It seems like streaming media is all the rage now. For a while now, we have been able to watch content not only on our TV, but on our phone and our computer too. I don’t know about you, but I still prefer larger screens.
The bigger problem for me is when I travel. If I’m lucky, we get to an Airbnb and they have Netflix set up. But they don’t always. And when we stay at a hotel – not a chance.
Chromecast to the rescue! The Chromecast is a brilliant dongle by Google that turns any TV to a smart TV. So long as it has an HDMI connection, that is. It streams content in full HD from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and a host of other services. At £30, it really is a no brainer.
When I travel, I always carry one with me. To connect it, we set my wife’s phone as a WI-FI hotspot and connect our devices to it. This works around hotel WI-FI network security restrictions. You know, these pop-up login windows that greet you when connecting. Chromecast doesn’t like those.
With the Chromecast plugged in, we get to enjoy our content on a big screen wherever we go. It really is a brilliant little thing.
By the way, having a Chromecast is great even if you have a smart TV. My Samsung TV is getting a bit old, and Samsung stopped updating its software a while ago. This means Amazon content freezes the TV regularly, for example. With the Chromecast, I don’t have to worry. I simply stopped using the built-in Amazon Prime app of my TV.
Optimising My Life 