Google Chromecast is a tool that allows you to share whatever is on your phone or other devices to your TV screen. However, to connect, you may need the Internet, and if you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection available, you will need to use a mobile hotspot.

There are two ways to connect Chromecast to your mobile hotspot. One is using a single Chromecast device with a functional Wi-Fi router; the second involves the use of a secondary Chromecast device. Both work equally well.

Chromecast can’t be used with mobile data. Instead, it requires the use of Wi-Fi.  Sometimes your Wi-Fi may be unstable, or perhaps you are in a public place and have safety concerns about using the Wi-Fi at all. This is when you can turn your phone into a mobile hotspot and connect your Chromecast through that! Problem solved.

How to Connect Chromecast to Your Mobile Hotspot

In the past, Chromecast users could connect to a mobile hotspot without issue—that is, until an update came along, that affected this functionality; this caused a lot of frustration among users and eventually sent backlash to the Google Chromecast team.

Since then, the problem has been resolved, so as long as you follow the steps we’ll be providing thanks to Digihelpdesk, you should be able to connect to your mobile device’s hotspot easily.

As we mentioned, there are two ways to connect to your mobile hotspot. The first involves the use of a single Chromecast device with a functioning Wi-Fi router. The second involves the use of a secondary Chromecast device.

Single Chromecast Device with Router

  • Confirm that your Chromecast Device network name and password exactly match that of your Wi-Fi router network.Check and make sure your Chromecast device is connected to your Wi-Fi router network.Turn OFF your Wi-Fi router.Turn ON the Wi-Fi hotspot on the Chromecast device.Go to the Google Home app on your phone and “cast” to Chromecast.Chromecast will now cast to your phone’s hotspot because the name and password match those on your Wi-Fi router.

Secondary Chromecast Device

  • First, select which device (mobile phone, for example) that you want to use as your mobile hotspot.Choose a different device (another mobile phone, for example) that you want to use as your Chromecast or casting device.On your hotspot device, make sure the hotspot option is “on” and connect to the Internet using either 3G or 4G, at minimum.Your hotspot device should now show up on your Wi-Fi options.Using your Chromecast device, connect to the Wi-Fi network that has the name of your hotspot network.Your Chromecast device should now be connected through your hotspot device Wi-Fi.Your cast device should now be able to cast to the Chromecast device.

If this looks as tricky as it sounds, here is a helpful YouTube video that walks you through each of the steps.

New Features that Make Connecting Easy

One of the great new features Chromecast is expected to offer soon is the ability for the Chromecast device to work entirely without Wi-Fi and any technological aerobics on the part of the user.

Android Authority is reporting that one of the new functions will enable Chromecast users to simply tap a Chromecast button and select “Nearby Devices.”  Chromecast will automatically scan the area for appropriate devices and connect to them to begin the casting process. 

Should Chromecast select a device it isn’t authorized to use, it will ask for a PIN, before connection, that will be displayed on the TV set or computer monitor.  This single security feature will allow users to maintain control over the casting experience.

Final Thoughts

Chromecast revolutionized the way we watch online media.  Then, they broke it.  Now, they’ve fixed it again.  Equally importantly, they have identified a need to make the experience of Chromecast users without Wi-Fi easier and much less technologically challenging.

Kudos to them for rising to the challenge and meeting the unspoken demands of their customers!  It is customer service like this that will keep Chromecast users happy and keep Chromecast relevant in the future.  Wouldn’t it be nice if all tech-based organizations worked so hard to keep their customer base happy?

Happy Viewing!