scrubbedexpat091

Got our smart TV for less money then a normal TV of the same size, and now seems every TV at Wal-Mart (our primary electronics store in town) and London Drugs (2nd primary electronics store) is pretty much a smart TV, even down to the 20" 198 special Wally mart always has.

So I suppose if the TV already streams, this doo dad thinger from google is useless?

SchnookoLoly

Depends. Some smart tv's are pretty bad. (Same as phones, sure there are tons of smart phones but some are just shite.) Basically you need to look at how much your smart tv does that chromecast can't, and vice versa. For example, I'll bet that both have Netflix and Amazon video. Unlikely though that your north American purchased tv has iPlayer or itv. Question mark on whether you can stream pictures from your phone. Definitely can't do screen sharing on the tv, just the Chromecast. So it depends.

SchnookoLoly

I'll also say some of the software in smart tvs is questionable. A friend got a smart tv and the Netflix app is pretty much useless. He uses Chromecast instead, he finds it much easier to cast from his phone than burger with the tv's smart function.

BristolUK

DandNHill

HAHA!!!!

DandNHill

OK, so I loaded it all and it works great with youtube, netflix and so on. When I tried iplayer (which is predominantly why I bought it) it comes up with the BBC logo on the screen and then says "ready to cast" any ideas what might be going wrong?

Gozit

^^You need a VPN service. Schnooks has done it before for chromecast/iplayer so i'll let her explain.

DandNHill

I do have a VPN, it's actually on the router rather than the laptop...so hubby tells me... but it doesn't seem to like it!!! Shall try again!!

DandNHill

Anyway, why are you not at school?

SchnookoLoly

I'm on my phone so I'll give you a more full response later when I get to the laptop but Chromecast won't respect your vpn settings. You need to install dd-wrt on your router, if your router is compatible, then set up a dns redirect so Chromecast will respect your vpn settings. It's way easier than it sounds. If you're interested I'll dig out my email with the instructions and post it all.

Gozit

I am.

scrubbedexpat091

Maybe, but I have no idea what iPlayer or iTV is.....so I suppose its not an issue for me...

I guess I am just not techie enough to know what all this stuff is. I don't use my phone for photos, don't know what screen sharing is either.

I am just getting too old to keep up with all this new fangled tech stuff.

For the record had the smart TV not been on sale (it was a 2013 model year but brand new) I would never have gotten it, it was bought because it was cheapest TV they had.

Up until that point, I had no idea smart TV's existed...


If only I could go back in time and be born in 1999, and grow up with all this new technology...lol Maybe I'd be more proficient in understanding it. I do have the cheapest smart phone but I only use it as a phone, nothing else.

Gozit

Its alright, I didn't know iTV/iPlayer existed till I came on BE

Its a form of watching British TV direct from the networks online, and is geographically restricted to internet users in the UK by IP address, so the VPNs are a way to get around it so people outside UK can watch their favourite telly programs from back home.

scrubbedexpat091

Gotcha. I do have a VPN but I am interested in US shows.

SchnookoLoly

Alrighty, I dug out the laptop JUST FOR YOU!! FEEL THE GUILT!! FEEL IT!!! Nah, I kid, I am a huge nerd who lives for this stuff.

Okee dokee, so basically the way all this works... so at home, you have a DNS and/or VPN service that allows you to watch stuff on US Netflix, watch iPlayer, and so on and so forth. You have this set up either device-by-device, or on your router, so everything behind the device automatically redirects (this is my setup). All works a treat.

The issue with Chromecast is when you send content to the Chromecast, whether it be iPlayer, Netflix, or whatever, the Chromecast doesn't stream it directly from your phone. Instead the Chromecast goes out to the internet and requests the content directly. Your phone or laptop just then acts as a remote. In the process of doing this, though, Chromecast does its own country check, and this is where the problem lies. So you can watch US Netflix or iPlayer on your phone just fine, but when you try to cast it, Chromecast is going "Google says I'm in Canada, no dice!!"

The workaround for this is to use your router to redirect the Chromecast's location request to something else, so that Chromecast thinks you're in the 'correct' country, and then it plays just fine. Most routers by default don't give you this functionality for obvious reasons. However, you can install custom software on the router, if your router is compatible, and then set up the redirect from there.

Here is my setup. I'll include links to everything I've purchased, setup links, and so on and so forth. If you have questions, feel free to post or drop me a PM.

If you are not fussed about having Chromecast work and you just want international content, then skip the bits about DD-WRT -- that is, skip Step 2 and Step 5. The instructions assume you DO do these so if you choose not to then the steps may be slightly different.

Here we go.

Step 1: Set up UnoTelly.
UnoTelly is a SmartDNS service that is set up on a site-by-site basis. So for me, when I go to Netflix, it sends me to US Netflix. When I go to BBC, it acts like I'm in the UK. When I go to TV New Zealand, it acts like I'm in New Zealand. When I go to CBC, it leaves me untouched in Canada. And so on. A lot of VPN services like ExpatShield and such you have to specify one country. A SmartDNS sends you to the selected country without having to change settings in between. I pay $48USD per year for the service. The DNS is set up in my router's firmware, so that any device (except Chromecast) that's behind the router automatically respects the DNS setup - phones, laptops, smartTVs, etc. (This greatly confused my cousin when he came over, loaded up Netflix, and went "OMG Schnooks, why is your Netflix so much different to mine!?!?!")
Site: https://www2.unotelly.com/home
There's a 7-day trial, so you can set it up on just a laptop or phone and see if you like it before paying for it.

Step 2: Install DD-WRT on your router.
DD-WRT is custom firmware for your router. It doesn't work on every router, only on compatible routers. This allows you greater flexibility and customization, and will allow you to put in the command that makes Chromecast work. If you aren't fussed about Chromecast, then DD-WRT is absolutely not required, any old router has DNS settings, which is fine for UnoTelly to work. Only do DD-WRT if you want Chromecast to work as well.
To install DD-WRT, first check to see if your router is compatible. Router Database | www.dd-wrt.com is the database for all routers. Pay special attention to the version number as well as the model number!
Routers I've personally had experience with:
1) Netgear WNDR3700 - WNDR3700 | WiFi Routers | Networking | Home | NETGEAR This is what's set up in my parents' house. Cost me $95 plus tax at TigerDirect.
2) Linksys WRT54G - Article I bought this router back in 2004, and it's still alive and kicking. Great, great router.
3) TP Link N600 TL-WDR3600 - Canada Computers & Electronics | Networking | TP-LINK N600 TL-WDR3600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router, Atheros, 300Mbps at 2.4Ghz + 300Mbps at 5Ghz, 802.11a/b/g/n, 4-port Gigabit Switch, Wireless On/Off and WPS button, 2 USB ports, 2 external anten - I got this for friends and for my aunt, both living in apartments and not wanting to spend a ton of money on a router. $55 regular price at Canada Computers (and it's $10 off right now).

To install DD-WRT, put in your router model number, then select the correct version. That will bring you to a page with a bunch of downloads. For example, when I search for TL-WDR3600, the page has three download links - the flash for the first installation, the back to stock file, and then the standard webflash file.

Then just follow the steps on the DD-WRT wiki page to install it. Installation - DD-WRT Wiki

Step 3: Set up your internet connection

1. On your laptop, go to 192.168.1.1
2. The router should give you some grumpy warning that the router is unprotected. For both username and password enter "admin"... or change it to something more secure, just make sure you remember it.
3. At the top, click the 'Wireless' tab, then under that click ''Basic Settings" (if it's not already selected)
4. In the first section, select the following:
Wireless mode: AP
Wireless Network Mode: Mixed
Channel Width: 20 MHz
Wireless Channel: 11
Extension Channel: upper
Wireless Network Name (SSID): [select a wireless network name you like]
Wireless SSID Broadcast: enable
Advanced settings: [none]

5. In the second section, select the following:
Wireless mode: AP
Wireless Network Mode: Mixed
Channel Width: Turbo (40MHz)
Wireless Channel: Auto
Extension channel: auto
Wireless Network Name (SSID): [I suggest using the same as above but adding '5G' at the end. Do not make it identical!]
Wireless SSID Broadcast: Enable
Advanced settings: [none]

6. Click Save

7. At the top again, under Wireless, click "Wireless Security"

8. In the first section, select the following:
Security mode: WPA2 Personal
WPA Algorithms: AES
WPA Shared Key: [select a password, minimum 8 characters]
Key Renewal Interval: 3600

9. In the second section, select all the same stuff as above.

10. Click Save
11. Click Apply Settings.

The router will now reboot, it takes about 60 seconds to complete. Once the router comes back up, you should see your new network name when you scan for wifi networks on your phone/laptop/whatever.

Step 4: Set Up UnoTelly

The instructions are here: DD-WRT : UnoTelly Customer Service

Log into the router (192.168.1.1, admin/admin) then follow the steps under Option 1.

When you get to Step 2 in those instructions, use the servers specified by UnoTelly.

Step 5: Set Up Chromecast inside the router

The instructions are here: DD-WRT : UnoTelly Customer Service

DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT START AFTER THE "TO REMOVE" SECTION. Once you reboot the router, you are finished


Step 6: Automatic IP updates for UnoTelly (optional)

This step is OPTIONAL. It makes life a bit easier but if it confuses you then don't worry about it.

If you want to try to follow the steps, the instructions are here: DD-WRT - Using Cronjob to Update your IP address : UnoTelly Customer Service

If you don't do it, then it just means once every few weeks you may need to update your IP manually. To do this, go to www.unotelly.com, sign in (if you aren't already), click "Quickstart" at the top so you get the dashboard with the multicoloured tiles on it, then click "Update IP". You only need to do this if you notice that your Netflix etc isn't in the right country. (Your internet provider sometimes gives you a new IP address (unless you pay for a static IP), and unotelly needs your current IP address to work properly. So the steps above automatically keep your IP address updated with unotelly, but if you want to do it manually that's also fine.)