How to set up your Google Chromecast: first steps

El chromecast It is one of the most successful devices that Google has launched on the market. In its early days, some bought it simply to put YouTube videos on TV. However, today it is a almost essential product, especially if we have a television that is not smart. It is also an interesting purchase if we have an old Smart TV and it no longer receives updates. In that case, the Chromecast is still the best alternative to continue enjoying streaming content in the living room at home. If you just got one or plan to do so soon, these are the first steps you should do with the device.

Requirements to use a Chromecast

Google's Chromecast needs a few basic requirements to be able to function:

1. A TV or monitor with speakers that has a connection HDMI input.
2. A cable of eating USB-C or microUSB (depending on the device). Not all Chromecasts come with a transformer. However, if your TV has a USB port, you can power the Chromecast itself using it. In this way, you will have a little more tidy your cables and you will not have to buy an extra power plug.
3. An WiFi connection: Although you can use the Chromecast without an Internet connection in Guest Mode (Guest Mode), the truth is that it is not at all advisable to buy a Chromecast to place it in a property that does not have Internet connection (such as a summer house, for example).
4. Un mobile phone or tablet with Android or iOS / iPad OS: both to configure the Chromecast and to send the content to the television. You can use any smartphone with your Chromecast Android with version 6.0 or higher and any Apple device with iOS 13 or newer.
5. An Google account: practically everyone has a Gmail account, but if you don't have one, it is advisable to register an account before starting the process, as we will see later.

What devices are compatible with this process?

All XNUMXrd Gen Chromecast (also known as Chromecast 3), the Chromecast Ultra and the model of Chromecast with remote, called Chromecast with Google TV.

Set up the Chromecast from scratch

1. Connect the device to a HDMI port available on your TV or monitor.
2. Connect the power cord to the Chromecast device.
3. Changes the input source for sselect HDMI port where is the chromecast.
4. Once this is done, you must follow the process as indicated then:

*Optional: From the Chromecast (model with Google TV)

This step can only be done if you have a deviceor Chromecast with Google TV. For this, you will have to log into your Google account making use of the remote control that comes with the device.

It will be as simple as placing the address of your Gmail account, your password and follow the steps. Nevertheless, the wizard itself recommends that you opt for the second option, which is done through the application Google Home. Because? Well, whether you want to or not, you will have to use Google Home later, so you will waste a lot of time configuring the device from itself. And again, we remind you that this step is only available on the Chromecast that has Google TV. In the rest, you will have to go through Google Home yes or yes.

From Google Home

Chromecast Standard and Chromecast Ultra will greet you with a screen where a number and a QR code are displayed. The Chromecast with Google TV will also show it to you if you decide to configure the device through this method, which is the one recommended by the manufacturer itself.

To configure the device, you need the Google Home app. The steps you must do are the following:

1. If you don't have the app on your smartphone, go to the app store on your mobile device and Search 'Google Home'. It is available both in App Store iOS (iPhone and iPad) as in the Play Store of Android.
2. Sign in to the Google Home app with your Gmail username and password.
3. Go to the top left corner of your screen and tap on the '+' icon. Once there, the first thing you should do is create a new house, although you can skip this step if you're in a hurry. Give it a name and fill in all the information that they ask for. Creating a house will later allow you to give access to other Google accounts belonging to people who live in your household so that they can also interact with the Chomecast.
4. In the same menu, tap on the option 'Configure a Device'. On the next screen, click on 'New device'. Select your house and the wizard will start searching. If the Chromecast is on, will detect the device in a list, and you will be able to identify yours thanks to the fact that it will have the same 4 numbers that appear on your TV screen.
5. On mobile, tap your Chromecast option from the list. The camera of the phone or tablet will open and you will be able to scan the QR code that appears on the screen.
6. Next, the wizard will ask you the Chromecast location inside the house, such as the living room.
7. Once that is done, a message will appear on the screen of the mobile device. list of Wi-Fi networks. Select yours and click on continue.
8. Once that step is done, the wizard will now tell you that the chromecast is going to link with the google account that you used to log in to the app Google Home. Hit Continue. The process will take a few seconds.

Your Chromecast will already be configured, but you can do a few extra steps that the wizard will show you, how to activate voice match on your mobile, that is, Google's voice recognition system, to send content to your television by making voice commands. In the case of the model with Google TV, you can make use of this technology by pressing the Google Assistant button on the remote control.

Other basic steps

We explain below some basic tasks that you can do and you should know about the Chromecast.

Send content to the Chromecast

From a computer with Google Chrome

1. Open any content in your browser (a website, a streaming…).
2. Click on the 3 point menu located in the upper right corner of the browser.
3. In the context menu, click on 'To send' and select your Chromecast. It will only work if the computer and the Chromecast are on the same network.

From an iPhone or an iPad tablet

1. Opens Google Home and click on the option 'Half'.
2. Select the services that you want to add, for example, 'Video'.
3. you will get a list of platforms. tap on 'Link Account' and enter the login details of said services, such as Netflix, Spotify or Disney +.
4. When you use these applications, a symbol will appear on the player to be able to send the content of your screen directly to the Chromecast.

From an Android phone

You can perform exactly the same steps that we have explained for iOS devices, but in this case, it is even simpler. Open the app you wants shiver and, as long as you're on the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromecast, you can send contenteither. You can do it with YouTube, Dazn, Spotify, Tidal, Netflix, and pretty much any app that plays content on your phone. He icon What you should recognize is the one in the previous image (Chromecast Available | Not connected).

How to invite other users to use the Chromecast

If your family, roommates or friends want to interact with your Chromecast, you'll need to give them permission first. The followed are the following:

1. Press the '+' button in the upper left corner of Google Home.
2. give to 'Invite member to home'.
3. At the bottom, select the option 'Invite a person'.
4. Write your Gmail address.
5. The user will receive an email with the request, that you will have to accept. Immediately afterwards, a new house will appear on your Google Home profile.
6. Ready. Can repeat this process as many times as you need. Remember that these users must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network in order to use the Chromecast.