Google Chromecast now available in Ireland via Amazon - see mod note post #1

elmoslats

DubDJ wrote: »

It's not officially available to Ireland so I doubt any retailers will be stocking them. Unless of course Currys are able to sell it to Ireland somehow. Your best option is probably Amazon.

Curry's will have them soon.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/21814n/google_chromecast_now_in_galway_storesnot_for/

Allyall

elmoslats wrote: »

Curry's will have them soon.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/21814n/google_chromecast_now_in_galway_storesnot_for/

Probably for €45 - €50 from them.

marcbrophy

corkie wrote: »

If you referring to using your mobile phone as a hotspot, then there are reports of that working, but you will need another device to cast from.

Hey corkie, thanks for replying!

Yes I was referring to using the phones hotspot ability.
I have in my head the idea of using a phone, a tablet, and a chromecast. Phone as the router, tablet as the remote to cast from and obviously the chromecast to recieve the commands.

In my head, it sounds plausible, but not sure about reality of it :pac:

corkie

marcbrophy wrote: »

Hey corkie, thanks for replying!

Yes I was referring to using the phones hotspot ability.
I have in my head the idea of using a phone, a tablet, and a chromecast. Phone as the router, tablet as the remote to cast from and obviously the chromecast to recieve the commands.

In my head, it sounds plausible, but not sure about reality of it :pac:

I did a quick test today and can confirm it works.

It will depend on your network and phone, if you can set up an use the hotspot on your phone.

The chromecast device needs a working connection to internet to startup, Even if your just casting local content.

I used my xperia z1 on O2 as the hotspot and my nexus 7(2012) as the casting device.

Hope you have an unlimited data plan on your phone if your casting from the internet.

waynegalway

corkie wrote: »

I did a quick test today and can confirm it works.

It will depend on your network and phone, if you can set up an use the hotspot on your phone.

The chromecast device needs a working connection to internet to startup, Even if your just casting local content.

I used my xperia z1 on O2 as the hotspot and my nexus 7(2012) as the casting device.

Hope you have an unlimited data plan on your phone if your casting from the internet.

Great, thanks. Only issue now is tethering on my Three phone. Technically, it works, but contractually I'm not supposed to do it.

What is the deal with casting "local" content? By that, do you mean photos, videos and music stored on the phone? How does the phone connect to the chromecast for that?

corkie

waynegalway wrote: »

Great, thanks. Only issue now is tethering on my Three phone. Technically, it works, but contractually I'm not supposed to do it.

What is the deal with casting "local" content? By that, do you mean photos, videos and music stored on the phone? How does the phone connect to the chromecast for that?

Yes i mean videos (mp4), music and photos. But I mainly cast videos I have download or convert to supported type from my saorview box.

If your using your phone as the hotspot, you won't be able to cast content from it.

When you cast local content, you do from your device over your wifi network.

Plenty of apps for it, see the app list here

My favorite from android is avia (in app purchase required) or from chrome (canary version on windows 7) videostream.

marcbrophy

corkie wrote: »

I did a quick test today and can confirm it works.

It will depend on your network and phone, if you can set up an use the hotspot on your phone.

The chromecast device needs a working connection to internet to startup, Even if your just casting local content.

I used my xperia z1 on O2 as the hotspot and my nexus 7(2012) as the casting device.

Hope you have an unlimited data plan on your phone if your casting from the internet.

Cool, I thought it might alright, thanks for checking.

I have a Nexus 5 direct from google, so the hotspot function hasn't been blocked by a provider or anything.

I have a 2012 N7 like you, so good to hear that works with it.

I'm with 3 for phone, so data usage shouldn't be an issue.

Tbh, that setup is not what I'll be using it for regularly. It'll be just if I'm trying to show others how it works and take it out of the house. When I'm at home, I'll be on the home broadband, but it's good to know I can go mobile with it

waynegalway

corkie wrote: »

If your using your phone as the hotspot, you won't be able to cast content from it.

When you cast local content, you do from your device over your wifi network.

Plenty of apps for it, see the app list here

My favorite from android is avia (in app purchase required) or from chrome (canary version on windows 7) videostream.

That's my problem, though. I don't have a home wifi, except for the O2 dongle. If I connect the phone to that for local casting, will it work, and does that eat in to my data allowance?

The big thing for me is Netflix. Currently I watch it through my wife's S3, which is cconnected to the TV with a cable, and to the net through the O2 hotshot. This works fine except that the download limit is 15gb.

So I was hoping to use the chromecast with my HTC one and my unlimited data allowance from three to look at Netflix.

I thought about getting a hdmi cable for it, but coverage close to the TV is bad. So the phone can't be left there.

I thought I could use the chromecast without having to tether, as I hadn't looked too closely at how the whole thing works.

Thinking about it now, I'd be as well to use my phone as a hotspot and look at Netflix through my wife's S3 connected to it and the TV.

If that's the case, anyone want to buy a chromecast? Hasn't even arrived in post yet.

The Ayatolla

I imagine for local content casting, it wont eat into your data allowance. You're not downloading anything from the world wide web.

Kleine Hundin

It appears that chromecast from Amazon.de doesn't have hardwired google dns settings which means it should be easy to get other apps on it and work with smartdns if setup on your router. See http://www.eyeondemand.com/2014/03/25/news-global-chromecast/ for more details.

marcbrophy

^^^^^^^^^^^
I wonder if this is due to EU competition laws or something like that. Not being forced to use a particular service?

I picked up mine today on my way to work from parcel motel, so haven't had a chance to test it out until I get home from work. It's from amazon UK though, I hope it's the same as the German ones

ablelocks

has anyone else had any difficulty getting chromecast to play nicely with their router? I've tried to get mine working but during the set up I get a message that while it can see the router, it can't access the internet (or words to that effect).

There seems to be a lot of info online, but some of it is conflicting and nearly all of it is confusing.

So I've unplugged the chromecase and factory reset the router to start again. Before I do that, does anyone have any pointers. Router is an ASUS NT-N56U.

VikingG

ablelocks wrote: »

has anyone else had any difficulty getting chromecast to play nicely with their router? I've tried to get mine working but during the set up I get a message that while it can see the router, it can't access the internet (or words to that effect).

yes I have the same issue with a Zyxel P660... it is an old router.. It connects initially during setup but then fails to maintain that connection and complete the setup

The Ayatolla

I've got issues watching USA content from Netflix on it.

I set the Chromecast up as a "US" device during setup.

I'm using unblock-us configured through my router. The movie plays on my phone, but when I cast it, it gives me an error to try later.

Anyone have any way around this?

I got the Chromecast from the USA unfortunately.

Edit - just found on google about the DNS issues. Doh!! Hopefully it's rooted sooner rather than later!

madmoe

kyub wrote: »

Woohoo! Just ordered. Using Allcast and Show Box with this should be really straight forward for non-techies to use.

Is this working for you mate?

irishpancake

Kleine Hundin wrote: »

It appears that chromecast from Amazon.de doesn't have hardwired google dns settings which means it should be easy to get other apps on it and work with smartdns if setup on your router. See http://www.eyeondemand.com/2014/03/25/news-global-chromecast/ for more details.

Is that what eye on demand actually says??

All of this said, not everyone has had similar results to myself.

I know of at least one other Smart DNS user in Germany whose own recently purchased German Chromecast still forces everything through Google’s DNS servers – so don’t jump head first thinking it could all be changed right away!

Keep an eye out at Eye on-Demand for an upcoming review. This little HDMI dongle could just be the next big global hit!

I would wait for further clarification.

Where was the test dongle purchased? I don't actually see a reference to amazon.de??

Have you more info??

The Ayatolla

Was able to configure the DNS with unblock-us to work with the Chromecast.

Can now successfully watch US netflix on it, and hopefully WWE Network soon via the iOS app.

Phew! was beginning to think it was a waste of 35 quid

Kleine Hundin

On another post he said he bought it in Germany. Lots of retailers stock it, so it is possible he bought on the high street. But amazon.de stock it too.

http://www.eyeondemand.com/2014/03/19/news-chromecast-hits-the-uk-other-stores/

19.03.2014: Update: We’ve got a German bought model now here at Eye on-Demand and our first use of the device via Smart DNS from OverPlay is that we have had success on Netflix and Hulu Plus! No rooting or NAT tables required. Now, keep in mind this has not been tested exhaustively, but it is promising.

Yes, I'm looking for more information/confirmation too. I can't get a chromecast because my tv doesn't have hdmi. But I'll certainly in the market now for a new tv and chromecast. I'm based in Germany so I'd really love if it could get all the apps working on it.

Kleine Hundin

The Ayatolla wrote: »

Was able to configure the DNS with unblock-us to work with the Chromecast.

Can now successfully watch US netflix on it, and hopefully WWE Network soon via the iOS app.

Phew! was beginning to think it was a waste of 35 quid

You said previously it was a US bought device. Was it by messing around with iptables or just a simple configuration change on the router?

god's toy

The Ayatolla wrote: »

Was able to configure the DNS with unblock-us to work with the Chromecast.

Can now successfully watch US netflix on it, and hopefully WWE Network soon via the iOS app.

Phew! was beginning to think it was a waste of 35 quid

Kleine Hundin wrote: »

You said previously it was a US bought device. Was it by messing around with iptables or just a simple configuration change on the router?

Yes would like to know this too as even the unblock-us guys said you needed a DD-WRT or OpenWrt ruther to do it. If you managed to find another way please tell!

Some people have got it working but looking for the simplest way.


http://support.unblock-us.com/customer/portal/questions/1385727-chromecast

The Ayatolla

I have eFibre modem but always used by own TP Link router. I flashed the DD-WRT software onto the router, took about 5mins. Then edited the settings with the IP tables. All in all took about 15mins but worth it now!

marcbrophy

I'm going to go the DD-WRT route myself later as i tried to cast american netflix items last night and kept getting an error message.

txema

god's toy wrote: »

Yes would like to know this too as even the unblock-us guys said you needed a DD-WRT or OpenWrt ruther to do it. If you managed to find another way please tell!

Some people have got it working but looking for the simplest way.


http://support.unblock-us.com/customer/portal/questions/1385727-chromecast

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before in this thread, but you can make it work without a DD-WRT or OpenWrt router if your router can create Static Routes (many do out of the box, no flashing needed). The trick is to add a static route for the Google's DNSs that points to a non-existing Gateway. The CC won't be able to reach Google's DNSs and will default back to the DNS set up on your router's DHCP settings.

I have a Netgear router and this worked for me yesterday: go to Advanced -> Static Routes.
Then click Add and fill in the following:

- Destination IP Address: 8.8.8.8
- Mask: 255.255.255.255
- Gateway IP Adress: 192.168.1.254 <- any local IP that is not in use on the network!
- Metric: 2

Repeat for 8.8.4.4

You can accomplish the same if your router has the capability of blocking any IP on the Firewall settings. Just block the two Google DNSs. That is the simplest way, I think, but my Netgear didn't have this option .

Ben D Bus

I got my Chromecast yesterday.

Got up & running no problem but found the device disappeared from my phone occasionally. Youtube/Netflix would continue to stream perfectly to my TV but I would not have any remote control.

Potentially embarrassing if watching something 'inappropriate' and you can't suddenly switch off when you hear someone coming into the room

marcbrophy

txema wrote: »

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before in this thread, but you can make it work without a DD-WRT or OpenWrt router if your router can create Static Routes (many do out of the box, no flashing needed). The trick is to add a static route for the Google's DNSs that points to a non-existing Gateway. The CC won't be able to reach Google's DNSs and will default back to the DNS set up on your router's DHCP settings.

I have a Netgear router and this worked for me yesterday: go to Advanced -> Static Routes.
Then click Add and fill in the following:

- Destination IP Address: 8.8.8.8
- Mask: 255.255.255.255
- Gateway IP Adress: 192.168.1.254 <- any local IP that is not in use on the network!
- Metric: 2

Repeat for 8.8.4.4

You can accomplish the same if your router has the capability of blocking any IP on the Firewall settings. Just block the two Google DNSs. That is the simplest way, I think, but my Netgear didn't have this option .

Hey, just wondering what Netgear router you have? I have a wnr2000 myself and I think it has IP blocking as an option. I'll check once I get home from work.

This might be much easier than installing custom software if it works, thanks

I didn't even think of doing this as had just assumed that if the CC couldn't reach it's pre-set DNS servers, it would just fail to work!

txema

^^^ It's the wgr614 v9

irishpancake

txema wrote: »

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before in this thread, but you can make it work without a DD-WRT or OpenWrt router if your router can create Static Routes (many do out of the box, no flashing needed). The trick is to add a static route for the Google's DNSs that points to a non-existing Gateway. The CC won't be able to reach Google's DNSs and will default back to the DNS set up on your router's DHCP settings.

I have a Netgear router and this worked for me yesterday: go to Advanced -> Static Routes.
Then click Add and fill in the following:

- Destination IP Address: 8.8.8.8
- Mask: 255.255.255.255
- Gateway IP Adress: 192.168.1.254 <- any local IP that is not in use on the network!
- Metric: 2

Repeat for 8.8.4.4

You can accomplish the same if your router has the capability of blocking any IP on the Firewall settings. Just block the two Google DNSs. That is the simplest way, I think, but my Netgear didn't have this option .

I think the eircom Netopia router can set Static Routes......


https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ot3l7e514g3ffd/Screenshot_2014-03-26-12-01-04.png

god's toy

txema wrote: »

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before in this thread, but you can make it work without a DD-WRT or OpenWrt router if your router can create Static Routes (many do out of the box, no flashing needed). The trick is to add a static route for the Google's DNSs that points to a non-existing Gateway. The CC won't be able to reach Google's DNSs and will default back to the DNS set up on your router's DHCP settings.

I have a Netgear router and this worked for me yesterday: go to Advanced -> Static Routes.
Then click Add and fill in the following:

- Destination IP Address: 8.8.8.8
- Mask: 255.255.255.255
- Gateway IP Adress: 192.168.1.254 <- any local IP that is not in use on the network!
- Metric: 2

Repeat for 8.8.4.4

You can accomplish the same if your router has the capability of blocking any IP on the Firewall settings. Just block the two Google DNSs. That is the simplest way, I think, but my Netgear didn't have this option .

Ah thank you very much! This has worked perfectly for me first try!
Was doing my head in getting, Me very happy now

For anyone wanting to know: My router is a Netgear DGNG 3300v2

madmoe

god's toy wrote: »

Ah thank you very much! This has worked perfectly for me first try!
Was doing my head in getting, Me very happy now

For anyone wanting to know: My router is a Netgear DGNG 3300v2

Hey lads,
Will this work with the UPC bog standard cable modem and router!?

Cheers,
M

floggg

madmoe wrote: »

Hey lads,
Will this work with the UPC bog standard cable modem and router!?

Cheers,
M

Would be also interested in knowing if this can be done - and if so directions if possible.