Question 1

Does this only work with browsers and media streaming or can you use this as just a virtual HDMI port to mirror the entire desktop?

Accepted Answer

Google Chrome Browser's cast option lets you mirror any Chrome tab onto the TV screen via Chromecast. If the content in the said tab is from a cast supported service, like youtube(dot)com or netflix(dot)com, then using this option will use the dedicated chormecast interface meant for those services. And that's the official limit to what you can do with a desktop+chromecast. In my experience, I am unaware of any official means to mirror the entire desktop. But I hear there are official experimental solutions and some 3rd party solutions that do allow for entire desktop mirroring. However I would not recommend this device for that purpose, purely because it is not meant for that.

Also, if you have a phone or tablet with Android 5.0 or above, you should be able to mirror your entire Android device to the TV. This is officially supported, unlike the solution of mirroring  Windows.

But primarily it is to provide you a gateway to use online streaming services on your TV with minimum hardware expense. Hulu, Netflix and many subscription based services still don't run on most televisions out of the box. Chromecast is just an enabler of that, with some extra features like being able to mirror your Android devices and view photos or use your TV as a giant digital-photo-frame, when not watching anything.

Question 2

I have a ZTE Axon 7 phone with 4G LTE and unlimited data plan with Cricket. Could I use my phones Wi-Fi hotspot to connect Chromecast?

Accepted Answer

If you have a tablet or another phone at home, you can use the Hotspot on your phone to connect that other device and the chromecast to your hotspot and use the chromecast. It should work. As for using the phone that's hosting the hotspot, the phone will not be considered to the hotspot that it's hosting, so technically it won't detect the chromecast to be on the network. However, the nearby-chromecast feature may be put to use here. In my experience, the nearby feature works, but not as well as the traditional way.

Question 3

Can you use any mini-usb to usb cord to power it instead of the power cord?

Accepted Answer

Yes

Question 4

Do you ship to Jordan? I need 100 units

Accepted Answer

Thank you for contacting us in regards to your question.

We do apologize, however we do not ship internationally to Jordan.

Thank you, 
Newegg Support

Question 5

Why is this not labeled Chromecast 2?

Accepted Answer

I don't think the product is marketed as "Chromecast 2" by Google, that's just what many articles are calling it (like the "iPad 3" is really "the new iPad") but I would expect the model number "NC2-6A5" to be visible somewhere to confirm it is the second generation Chromecast... I suppose, as this is only a feature of the second generation, that it should be enough that "5Ghz" support is listed on the box in the image????

Questions & Answers