Using Chromecast in hotels - HowTo

General Discussions Tips, Tricks & How-Tos
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Hi All,

 

I just wanted to share a trick I used during a business trip this week.

 

This is a typical problem. You go into a free WiFi service hotel but guess what.. WiFi isn't protected but you need to be able to enter login and password through a browser to gain internet access. Obviusly, a hard job for the CC dongle unless...

 

Step 1 - Run CC setup on your mobile, tablet,.. The only reason you're doing this at this point is to find out the dongle MAC address.. Write down the CC MAC address (if you keep it, you may skip this step nex time).

 

Step 2 - The "hard part". Open your laptop, disconnect it from the Wifi network if connected and edit your Wifi network adapter settings. Find the option where you can change the MAC address (you may read something like 'Clone MAC' or something similar). Enter the CC MAC here and save your edits.

 

Step 3 - Connect your laptop to the netwok and browse any page so get asked for login/pass on the brower. Once you receive the confirmation and browsing is possible, the hotel router is allowing your MAC and IP to browse out of the "walled garden".

 

Step 4 - Start your chromecast, and run it as if it were a regular Wifi network. Make sure you disconnect your laptop from the network, before the CC actually connects to the hotel network. That will make the hotel router continue its authorization for that MAC address to get access to the internet.

 

Step 5 - If you see on the screen that chromecast connected to the network but can't access the internet; you did something wrong. Otherwise, you got it!. 

 

Sep 6 - Launch Youtube on your phone/tablet and cast from youtube app first. For some reason, sometimes Plex can't find the chromecast at first. Stop youtube and switch to Plex. It should now find Plex as a player and work as fast as the network works.

 

Hope you can use and enjoy this!!

 

 

PS: Obviusly, there are more issues that may prevent you to use CC at the hotel. Most typical one is device isolation which makes not possible direct connectivity from your phone to the CC so your phone can't actually send the URL to start the streaming.

2 Likes
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I imagine this will be a pretty handy guide for people who travel a lot, so I'm gonna pin it. Thanks for writing it up!

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That's awesome... I was actually planning on picking up a travel router, so I could create my own private network using the hotels internet connection.  I still might do that so I don't have to re-login every time l leave and come back, but this is a very solid Plan B!

Here's were I learned about using a travel router for Chromecast purposes...

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203569

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I've heard great things about the TP-LINK TL-WR702N Wireless N150 Travel Router.  Hard to beat for $20 and super small.
 
Also, if traveling abroad, this kills two birds with one stone: Satechi Smart Travel Router with USB Port for charging iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, MP3 devices, and more in US, CA, MX, UK, EU, AU, NZ, HK, and China

Edit: The 702 doesn't have WISP.  I purchased the 710, and despite some quirks with the firmware, works very well in every hotel environment I've tried so far.

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One thing I just thought of... if you use the trick from this thread, won't anyone connected to the hotel's public network be able to cast to my room's TV... similar to how anyone I allow on my home's network can cast to the CCs in my house?

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Yes.  +1 to adding google glass support, and this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/google-glass-sex_n_4637741.html

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One thing I just thought of... if you use the trick from this thread, won't anyone connected to the hotel's public network be able to cast to my room's TV... similar to how anyone I allow on my home's network can cast to the CCs in my house?

Yes unless you are using your own router it is possible for others to see your CCast using this method which is why most Hotels have AP Isolation on which kills this method from working. 

If you have your own wireless router you can login using the computer then clone the PC MAC address on the router to make your own private network.That should work even in cases where AP Isolation is being used but you do have to make sure to use an IP block not being used by the Hotel.

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That's awesome... I was actually planning on picking up a travel router, so I could create my own private network using the hotels internet connection.  I still might do that so I don't have to re-login every time l leave and come back, but this is a very solid Plan B!

Taking a travel router or just creating your own hotspot through the laptop is a better option but it requires a wired lan connection in the room.

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I have purchased one of these which will do everything I need it to do no matter where I am:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006DEBYWU/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item

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I bought one of these for my travels http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nexus-Slimport-HDMI-adapter-projector/dp/B00DWGB6CU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393628870&sr=8-1&keywords=slimport+hdmi works a treat on my Nexus 4 and Nexus 7. On most hotel TVs the AV buttons are locked down. If so try pressing the 0 button on the remote they have provided. Hopefully it will allow rotation through the AV channels.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

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Still the best solution for Travel is to use your phone as a Hotspot or add a MiFi Hotspot to your data account.

Sync the data to your launch device using the Hotel Network and then use the Cell Network to stream to CCast.

It won't eat up all your data because the CCast will only use enough data to load the player and since you synced the data no need to to download that and eat up your Data allotment.

1 Like
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I have purchased one of these which will do everything I need it to do no matter where I am:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006DEBYWU/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item

This is the same one I use.  Biggest advantage is the included AC plug.  I prefer not having to use up one of my chargers.  This works perfectly for my CC as well as the XBONE I leave at the hotel, since neither can deal with authenticating through a browser. Added bonus, seems that I get a much faster connection going through the hotel's wired connections rather than over WiFi.

I bought one of these for my travels http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nexus-Slimport-HDMI-adapter-projector/dp/B00DWGB6CU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393628870&sr=8-1&keywords=slimport+hdmi works a treat on my Nexus 4 and Nexus 7. On most hotel TVs the AV buttons are locked down. If so try pressing the 0 button on the remote they have provided. Hopefully it will allow rotation through the AV channels.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

The way around hotels locking down the inputs is to unplug the control box from the back of the TV.  Usually it's a cable going into the TV that looks like a phone line.  You will lose control with the remote, but you can use the buttons on the side of the TV to change inputs.

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I use the Asus network bridge. I’ll have to find the name later. Once you configure it it is extremely easy to configure to connect to the hotel wireless or wired connection. I have my kit with the bridge and chromecast that travels with me. Spend the extra few bucks and save yourself the hassle of going through the steps of the original post. Also now that you can cast to the chromecast with synced content it is even better because I am not reliant on the hotel’s crappy ass internet.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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A lot of hotels actually disable the HDMI ports on their TV's. 

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The ASUS WL-330NUL is also great for hotels and other hotspots.

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I just use my nexus 5 as a hotspot and play synced content from my nexus 5 or galaxy note 10, then don’t touch the hotel wifi. Sometimes I use a cheap tiny wireless router to connect to hotel wired networks but not often.

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If you need extra hard drive space at the same time, the Seagate Wireless Plus is a great option; it can reshare the hotel's wifi on its own hotspot.  In a perfect world it would act as a mini Plex server too:
  https://forums.plex.tv/topic/97619-offline-cloud/
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A lot of hotels actually disable the HDMI ports on their TV's. 

Some but not all. I found that Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport disabled them.

However, some other hotels not only allow you to use them (Residence Inn by Marriot in Portland allowed their use) and some pretty much encouraged their use (I think, but am not sure, that the Delta in Mississauga does... but I could be hugely wrong there).

Also, adding my vote for TP-Link's Portal Routers. I have the TL-WR702N, which I configured at home to Router mode, then took with me to a hotel with just my Nexus 7, Galaxy S3 and Chromecast. After connecting to the wired ethernet at the hotel and accepting the terms and conditions once, all other devices, including the Chromecast, worked well. No MAC Address changes required. Using your own router in this way also gets round any client-to-client communication restrictions that the hotel's network/wifi might have in place.

If i were to buy again, I would go for the TL-WR710N

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have the TL-WR702N, which I configured at home to Router mode, then took with me to a hotel with just my Nexus 7, Galaxy S3 and Chromecast. After connecting to the wired ethernet at the hotel and accepting the terms and conditions once, all other devices, including the Chromecast, worked well. No MAC Address changes required. Using your own router in this way also gets round any client-to-client communication restrictions that the hotel's network/wifi might have in place.
 


+1 for this method. I happen to be using it right now at an Embassy Suites with a d-link dap-1350. It's just like I'm watching Plex at home! Like you said though, you need a hard-wired connection in the room.

I hope Google allows you to change your CC MAC in the future though. Either that or hope that IOS does so I could use a trick similar to the one the OP describes without a laptop (which I rarely travel with these days).
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I believe there are some devices that will do this without a hard-wired connection being required, but don't quote me on that...

I read this one will do it (D-Link DIR-505L)...

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Systems-SharePort-Companion-DIR-505L/dp/B009LENJ90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387733086&sr=8-1&keywords=dir-505l

This is the one I've been looking at (just released this month), and I believe it also has the ability to turn a hotspot connection into a private Wi-Fi network (Netgear Trek N300)...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQ883T4?ie=UTF8&tag=etalecouk-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00HQ883T4