Chromecast with Google TV is one of our favorite gadgets to get audio and video content on a big screen equipped with HDMI, but itCapabilities can be further expanded with the right accessory – specifically, a USB-C hub.
As long as you buy a hub that can stream power to your Chromecast with Google TV, you instantly have more ports to play with. From what I’ve seen since other people who experimented with this, you need at least a 45W charger, which we used for our testing.
Some of these changes require access to Options for developers sub menu System in Settings. To enable this, go to Settings and choose System, then About, then select Android TV operating system seven times (you will see a message when you have done it correctly). This reveals several low-level device options that you might not otherwise be able to reach.
Hardware configuration
As long as you have a USB-C hub with power delivery that can be transmitted to your Chromecast and a modernized power adapter that provides enough power, the tests I pointed out here should work as published. For submission, this Aukey hub it was the one I took for the job.
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The more devices you connect to the hub, the more power you’ll need. SSome trials and errors may be involved – wWith such functionality that is only semi-officially accepted, everything may not work perfectly the first time.
Play local video
After connecting the USB-C hub and Chromecast to Google TV, you can also attach a USB drive, as long as it is formatted as FAT32 (which you can do in Windows or macOS). Storage should be automatically viewable and accessible to any Chromecast application that can search for files.
Install an application such as the VLC media player and you can then open images, audio and video from the USB drive. Any file management tool you install will be able to see external storage, and you can launch files this way as well.
Attaching peripherals
Another way you can use a The USB-C hub connected to the Chromecast with Google TV is for attaching a keyboard and mouse. Do what text input much easier and allows you to better control the applications you uploaded laterally that weren’t intended for your device (such as a web browser, for example).
The setup isn’t too big here, like once you log in a keyboard and mouse to the hub, should be recognized and work immediate. You may find some issues in some applications, but based on our testing, you should be able to type and click as much as you want.
Make video calls
Google Duo appears as an available app when you search on your Chromecast with Google TV, so once installed, all you need is a webcam. Insert a webcam into a backup port on the USB-C hub and you’ll be up and running – as long as you’re using an electric brick with enough power to keep everything on.
Duo should automatically recognize your webcam, so you can make audio and video calls as needed (note that the Duo app must be open on your Chromecast for incoming calls to appear). You can also make audio calls only without the webcam, using the microphone on the Chromecast remote control.
Expansion of storage space
We were able to play files from attached USB drives and those USB drives can also be used for Chromecast to save applications and other files, if needed. Again, the attached drives will need to be formatted as FAT32 for the Chromecast dongle to recognize them, which can be done from either Windows or macOS.
With the unit attached, open Settings and choose System, Options for developers, and Allow forcing applications on external devices. Then go there System, then Storageand choose the USB drive. Select Delete and format as device storage and the Chromecast will be able to use it later (this one means you will not be able to play local files from anythingmore, however).
You will be prompted to move your data and applications immediately, but you can do so later. From Settings, choose Applications, then See all applicationsand choose the application you want to move. Select the application to reach its options and select Storage used to move it.
Increasing the speed of the internet
Some users have complained about the lack of an Ethernet adapter for Chromecast with Google TV – adapters are available previous Chromecast models—But this is another problem that adding a USB-C hub can solve. If you buy a hub that includes an Ethernet port, you can connect it directly to the router.
That means an internet connection that should be faster and more stable – maybe significantly, depending on the state of the wifi network and that will make a difference when watching movies games and so on. The cable connection should be automatically recognized by the Chromecast once everything is connected, but you can check by accessing Network and Internet in Settings.