Miracast

[Jesse]

I've tried several blu-ray system and most only support Android miracast. The Sony system I picked up specifically says they support both Windows and Android. I've not had problems with the screen mirroring at all. It is just the surface pro 2 that seems to behave badly.

 

[jnjroach]

I've tried several blu-ray system and most only support Android miracast. The Sony system I picked up specifically says they support both Windows and Android. I've not had problems with the screen mirroring at all. It is just the surface pro 2 that seems to behave badly.

Is your Pro 2 using stock or have you upgraded the Intel Video Driver?

 

[godashram]

It works well for me, I believe the issue with the Home Entertainment Systems is that when they included Miracast Support, their developers did the old "hard coded connection string" looking for specific Android Devices (typically called out on their Support Site). Even the PTV3000 needed a Firmware Update to work with Windows 8.x.



Thanks for the compliment

Which is the issue with Miracast. For a standard, it's not really standardized. My Panasonic DMP-MS10 is Miracast certified, yet doesn't like my Surface Pro. Last update for it was late last year. Now considering MS went from WIDI to Miracast in windows 8.1, late last year, hopefully Panasonic will release at least 1 more firmware update...

 

[jnjroach]

MS never used WiDi (WiDi requires the Intel Wireless Card and Intel HD Video), the Surface has always used the Marvell Wireless Card. Prior to Windows 8.1, WiDi capable devices needed to run the Intel WiDi Win32 Applications. Windows 8.1/RT natively supports WiDi and Miracast (will download and install the appropriate drivers for the components you machine needs).

The Pro/Pro 2 uses a combination of Miracast and WiDi (Miracast for the Wireless Card, WiDi Drivers for Video and Wireless USB). Intel WiDi 4.x is supposedly 100% Miracast compliant...

 

[Jesse]

For my setup everything is stock. It has only microsoft supplied windows and hardware updates through windows update. I've not installed any other drivers.

 

[jnjroach]

For my setup everything is stock. It has only microsoft supplied windows and hardware updates through windows update. I've not installed any other drivers.

Running Windows 8.1 Update 1? Have you tried removing the Wireless Monitor in Modern UI Devices and then re-adding it?

 

[beq]

I ran some additional tests, and the router is set to 5GHz (something like channel 149), while the miracast device from Sony seems to only opera at 2.4GHz (channel 6). There are no neighbouring networks operating at or at adjacent channels. Signal strength is strong for both networks.

Some tests today showed that connecting my internet wifi to 2.4Ghz (at a different channel than the miracast) resulted in no internet connectivity at all. Running at 5Ghz would allow for internet connection most of the time.

Now that's strange. Since the SP2 only has a single radio, wouldn't it need to connect to both the router and the peer-to-peer Miracast (Wi-Fi Direct) on the same band? So if the Sony Miracast only supports 2.4GHz, shouldn't the SP2 also connect to the router via 2.4GHz?

Otherwise my understanding was that, even if it was possible, it would degrade performance too much for the SP2's radio to have to constantly switch back and forth between 2.4 and 5 GHz. After all it's still a single physical radio, even if it gets virtualized into multiple connections.

 

[Jesse]

That maybe true, however when I had the SP2 connected to my routers 2.4GHz band, and to the miracast connection at 2.4GHz, the internet was never usable. If I connected to the 5GHz network for internet it would sometimes work for a while. With any extended time, the internet would stop working.

 

[GoodBytes]

That maybe true, however when I had the SP2 connected to my routers 2.4GHz band, and to the miracast connection at 2.4GHz, the internet was never usable. If I connected to the 5GHz network for internet it would sometimes work for a while. With any extended time, the internet would stop working.

I tried Miracast at work. While I didn't try it all day with it, I was able to stream a YouTube video in 1080p just fine, and at work we don't have a 5Ghz signal to my knowledge, unless the 2.4 and 5Ghz are combined into 1, in some fashion, and can dynamically switch. Work wireless has no special configuration. We have a dedicated non connected to work network wireless internet provided with a WPA-2 password. Even the ISP is different from the company network, to have complete separation, and no affect on load to the work network.

 

[jnjroach]

Miracast uses a Virtual WLAN Card that mirrors the physical card, when you are connected you will an additional connection to the Miracast Device.

 

[beq]

Not sure why the Sony player is behaving that way.

According to the PDF manual for the Netgear Push2TV PTV3000:

Check the WiFi Access Point Frequency [p. 41]

Intel WiDi functions at either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz on both the WLAN connection to the wireless router and the PAN connection to the Push2TV adapter. The operating mode of the PAN connection depends on the WLAN connection to the wireless router. If the WLAN is connected at 2.4 GHz, PAN operates at 2.4 GHz; If the WLAN is connected at 5 GHz, PAN operates at 5 GHz.

If you change your WLAN connection, the PAN connection might be interrupted

They mention Intel WiDi but it should also apply to Miracast since both are based on Wi-Fi Direct.


The same thing occurs with the Roku 3 streaming box. Its remote control connection uses Wi-Fi Direct (instead of Bluetooth/RF/IR), and it will always follow the frequency band and channel used to connect the Roku box to the wireless router. Their dev said:

Roku's WiFi direct insists on using the exact same channel as my router for no good reason

The Roku only has one radio. If it had to keep retuning the radio to different channels to stream and to hear the remote, performance would be abysmal.

 

[jnjroach]

Not sure why the Sony player is behaving that way.

According to the PDF manual for the Netgear Push2TV PTV3000:


They mention Intel WiDi but it should also apply to Miracast since both are based on Wi-Fi Direct.


The same thing occurs with the Roku 3 streaming box. Its remote control connection uses Wi-Fi Direct (instead of Bluetooth/RF/IR), and it will always follow the frequency band and channel used to connect the Roku box to the wireless router. Their dev said:

Using inSSIDer my Actiontec Screenbeam Pro has 2x 2.4GHz Connections each running at 130/Mbs on slightly different channels and my WiFi is running 5Ghz to my router. I will test on my PTV3000 to see what I can see....