With some programs it can be very useful to have a second monitor connected to the PC, so that you can open a greater number of windows without reducing everything to an icon and have immediately what we need at hand. Instead of buying a second monitor, we can take advantage of the TV in the bedroom or living room as a secondary monitor, which can also be connected wirelessly (with the right prerequisites).
In this way, in addition to having a larger screen for office programs, we will be able to use the TV to play multimedia programs or watch streaming videos available on the Internet on TV, simply by dragging the desired window on the TV, after having correctly connected it.
So let's see how to use the TV as a secondary screen of the wireless PC, without cables, with the duplication mode of Windows 10 .
Article Index
- Device prerequisites
- Connecting devices
- Use the TV as a wireless secondary screen
- If your TV doesn't support Miracast "> If your PC doesn't support Miracast?
1) Device prerequisites
In order to make the connection between PC and TV, without using any cables, we will have to use Miracast technology .
Before doing anything, therefore, make sure that our TV is compatible with this protocol, otherwise it will be impossible to connect.
We can check if Miracast technology is present by checking the instruction booklet of the TV in our possession, checking the data sheet online (a quick Google search should provide the manual of any modern television) or checking between the apps and the Smart settings TV.
As a general rule we can tell you that all TVs labeled as Smart produced from 2016 onwards integrate Miracast, but it is always worth checking to avoid bad surprises (especially with TVs of unknown brands or at low cost).
On the PC we will have to have Windows 10 as operating system and use a network card and a video card that fully support Miracast: in case of incompatibility of only one of the components it will not be possible to exploit this protocol.
To check if the WiFi card and the video card used on the PC are compatible with Miracast, we launch the DirectX diagnostic tool, which can be called up from the Windows Start menu by typing:
dxdiag.exe
Once the window is open, wait a few seconds then click on the bottom Save all information, so as to generate a text file that can be saved in an easily accessible position (also on the Desktop).
We open this text file and look for the Miracast entry (we can help ourselves with the CTRL + T or CTRL + F keys to find it); if the wording Available, with HDCP is present, then Miracast is available on this PC; if we find Not Supported or other abbreviations, we cannot use Miracast for this type of connection.
2) Connecting devices
If the TV and PC meet the above requirements, then we will have to connect using our home network as a "means of transport".
The ideal is to connect Ethernet cable TV to the home modem, so as to have the highest quality and the absence of interference, but rightly we cannot have so many cables around the house, in addition this guide is designed for those who want connect the two devices without using any type of cable (if the TV and PC are close enough to be connected to the same modem, you might as well use an HDMI cable between the two and save yourself all the steps!).
The TV must therefore be connected to the home WiFi network: we open the settings of the television and go to the Network menu (or Network ), so that we can start detecting the WiFi networks and connect to the wireless network of our modem.
When prompted, set up the Wireless connection, select our home network and enter the access password.
After a few seconds the connection will be made and the TV will be ready to receive the Miracast signal from any PC on the network.
The PC can be connected via Ethernet cable to the home modem or via WiFi: the first solution is the simplest, the second the most practical to exploit (especially if we have laptops or desktop PCs in other rooms of the house).
Now that all the devices are connected to the same modem, we will show you how to take advantage of Miracast and use the TV as a secondary wireless screen.
3) Use the TV as a wireless secondary screen
Now that we've made the necessary connections, let's take proper advantage of Miracast to get our secondary monitor for the PC.
We turn on our Smart TV and make sure to open the app or the menu section reserved for Miracast connections: on LG Smart TVs the app to open is called Screen Share, while on Samsung Smart TVs the menu to visit is AllShare, where we can find the Screen Mirroring menu.
If we do not find the right menu, we always consult the TV user manual to understand how to adjust.
Open the right menu or app on our TV, let's turn on our PC and, once we get to the Windows desktop, click on the icon of the Notification Center (next to the clock and date) at the bottom right, doing then click on the Connect button.
A search for compatible devices on the network or nearby will start immediately; after a few seconds we will see the name of our Smart TV connected to the network, identified as Screen .
We click on the name of our TV and wait a few seconds: the computer will connect to the TV and we can finally use it as a secondary screen.
In order to adjust the type of projection visible on the TV, we open the Notification Center again and click Project, choosing the right solution for our purposes.
We can create a copy of our desktop using the Duplicate button, we can extend the desktop to the right using the Extend button or we can only use the TV as a screen by clicking on Second screen only .
To turn off the connection we can use both the Disconnect button present in the Project menu and use the Disconnect button present in the Connect menu, under the name of the TV to which we are connected via wireless.
Note : connecting via Miracast Windows will play system audio (including program sounds) on the TV speakers.
READ ALSO: How to use Miracast on Windows 10: problems and connection to the wifi screen
4) If the TV does not support Miracast
If the TV we do not own is not Smart or does not have Miracast support (while our PC is compatible), we can bring Miracast support to any TV by connecting an adapter like the one offered by Microsoft to a free HDMI socket. ' Wireless Display Adapter (51 €).
It connects to the HDMI socket of the TV, supplies electricity via the USB port of the TV or a mobile phone charger and connects to the home WiFi network, so as to immediately have support for Miracast.
Obviously to be able to exploit it we will have to select the HDMI output to which it is connected via the Source or Source button on the TV, then follow the steps already described on the PC to connect the TV with Miracast.
Alternatively, you can view the PC screen on TV using one of the best features of the Amazon Fire Stick, as explained in another article.
5) If your PC doesn't support Miracast
If the problem is instead the PC (it has not passed the control through DirectX diagnosis tool), we can try to solve updating all the drivers present on the PC, using a free tool like Driver Booster, downloadable from here -> Driver Booster .
Once downloaded we launch the program and update all the drivers reported as old or obsolete, in particular the video card drivers and the wireless network card drivers.
If not even with the driver update we have solved, we can connect the TV as a secondary wireless screen using the Chromecast, regardless of whether the TV is compatible with Miracast or not.
In another article, the guide to buying the Google Chromecast .
Once the device is obtained, connect it to a free HDMI port on the TV, to a USB port (or use a mobile phone charger) and finally connect it to the home wireless network, as described in our dedicated guide -> Chromecast Guide with 18 tricks and applications to use it at best .
Now that it is connected to the TV and is visible on the network, we install the Google Chrome browser on our computer, which can be downloaded for free from here -> Google Chrome .
Once installed, we click on the top right of the three dots, then go to the Send menu.
Here we can choose what to send to the Chromecast by clicking on the small menu at the top (small triangle).
We use the Send tab button to transmit a browser tab or Send desktop to transmit the full screen, as if we were on Miracast (very similar to the Duplicate option present in Windows).
Made the choice, we now click on the name of the Chromecast to make the wireless connection between PC and TV.
NOTE : PC audio can also be reproduced on the TV through the Chromecast, both in the case of transmission of the card and in case of transmission of the entire desktop, just select the item Transmit audio in the preview window.
READ ALSO -> Connect PC or laptop to TV to watch videos and movies
