Intel Core i7-6700 Doesn't Support Miracast For Project To PC?

[Joshua Jackson]

I thought all modern-day Intel CPUs supported Miracast and WiDi.
I went to test out the cool, new, Project To PC option and my computer tells me it doesn't support Miracast.
This is a desktop, but I thought all that was in the CPU.
JJ

 

[iampwd]

I thought all modern-day Intel CPUs supported Miracast and WiDi.
I went to test out the cool, new, Project To PC option and my computer tells me it doesn't support Miracast.
This is a desktop, but I thought all that was in the CPU.
JJ

You need a wireless adapter (pci or usb) for Miracast.

Sent from mTalk

 

[Joshua Jackson]

You need a wireless adapter (pci or usb) for Miracast.

Oh, I figured it would work over a wired network.
Is it not just normal network protocol?
JJ

 

[iampwd]

Oh, I figured it would work over a wired network.
Is it not just normal network protocol?
JJ

Miracast makes a direct connection between the two parties and not through a router.

Sent from mTalk

 

[AccentAE86]

I thought I remembered hearing that you can use this features through a USB cable. But I guess that isn't the case? Would love to use it on my desktop, but don't want wifi on my desktop. Kinda defeats one of the puposes of a desktop IMO.

 

[AndyCalling]

OK, this is not an easy thing to get a handle on (but works well once you do). Firstly, forget WiDi as this is something else (long history, just forget it). This system in AU is Miracast, even though it can use the network (through the router) to talk rather than via a direct wifi link to the device concerned (as you may be more used to with Miracast). This has the advantage of being able to access the internet and other network resources whilst also projecting your display unlike a direct connection (but also adds potential competition for bandwidth, so watch out). But it very much is still Miracast. Try it with your phone or tablet or laptop which supports Miracast, now you don't have to disconnect from your LAN and connect directly to the client device. W10 PCs now make the BEST Miracast destinations by far just because of this. No need to use my Roku stick for this ever again.

Miracast does not care what CPU you have (this rumour comes from old proprietary Intel WiDi stuff, which I told you to forget about, and is very ancient and irrelevant info). It only cares that you have a vid card that can support Miracast (so all modern Intel, AMD and Nvidia cards will do this) and that your network card can support Miracast.

And that's where the problem lies. The network card needs to support the NDIS 6.4 standard. Wireless cards are more likely to support this as Miracast tends to be used with them (or has been in the past), but even then add-on USB wifi sticks tend not to support this. Some probably do, some store bought internal cards probably do, but good luck in finding those specs on the web or anywhere. Ask the shop assistant and their face will be a picture. The good news is that most modern laptop, phone or tablet built-in wifi cards will support Miracast. Perhaps you can 'reclaim' an old PCI-E card from an old (but not too old, must support Miracast of course...) laptop?

If anyone knows of a PCI-E WIRED Ethernet card that can support NDIS 6.4 and so works with Miracast, I would be interested too. Heck, I might even grab a USB wireless stick that supports such. No-one will know which works without home testing though, so the only way we can build up an understanding here is if there is a concerted effort in the community to test the hardware we have.

To kick the ball off, the Realtek gigabit LAN chipset in the AMD Sabertooth 990FX motherboard does not support this. How about you? Especially if you have a separate card/stick that works rather than a built-in network connection.

Another approach is to say that Miracast is least useful on a desktop, so why bother. If you have a Pro edition of Windows this makes a lot of sense. Using the Microsoft Remote Desktop store app you can easily 'project' from your desktop PC to any other, except you'll have full control through the client device. It's just better for such purposes, and there's no need for Miracast support in your network card for this. Not so good for throwing your tablet or phone screen onto the TV (though those devices probably have Miracast) but for a desktop PC it is usually the better approach (so long as you have Pro on the desktop, that is the big restriction, but there are 3rd party remote desktop systems for non-pro desktops which I haven't tested).

Oh, and forget USB. There is (was?) a separate Windows Phone system whereby you could run a MS provided utility and plug your phone into your PC with a USB cable to show the display. It would only work in a small vertical image of the display I seem to remember. Tried it once... pointless. That has been superseded.

 

[Joshua Jackson]

You can't use remote desktop to project your phone to a PC, especially with continuum support, can you?

With regard to a wireless card, I have a USB wireless adapter.
But wouldn't that take over network usage, which would be much slower than my built in Gigabit?
Where is there some facility where I could do everything else onboard an only use the Wi-Fi for project?
JJ

 

[AndyCalling]

You can't use remote desktop to project your phone to a PC, especially with continuum support, can you?

With regard to a wireless card, I have a USB wireless adapter.
But wouldn't that take over network usage, which would be much slower than my built in Gigabit?
Where is there some facility where I could do everything else onboard an only use the Wi-Fi for project?
JJ

No, you can't use remote desktop to send your phone to your PC. Sending your desktop PC to your TV (HTPC, or I assume XB1?), phone, laptop or tablet however is best accomplished by remote desktop though (if you have Pro on the desktop PC). Heck, if you have Pro on your laptop it may be a better approach as well. Basically, if you want to control things via the client rather than the server then remote desktop is best. If you want to control it from the server though (so slinging an image onto a screen from your phone, and controlling it from your phone), then Miracast is the way to go. Of course you can't install a Pro SKU of Windows on the phone so that's the only Windows device that is limited. You could put Pro on any other Windows 10 device though, so most things can be made to be flexible. The phone can only be a remote desktop client though. Hopefully the newer more business oriented phones will have a Pro SKU of Windows 10 Mobile available as an upgrade or something, Surface Phone? Amusingly, you can use remote desktop to project and control your Pro desktop PC on your phone. That's one powerful phone. Watch your friends look on in astonishment as you run full gaming rig power on your phone. Don't tell them about the PC upstairs... ~

Yes, using Miracast in the method described here could mean that your wifi stick would take on the internet and general networking duties when connected. This can be addressed, with different things redirected through different cards, but that is not commonly done or easy to explain. Of course, you could make a direct Miracast link to a device via the wifi stick (by connecting it to a wifi device like a Roku stick instead of the router, possibly a PC can be configured to act in this manner?) and use the wired card to connect to the internet, that might be a bit of a bind but will probably work without issue. Time to experiment. There is no inherent reason why you can't use two network adapters at once for two different things, you just need to muck about a bit to make sure it's doing what you want.

Think about what you need to do, the bandwidth you need, the latency considerations, and choose your networking components based on need. How fast is your internet connection? I have a 200Mbps connection, so this matters to a degree but does one device need all of that at any given time? What wifi reception do you get? Take your wifi link speed as reported by your PC and halve that, which should give you an idea of throughput in reality (test for best info). If that is better than your internet speed (quite possible if your have ADSL or ADSL2+ or the cable equiv.) then you should be good. remember other devices can use that wifi bandwidth if they use the same frequency to the router.

Networking is a big topic. Wifi doubly so. Beyond Miracast, if you want to learn about networking you'll need to read a lot and play around with it.

Good luck with that wifi stick. It probably does not support Miracast, but it might. Of course, the ideal would be to find an NDIS 6.4 compatible wired Ethernet card, I wish I knew one that did this as I'm sure there must be one. Will you let us all know how the USB stick fared by posting after you've tried it? If so, let us know the make and model.

 

[Joshua Jackson]

My whole point in even doing any of this is to play with Continuum on my phone.
I have a Lumia Icon, which will probably never get continuum support.
I can do miracast but that only mirrors my phone.
It sounded like project to PC was more of a wireless continuum.
JJ

 

[AndyCalling]

My whole point in even doing any of this is to play with Continuum on my phone.
I have a Lumia Icon, which will probably never get continuum support.
I can do miracast but that only mirrors my phone.
It sounded like project to PC was more of a wireless continuum.
JJ

I suppose, but what is Continuum on the phone other than projecting the screen and connecting to a mouse and keyboard? Does the Icon connect to a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard? I have a 930 but I've not tested that.

I tend to use this Miracast system at home because I have a small Lenovo stick PC connected to my TV I bought for ?50. That does support Miracast, and so I can effectively project my phone, laptop and tablet to the TV whenever. I could project the TV to the others, but I've no need. I use remote desktop or Steam streaming to connect my desktop PC to my TV via the stick PC so I can control it at the TV end. I never need to project my other devices to the desktop PC so that's fine for me.

Perhaps consider grabbing a cheap stick PC for your needs? Better than any Roku stick (though more fiddly) but you will want a few extras like a powered USB hub and a wireless keyboard with touchpad or mouse (don't use Bluetooth for this with small stick PCs, trust me on that). A small portable HDD and a Windows Remote Control can also be useful. I had these things lying around. Chuck Kodi, Steam and a few apps on the stick (or external HDD) and you have a neat solution.