

Yes, fitted 30'odd over the summer at last school. Very happy with them, couple of minor issues now and again. Sometimes we had picture but no sound, reboot normally sorted that. Also, teachers switching between rooms and devices would sometime cause problems, they would connect to a screen and it would fail but not let go of the connection on Surface Pro, log out and back in again sorted that.

[supportman]

Staff have noticed that kids were connecting their phones to the projectors between lessons but that has been the only "problem" really. I did do a 6 step instruction sheet and stuck that on all teacher desks as well.

 

Could you share?

 

Also are you plugging them into HDMI 2?

[thimon]

Have been using them for many years, they’re brilliant! They’ve recently had a new firmware update which has made them even better

[BKGarry]

yup, I use them across the school, occasional reboot is needed, but they work pretty well for us

[lmrogers]

Could you share?

 

Also are you plugging them into HDMI 2?

 

Basically just turning the projector off and then back on again kills the connection and then allows the teacher to connect.

 

We are making the display adapter the main input so pretty much stripped out other connections.

[lmrogers]

 

These are the instructions that I printed on A3 Sheets and stuck to teacher desks.

[bald_pig]

We have wireless display adapters in every classroom, a couple have needed reboots but nothing major.

[ITGuyNW]

Do these draw enough power from a projector usb socket or do you need a usb plug for the mains?

[Ex-MGSTech]

WINKEY+K = opens connection page

WIINKEY+P opens screen sharing options (duplicate, clone etc)

[lmrogers]

Do these draw enough power from a projector usb socket or do you need a usb plug for the mains?

 

Enough power is delivered from all our projectors. Mix of BenQs and Epsom. We have used USB plugs as well where the cabling and projectors didn't allow direct connection to the projector

[DaveTheTech]

Do these draw enough power from a projector usb socket or do you need a usb plug for the mains?

I am pretty certain that I have seen a label on more than one model of projector that said 5v.

[Katy]

Do these draw enough power from a projector usb socket or do you need a usb plug for the mains?

 

As per the other replies, on our Casios which have USB ports they run fine off them - and on the few TVs we have put them in, runs fine off the USB socket. Everything else we just use iPhone "uk plug to USB" adapters, with a 5m USB lead in it to get down the projector pole to the display adapter.

[bald_pig]

I am pretty certain that I have seen a label on more than one model of projector that said 5v.

 

The USB standard is 5v, it's the amperage that's the issue.

[SamanthaD]

We've tried them and decided that although they're ok, they're not for us as

 

a) only supports Win10

b) can only have firmware updated locally - no remote management possible of features

c) not the best security

 

I've experienced corruption of the display when transmitting approx 10m to the screen in our office, not a particularly cluttered WiFi area either. Not sure if the latest firmware addresses that?

 

But for the price it's not too bad, just be aware of the limitations and if it can tick all your boxes then why not?

[ITGuyNW]

Another power question....

 

Some of our projectors only have USB mini. Will it still draw power through an adapter?

[bald_pig]

Another power question....

 

Some of our projectors only have USB mini. Will it still draw power through an adapter?

 

Probably not, sounds like it's a USB input and not an output.

[ITGuyNW]

Probably not, sounds like it's a USB input and not an output.

 

Yeah my suspicions were confirmed when I tested a projector earlier.

 

Still useful in some parts around the School though.

[BKGarry]

Do you have any network sockets near the projectors in question, as you can get POE to ethernet adapters, I use it on some of our bigger ones, as it allows me to remotely restart them as well?

[BKGarry]

and for extra security in our place, I made a second policy for SSID policies in group policy for student machines which stops them being able to connect to the WiFi apaters from student laptops in school.