Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter v1

I have been looking for some sort of device to mirror my Surface Pro 3 to the TV without having ugly wires showing at this is it! I had tried the Google Chromecast since it said mirroring was possible however it was only mirroring what was being shown on google chrome. I could not mirror different applications like the Netflix app. I then tried the Amazon Fire Stick- I thought it had mirroring capabilities however it does not as well. I finally stumbled upon this little beauty and it did everything I wished it would. I had called the local Microsoft store and they told me it would mirror everything that was on my tablet so I had to give it a try. It was perfect! Very simple to install- just plug the HDMI in its slot and plug in the USB for power (I plug it into an empty USB slot on my TV). Then all you do is go to your tablet search for devices and it shows up and installs by itself. I have had one problem with it recently in that it would not connect- however after some tinkering with my tablet I realized it was the fault of my tablet and not the Microsoft Wireless Display. Also as a side note this will only work with devices with Microsoft WIDI (Apple products will not work). So this device doesn't work on my older laptop (4 years old) but works perfectly with my girlfriends newer laptop.

This wireless display adapter has worked flawlessly for me. It connects the first try, every time. And I have never lost a connect unexpectedly. I want a wireless display adapter to support display of the entire desktop and all applications, not just a select number that had been optimized, like with the Google ChromeCast. With the ChromeCast, even with apps design to be 'cast,' it was very unstable, and randomly dropping offline, even in a area with strong wireless coverage. I was very disappointed with it. I have an Amazon FireStick, and for what it does, it's awesome, and 100% reliable. Great for media consumption. But is still doesn't solve an easy way to wirelessly connect your computer to a display, and use the entire desktop. Now, I can still easily watch Netflix or Amazon Prime streaming, as well as use any other app I may want to share with others, or enjoy in large format. For me, this is a no-compromise device.

Good when it works, Windows 10 compatible UPDATED 22 Nov 15. This review discusses Windows 10 and the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Three stars because of nearly useless Microsoft documentation, a minimalist "app", confusing initial setup with Windows 10, and apparently unavoidable dropouts / hang-ups. Otherwise, a useful device which does not require a wireless router / network for its own operation. Not requiring a wireless network to operate can be a major advantage, since audio/video can be transferred to a TV (or other HDMI-input display) in places like grandpa's living room, which may not have a wireless network – or in which existing wireless networks are weak or unreliable. Grandma can see all the latest grandkid photos from the smartphone on her TV set, big and bold, no network needed. As touted by Microsoft, the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter can wirelessly receive video and audio from appropriately configured smartphones, tablets, laptops, or any other devices with so-called "Miracast / WiDi" capability. The adapter receives video, audio, or both from a "controller" device and processes received signals into HDMI-format signals for use by TV sets, monitors, or anything else which accepts HDMI -format signals. I've never been able to continuously use this device for more than about an hour without it suddenly quitting, and having to be re-started. Most recent smartphones, tablets and laptops have the hardware (wireless interconnect) and software required to connect to, control and use the Microsoft Adapter. The adapter is easy to physically install. It must be connected to both HDMI and USB connectors on a TV set, since it gets its power from the USB connection. In use, the adapter gets warm, but in my experience, not hot. Once the adapter is physically connected to the TV set, the TV set turned ON, the device selected for display on the TV, and the device allowed to initialize, the "controller" – smartphone, tablet, laptop – must be wirelessly connected to it. As a minimum, that means the controller must download a free Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter app from the Microsoft Store. This begins the hassle, unless one already has a Microsoft account. Once the adapter app is installed on the controller device (smartphone, etc.), the controller is theoretically ready to "talk" to the Microsoft adapter; update the adapter firmware; establish system settings; and go to work transferring video and audio from the controller device to the TV or other display device. It is good to have the controller (laptop, etc.) within a few feet of the wireless adapter during this setup. Unless Windows 8.1 or 10 users are familiar with the operating system "project" function – the verb form, to shine upon or make visible / audible at a distance, not the noun form, an endeavor planned and executed – it can be a hassle finding the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter in Windows to set it up and use it. I'm not familiar with Windows 8.x – I have avoided it like the plague. In Windows 10, the easiest way I have found to find, set up and use the Microsoft adapter is to click on the "Notification" icon in system tray / notification area (lower right of the screen). Unless you've hidden it, a "Connect" block or tile will be present toward the bottom of the full Notification area window which appears. Click on the "Connect" block / tile to force the laptop to search for the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter. If the "Connect" process finds the adapter, "MicrosoftDisplayAdapter_xx" (where xx is a number), will appear in the "Connect" window. Click on the name displayed to force Windows 10 to actually connect to the adapter. UPDATE: THIS PROCESS MAY OR MAY NOT REQUIRE A "PIN" FOR THE ADAPTER. Contrary to Microsoft claims in Windows 10 Start -> Settings -> Devices -> Connected Devices ->MicrosoftDisplayAdapter_xx, there is no PIN on the display adapter itself, nor in accompanying documentation. If a PIN is asked for by the Windows 10 "Connect" process, it will be displayed on the TV screen during a "pairing" process which is displayed on the TV or other display. UPDATE: If a PIN is used, once it has been entered in the Windows 10 "Connect" box on the control device (laptop, etc.), the requirement for a PIN can be disabled using the downloaded display adapter app. Open the app on the control device (Start -> All apps -> Wireless Display Adapter) and uncheck the "Pairing mode" box for "Require PIN code to pair". On subsequent use of the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter, the control device will connect to the adapter without the use of a PIN. UPDATE: If the video displayed on the TV is poor, it may be necessary to update the software driver for the Microsoft adapter. For Windows, this can most easily be done from "Device Manager". To access Device Manager in Windows 10, right-click the Start icon, and click Device Manager in the pop-up window. In Device Manager, find and click on "Miracast display devices". UPDATE: Right-click "MicrosoftDisplayAdapter_xx" ("xx" is a number). Click on "Update Driver Software". Select your preferred driver search, and complete the driver update. UPDATE: If all is well after driver update, continue to use the wireless display adapter. If the TV display is still unsatisfactory, it may help to restart windows and re-connect the control device (laptop, etc.) to the wireless display adapter. Once Windows 10 is connected to the Microsoft adapter, clicking on ""Change projection mode" will permit selecting "Duplicate", to ensure that if you view video on your laptop, that video will appear on your TV or other device. UPDATE: The Microsoft adapter can also be found from Start -> Settings -> Devices -> Connected devices ->Add a device. Clicking "Add a device" will cause Windows 10 to search, and it should find the Microsoft wireless display adapter. If it does, clicking on the "MicrosoftDisplayAdapter_xx Television" (where xx is a number) will bring up a window requiring a PIN, which the window claims is on the device or in its accompanying documentation. WRONG!!! There is no PIN on the device, or in accompanying documentation. See previous paragraphs to find the PIN displayed on your TV. For those not "in the know", this so-called "display adapter" is a peer-to-peer device operating in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band (as do many, many other devices, particularly wireless routers and Bluetooth devices, increasing the likelihood of interference with this "adapter"). As a peer-to-peer device, this adapter "talks" directly to and from whatever is controlling it - a laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. The controlling device (smartphone, etc.) must have "WiFi" (wireless local network) capability, plus appropriate software drivers and apps which allow the controlling device to "talk" to the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter using a so-called "Miracast" version of Intel Corporation's WiDi (Wireless Display) protocols, or similar Android devices and software with Miracast / WiDi capability. Strangely enough, "certification" of devices to work with Miracast / WiDi is performed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group of commercial companies initially brought together to make sure their own supposedly IEEE 802.11 - compliant devices were 1) actually compliant, and 2) would operate satisfactorily with each other. These firms trademarked the term "WiFi", for "Wireless Fidelity" - yeah, for real - meaning nothing more than devices compliant with IEEE 802.11 standards. UPDATE: Functionally, this means the controlling device (laptop, etc.) must have a wireless send-receive capability in the 2.4 GHz region, and have software which allows it to "pair" directly with the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter.

Absolutly awesome! That little thing is what I was waiting for for a long time. It does what it is designed to do: sharing your screen anywhere wirelessly. I travel a lot for my business meeting with our sales force and it's the ideal solution when we get together in an hotel room to present. Just plug it in the TV and you're good to go. No frills, just the good stuff. I also use it at home to stream movies from CBS online it works wonderfully well, and soon we will equip our conference rooms with it. No more cables. Connecting is incredibly easy: no setup, no need for any wifi connection. The computer just finds it, you click, it works! I also like the fact that with the display app (Windows 8) you can rename it, password code it etc. For my Surface Pro 3, this device is a great complement. I guess the only bad side is the fact that you need Windows 8, not all computers have it yet.

This may come in handy when wanting to share content with friends and family on a large (HDMI-enabled) screen or when presenting or sharing content in professional environments. As the device supports the Miracast standard you should find it works with many Android and Windows Phone (including Windows Mobile 10) devices that support it (the devices need to have hardware to support this). Many modern computers will also have the Intel Wireless display standard which operates similarly to Miracast, allowing you to use your TV / external screen as a primary or secondary monitor. The technology does not only push visual content out onto your TV / HDMI screen but will also push audio out as well. What is particularly impressive is how the audio and video is synchronised perfectly (this is often a problem with digital content, particularly when using wireless standards such as Bluetooth). The technology is very simple to use (from Windows 8 / 10 to Windows Phone and Android). Do note that portable smart phones using Miracast will typically mirror what's on the mobile device screen, so you will need need to keep the device and the screen on. Don't attempt to use this for fast-paced games, though, as there is a slight delay (less than a second, but enough to get you "killed" in a fast action game on a smart phone or tablet). Your portable device can get warm and you will find the battery drains much quicker than usual when wirelessly "casting" your content, so do be aware of this. The wireless display technology used in Windows 8 and above (typically requiring an Intel WiDi supporting hardware as well) can, however, display content wirelessly with your computer screen off (using the TV as your primary screen, thus disabling the notebook computer screen). Use the Windows key + P to display and select the most relevant option for you. The Microsoft wireless display adapter does require a USB power source. Many television sets do have a USB port that can provide the necessary power draw for this small device and so becomes a non-issue. I have found that some portable mobile chargers can work well to power the device as well (the mobile battery charger needs to provide power immediately and not attempt to detect the type of device for this to work). Another nice feature in the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter is the ability to set a PIN code ensuring that people outside your meeting room / living room / bedroom can't mess around with your TV! However, this is not on by default. A bit of a downside to this device is that in order to configure it or update the firmware you will require a Microsoft-based device to do so (an app needs to be downloaded from the Microsoft Store and is only supported on Windows 8 / 10 and Windows 10 Mobile). Windows 7 does not support wireless display technology (even if the hardware in your computer supports it). If you are an Apple device user you are probably out of luck as this device does not support Airplay (the system used by Apple to wirelessly display content from iOS and OS X devices). Just to be clear, this device supports WiDi (Wireless Display standard) and Miracast, it is not a replacement for Chromecast or Airplay devices (which work differently). I've got this to work flawlessly with several Android and Windows smart phones and my Dell notebook computer on my LG TV as well as my Acer computer display monitor. I have an older Android tablet (B&N HD+ and the first generation of Microsoft Surface RT tablet that don't work with this as neither have Miracast compatible hardware built into them.

Zumindest bei mir klappt alles wieder: Nach dem Update auf Windows 10 Home und später auf W10 Professional (kostenpflichtige Vollversion) war es unmöglich geworden, mein Großtablet Lenovo Flex 20 mit einem modernen (und eigentlich Miracast-fähigen) LED Beamer (LG PA1000T) kabellos zu koppeln. Das funktionierte unter Windows 8.1 noch problemlos (abgesehen von öfterem Verbindungsverlust). LG schob die "Schuld" auf Microsoft, räumte aber später ein, dass die Beamer-Firmware und der Miracasttreiber mit Windows 10 nicht kompatibel sei und kein Termin bekannt sei, wann sich das ändert. Ich kann hier auch nur für die Windows Version 1511 (Build 10586) sprechen, in dieser sollten einige windowsseitigen Miracastfehler beseitigt sein. Also zuerst die Treiber für Grafikkarte, Bluetooth- und WLAN-Adapter auf dem Flex aktualisiert. Man sollte auch jedenfalls immer vor Kauf des Adapters testen, ob der WLAN-Treiber des PC mindestens NDIS 6.4 unterstützt (den Befehl für die Powershell kann man leicht googeln). Dann den Adapter in die HDMI und USB Anschlüsse am Beamer gesteckt, Beamer angeschaltet und HDMI im Menü als Signalquelle ausgewählt (nur beim ersten Mal nötig, später erkennt der Beamer den Stick automatisch). Dann normal in der Windows 10 Taskleiste das Infocenter angeklickt und in dem dann erscheinenden Charm dann "Verbinden" tippen/klicken. Nach wenigen Sekunden wurde der Stick angezeigt. Diesen Eintrag anklicken und nach wenigen Sekunden war die Verbindung hergestellt. Damit kann ich nun wieder kabellos arbeiten. Funktioniert auch an einem Samsung Fernseher und mit einem älteren Acer 7750 Laptop sowie einem Lumia 1520 Phone (W10) und einem Samsung S5 (Android 5.x). Das Nexus 6 Android-Phone (Android 6.0) ist leider nicht Miracast-fähig und kann leider nicht am MWDA betrieben werden (für ein Referenzgerät von Google eine äußerst schwache Kür...), doch das liegt nicht am MWDA.. Ich kann insoweit die Windows 10 Probleme einiger Bewertungen nicht bestätigen. Auch die Verbindung zu den Geräten ist jetzt mit dem Stick deutlich stabiler als seinerzeit ohne Stick mit Windows 8.1. Tipp: Im Windows 10 Store die App Microsoft Wireless Display herunterladen, Stick an einem Beamer/TV in Betrieb nehmen und in der App den Overscan und den Sticknamen einstellen sowie Firmware-Updates vornehmen. Das Windowsgerät immer mit der empfohlenen Auflösung betreiben und Overscan dann über die App einstellen, sonst wird es ggf. unscharf. Am Beamer dann immer das korrekte Seitenverhältnis dieser Auflösung wählen. Minuspunkte: Der Adapater wird im Betrieb ziemlich heiss, also Vorsicht. Mag beim TV kein Problem sein, aber beim Abbauen und Verpacken vom Beamer sollte man verdammt aufpassen. Ein kleiner Aufkleber sollte einen Schutz-Hinweis enthalten, der fehlt aber. Es gibt auch manchmal einen zeitlichen Versatz von Bild und Ton und sich bewegende Mauszeiger werden im Beamer-/TV-Bild oft nicht exakt an der wirklichen Position angezeigt. Aber das ist normal, da Miracast sehr rechenintensiv ist und damit Zeit braucht. Oft verschwindet das Nachhängen von Bild und Ton nach kurzer Zeit wenn sich die Übertragung stabilisiert hat - selbst bei schwachen Smartphones.

The product is as mentioned and the service was completely satisfactory. Very professional in nature and consignment was delivered before planned delivery time. Complaint to Microsoft: The only thing with the product is that it is good for power point presentations, or still image based projection. The reception lags as compared to real time transmission, as there is a significant delay in the broadcast vs reception. If you use a mouse to present, you will be highly disappointed since you will lose patience with the control. Overall, a must have device, for dual projection based multi tasking, more specifically, multi tasking activities.

I'm very pleased with my purchase of this Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter when it was on sale recently at Amazon. This Display Adapter was very easy to install on the back of the TV set and now allows me to mirror any screen image on my Amazon Kindle, my Microsoft Surface tablet or even from my Windows laptop PC and transmitted the picture wirelessly all the way across the room to enjoy on the big screen. So far it has performed flawlessly. High quality picture. A lot easier to use than hooking up an HDMI cable. I'm now planning to buy another one for the TV set upstairs. But make sure you look around for the lowest price. I've seen it on sale at some outlets for around $45 in Canada and ranges in price up to about $80 in some stores. So wait for the best deals and try to avoid paying full list price.

Funciona muy bien, reconoce perfectamente el móvil y el ordenador (tienem que ser compatibles con la tecnología WiDi / Miracast). Muy cómodo para mostrar en la tele las fotos o vídeos del móvil, para ver YouTube, para ver películas desde el ordenador, incluso para escuchar música (envía audio y vídeo por la conexión HDMI). Básicamente, permite usar la TV como monitor adicional del móvil o del PC. Eso sí, no conviene usarlo para jugar, hay un pequeño retraso asociado. Aunque es más caro, ante malas experiencias previas con aparatos baratos de marca desconocida, preferí comprarlo de una marca reconocida como Microsoft, para asegurar una cierta calidad y soporte ante posibles problemas. Por ahora, todo bien, muy satisfecho con la compra.