With Chromecast we can view streaming videos and videos saved in the memory of our smartphone directly on the TV, without having to configure Miracast each time or obtain a compatible Smart TV. The Chromecast is accessible to all devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network or to the same modem but if we do not want to provide the Wi-Fi password to guests who come home, in this guide we will show you how to activate guest mode on Chromecast, accessible without having to provide any network password; we will thus be able to exploit its potential by keeping other network devices safe (which will be invisible to our guests). In the second part of the guide we will show you how to use the Chromecast on the go and / or when we are at the hotel, bypassing the limits of public Wi-Fi hotspots or the network provided by the hotel.
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How to activate guest mode on the Chromecast
To activate guest mode on the Chromecast, let's get a smartphone connected to the Wi-Fi network where the Chromecast is present and install the Google Home app on it, available for Android and iOS. Once the app is installed, open it, tap on the Chromecast device already configured, press the gear icon located at the top right, open the Guest mode menu and enable the homonymous item.
After activation we will not have to do anything else, the Chromecast is immediately ready to receive multimedia streams from compatible smartphones, even if not connected to the Wi-Fi network to which the Google dongle is connected. To be able to send a video or streaming from a guest phone, just be connected to the Internet (via LTE or another Wi-Fi network) open a Chromecast compatible app (for example YouTube) and, as soon as it appears at the top the symbol Transmit, we tap on it and select Device nearby .
The pairing requires the PIN code to be entered, generated by the Chromecast within the Google Home app or visible at the top right of the screen to which the dongle is connected (with no video playing). The PIN code is automatically changed every day, so that every device connected up to that moment will necessarily have to view the new PIN in order to access the Chromecast again.
If we no longer want to take advantage of the guest mode, simply enter the menu seen above again and deactivate the check mark.
NOTE : if the Chromecast is not visible to guests in the house, make sure we are close enough to it (for the first connection we recommend less than 5 meters) and check that you are connected to the Internet, that you have GPS active (in High precision mode) ) and activate Bluetooth, so you can find the Chromecast in the room even without a Wi-Fi network.
How to use the Chromecast in a hotel or on the go
Guest mode could also be used when we travel and go to a hotel room, so we can watch movies and streaming streams saved on the hotel TV.Unfortunately, in this case there is a technical drawback, namely that the Chromecast must still be connected to a Wi-Fi network with Internet access in order to function properly. To use the Chromecast in a hotel or on the road without connecting to unsafe hotspot networks or shared with other users, we recommend using our smartphone's hotspot for the purpose, as well described in our guides on how to activate the hotspot on iPhone or how to use the hotspot on Android .
Once activated the hotspot on the smartphone "let's use it" to connect the Chromecast to the Internet, so as to unlock all its features; once connected, just activate the Guest mode on it to be able to transmit our videos, our channels and streaming content from the phone to the TV, without having to necessarily switch from the hotel's Wi-Fi network (which we can easily ignore when we use Chromecast).
Thanks to the Hotspot app for Android, this feature of using Chromecast from the cellular data network can become simpler and more effective.
A good alternative to the method just seen involves the use (when we are traveling) of a portable LTE router, so as to be able to connect in a classic way the smartphone and the Chromecast to the same Wi-Fi network, eliminating the need to use the Guest mode . One of the best portable routers that we can use for this purpose is the Huawei E5573Cs-322 150 MBps WiFi Router (€ 47).
By inserting a SIM inside with an adequate data offer (at least 20 GB to take advantage of streaming streams and watch videos online) and charging the internal battery (lasting several hours), we will have a personal Wi-Fi network at which connect your smartphone, Chromecast and any other device that needs a personal and non-interceptable Internet connection. The connection speed is linked to the LTE signal: the stronger the signal, the faster the connected devices will navigate.
If we want to observe alternative LTE routers to Huawei, we invite you to read our guide to the best portable wifi, 3G and 4G LTE routers, also for travel . If the travel destination is abroad, we recommend that you read the warnings contained in the article on Internet data roaming costs, SMS and calls abroad .
Conclusions
With the guest mode of the Chromecast we will be able to offer the Google dongle to guests who come to our house, without necessarily having to provide the Wi-Fi password; if you really want to provide a Wi-Fi network to guests, we recommend that you set up a guest network from your modem or router.If we are traveling, it can be very useful to use guest mode to quickly connect to the Chromecast without going through the hotel hotspot, but we will have to learn how to use the phone's Wi-Fi hotspot or obtain a travel LTE router (very convenient and practical).
If during the trip (especially abroad) we want to see Italian TV channels, we recommend you read the guide on How to see TV channels on Chromecast (without antenna), so that you can view Italian television channels anywhere in the world (eye to mobile data consumption !). If instead we notice that the video or audio on the Chromecast is jerky or does not work as it should, we can try to solve it by reading our guide on Chromecast does not work or jerky: how to solve .
