mattwnz: I have found the chromecast is best for streaming youtube or play apps, becuase it seems to stream it directly from the internet, rather than going through the device. However if you are casting over a tab in chrome, such as TVNZ on demand, it will first load it through the device which then sends it back to the chrome cast, which can cause quality problems, as there is an additional device in the chain. Just a pity lightbox won't work over chromecast, just shows a black screen must be due to it using silverlight. Other videos though seem to work fine.

freitasm:

plambrechtsen: I think it would be nice if there was an ethernet port on them or external antenna jack. Since their internal wifi antennas are rubbish even with the extender dongle thingie.

If you want a streaming device, with an ethernet port, with its own IP/DNS configuration so you don't have to do it on the router, then you should look at Amazon Fire TV. I have both and the Amazon Fire TV is the one with more options for us.

jonathan18: Interestingly, I had quite similar problems when I bought and installed a Chromecast. This was also with a TP Link router set up as an access point, and in my case the router was approximately 50 cm from the Chromecast! (and working perfectly for every other device, as it has done so for two years).

I just found it too frustrating to try to get it sorted - sometimes it would be perfect, others it just couldn't be 'seen'. It also had very low WAF, as my partner just couldn't get it working to let the kids watch something on Netflix when I'd gone to work in the morning.

We went down the Amazon Fire TV route instead - this has proven to be a great replacement device. In particular, I like the use of a real remote rather than having to use a phone or tablet; it also has built-in ethernet so wifi just isn't an issue. While we use it for streaming primarily Netflix and for XBMC from the NAS, I understand it supports miracast so there'd be some ability I assume to cast from a browser?

Rikkitic: Christmas over, HDMI joiners delivered, renewed determination to try again... I FINALLY got Chromecast to work but it was a very long way from plug n play for me - the obstacles I had to overcome seemed endless. Chromecast is very, very picky about what it deems acceptable and anyone who gets this to work on the first attempt must just be lucky. Anyway, the last obstacle was the TV, which was apparently blocking the wi-fi. I had to use an HDMI extender cable to bring it out into the open and at long last it sprang into life. Sheesh. I do think Google could be a little more forthcoming about the hoops you may have to jump through to get this thing to work.

Rikkitic: I FINALLY got Chromecast to work but it was a very long way from plug n play for me - the obstacles I had to overcome seemed endless. Chromecast is very, very picky about what it deems acceptable and anyone who gets this to work on the first attempt must just be lucky.  

Rikkitic: I FINALLY got Chromecast to work... I do think Google could be a little more forthcoming about the hoops you may have to jump through to get this thing to work.

markl: FWIW, I had a few stuttering issues the first couple of times I streamed from a tab in chrome, but that seems to be a think of the past (touch wood). I'm wondering if it could be that it (chromecast/the app/the chrome extension) does some sort of optimisation along the way to get itself working as well as it can in each environment but that it takes a while to get it right?

Rikkitic: Yeah, I'm getting bad stuttering now but that's on screencast. YouTube seemed to work ok earlier. Unfortunately it is the screencast function I wanted. Google avoids responsibility by saying it is 'experimental'.