Where is Wi-Fi Direct on Xiaomi TV: a detailed guide with photos

You try to connect a smartphone, laptop or other device to a Xiaomi TV via Wi-Fi Direct, but you can’t find this feature in the settings? The problem is familiar to many owners of TV- consoles and smart TVs of the brand. The fact that the location of the option depends on the device model, the MIUI firmware version of TV and even regional settings. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to access Wi-Fi Direct, explain why the feature may not be on the menu, and show alternative ways to connect wirelessly.

It’s important to understand that Wi-Fi Direct is a direct connection technology between devices without a router intermediary.It’s useful for screen broadcasting, file transfer, or smartphone TV control. However, in recent Xiaomi TV models (such as the Mi TV Q2 2023 or Redmi Smart Fire TV), the manufacturer can hide or replace this option with more modern protocols such as Miracast or Google Cast.

1. Standard Wi-Fi Direct location in the Xiaomi TV menu

In most Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV 4/4S/4A/4X/5/5X, Redmi Smart TV), Wi-Fi Direct is one of two ways.

• 📺 Main menu → Settings (cogs) → Network and Internet → Wi-Fi Direct
• 🔧 Advanced settings → Wireless Networks → Wi-Fi Direct (could be called Direct Wi-Fi Connection)

If you don’t see Wi-Fi Direct in the Network and Internet section, try an alternative path:

• 🔍 Settings → Device → Connections → Wi-Fi Direct
• 🖥️ Settings → General → Network → Additional → Wi-Fi Direct

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI TV 3.0 and later), the feature may be renamed Mi Share or Fast Transfer, which is due to the integration of Xiaomi’s proprietary technologies for data exchange between ecosystem devices, and if you see these items, they perform the same role as Wi-Fi Direct, but with advanced features (e.g., file transfer support between Xiaomi devices).

2.Why Wi-Fi Direct may not be on the menu

If you have double-checked all of these paths, but Wi-Fi Direct features are not, the reasons may be as follows:

Critical detail: on Xiaomi TVs with MediaTek processors (such as Mi TV 4A 32), Wi-Fi Direct may not work as smoothly due to chipset limitations, in which case alternative protocols are recommended.

⚠️ Warning: If your TV is connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable, the Wi-Fi Direct feature can be automatically disabled by the system. Unplug the cable and restart the device to check for the availability of the option.

3. How to enable Wi-Fi Direct on Xiaomi TV: step-by-step instructions

Suppose you find a Wi-Fi Direct item on the menu, and then you can figure out how to activate it and connect it to another device.

Once activated, the TV will scan the available devices, and a list will appear on the screen where you need to select a target device (for example, a Xiaomi smartphone or a laptop) and confirm the pairing.

• 📱 On a Xiaomi smartphone, turn on Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Connections → More.
• 💻 On a Windows laptop, use Settings → Devices → Bluetooth and other devices → Add Device → Wireless Display.
• 🖥️ On macOS, open System Settings → Monitors → Add AirPlay Display (if the TV supports AirPlay).

If the connection is not installed, check:

• 🔄 Device compatibility (not all smartphones support Wi-Fi Direct with TVs).
• 🔐 No antivirus or firewall lock on the connected device.
• 📶 Distance between devices (maximum 10 meters without obstacles).

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If the TV can’t see your device, try connecting to any other Wi-Fi network (like a router) first, and then activating Wi-Fi Direct again.

4. Wi-Fi Direct Alternatives on Xiaomi TV

If Wi-Fi Direct is not available or is not working properly, use alternative ways to connect:

For example, to broadcast the screen of the Xiaomi smartphone to a TV without Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On TV: Settings → Screen mirroring → On.
2. On your smartphone: Settings → Connections → Screen mirroring → Find a TV.
3. Confirm the connection on both devices.

⚠️ Warning: When using Miracast on Xiaomi TVs with a resolution of 4K, you may experience a delay of up to 1-2 seconds. This is critical for games or videos - in such cases, it is better to use a wired connection HDMI.

5. Solving Wi-Fi Direct problems

If Wi-Fi Direct doesn’t work even after you turn on, use these tips:

Common mistakes and their solutions:

• 🚫 Unconnected → Check if the TV is connected to another Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi Direct requires a clean module.
• ⚠️ "Device not supported" → Use Miracast or Google Cast.
• 🔄 Permanent Communication Breaks → Reduce the distance between devices or remove sources of interference (microwaves, other routers).

To diagnose the problem on the Xiaomi TV, you can use the hidden menu of network settings.

1. Open the Settings. → On TV.
2. Quickly click on the TV model several times until the developer menu appears.
3. Select Network Logs and check for connection errors.

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If none of these methods worked, reset the TV's network settings: Settings → System → Reset → Reset Network settings. This will delete all stored networks, but often solves Wi-Fi Direct problems.

6. Comparison of Wi-Fi Direct with other technologies

To see if you should use Wi-Fi Direct or choose an alternative, compare it to other protocols:

And you can see from the table that Wi-Fi Direct is a good trade-off between speed and versatility, but it's a latency loss for Miracast. If you want to stream games or videos in high resolution, you'd better use HDMI or Miracast. Bluetooth is enough to control your TV from your smartphone, for example, through the Mi Remote app.

7. Set up Wi-Fi Direct for specific tasks

Depending on the purpose of the connection, the settings of Wi-Fi Direct may vary.

🎮 Connecting a gamepad or joystick

For games on Xiaomi TV via Wi-Fi Direct:

1. Turn on Wi-Fi Direct on your TV.
2. On the gamepad (for example, Xiaomi Game Controller) hold the pairing button until the indicator blinks.
3. In the list of devices on the TV, select the gamepad and confirm the connection.

If the gamepad is not defined, update its firmware through the Mi Game Center app.

📱 Broadcasting of the smartphone screen

To mirror the screen Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco:

• On TV: Settings → Wi-Fi Direct → On.
• On your smartphone: Settings → Connections → Screen mirroring → Wi-Fi Direct.
• Select the TV from the list and confirm the connection.

If the image is slowing down, reduce the resolution of the broadcast in the mirroring settings on the smartphone.

💻 Laptop connection (Windows/macOS)

For the laptop screen broadcast:

• On Windows 10/11: Settings → System → Projection on this PC → Available everywhere.
• On TV: Settings → Wi-Fi Direct → Connect to PC.
• On your laptop, select Win + K → Wireless display and find the TV.

For macOS, use AirPlay if the TV supports this feature (available on Mi TV Q2 2023+ models).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)