Today’s users rarely use TVs just to watch on-air channels, and increasingly, gadgets are turning into multimedia centers that require integration with mobile devices. Connecting a Xiaomi smartphone to a TV of the same ecosystem via a wireless network allows access to a huge array of content without unnecessary wires, which allows you to stream photos, videos and even a high-resolution game picture directly to the big screen.
The process of synchronizing devices is based on the use of the Miracast and Google Cast protocols, which are built into the MIUI shell and the Android TV operating system. You do not need complex adapters or HDMI cables if both devices are on the same local network.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can connect, from standard system functions to third-party applications, how to avoid common connection errors and optimize network performance to achieve the best image quality. Following the instructions will allow you to maximize the use of the smart home.
Preparation of equipment and network for stable connection
Before you start setting up, it is critical to make sure your network equipment is working correctly, as the router is the link between the gadgets. Both devices — the phone and the TV — must be connected to the same WiFi hotspot. If you have a dual-band router, it is recommended to use a 5 GHz network to transmit high-resolution video, as it provides more bandwidth.
Check the software version on both devices, as outdated firmware can contain bugs that prevent gadgets from being detected by each other. On Xiaomi Mi TV, this can be done through the settings menu, and on the phone in the About Phone section. The update often includes new drivers for wireless modules, which directly affects the connection stability.
⚠️ Note: If your router is set up to divide customers (AP Isolation, devices won't see each other on the network. Make sure this feature is disabled in the router settings.
Also worth paying attention to the wireless signal in the room where the TV is located. A weak signal can lead to permanent disconnection of the connection or reduce the quality of the picture to an unreadable level. Ideally, the router should be in line of sight or through one wall from the receiving device.
☑️ Checking before connection
Broadcasting the screen through the built-in “Translation” function in MIUI
The easiest and fastest way to display a smartphone image on a TV screen is to use a standard MIUI shell feature called Translation, which implements Miracast technology, which allows you to duplicate the phone screen in real time without the need to install additional software.
To activate the mode, you need to lower the notification curtain on the phone and find the "Translation" icon (sometimes hidden in the additional swipe menu to the right). Once turned on, you will start searching for available devices within the network range.
The quality of the transmitted image is directly dependent on the power of the smartphone processor and the load of the WiFi channel. When watching dynamic videos or games, there can be a slight delay in input, which is the norm for wireless protocols of this type. For static content such as photo albums or presentations, this method is ideal.
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To reduce latency, close all background apps on your phone before you start the broadcast to free up processor resources and RAM.
If the curtain doesn't have a matching button, you can add it through the Quick Settings editing menu or find it in Settings → Connection and Sharing → Broadcast. In some versions of the firmware, this feature may be called Wireless Monitor or Cast. Make sure the TV is running a signal reception app if automatic detection fails.
Using Chromecast technology to stream content
Unlike full screen duplication, Google Cast (Chromecast) technology allows you to send only content from specific applications to the TV, such as YouTube, Netflix or VLC. Xiaomi Mi TV has built-in support for this standard, which makes the viewing process as convenient and energy efficient as possible for a smartphone, in which case the phone acts only as a control panel, and video is buffered directly by the TV.
To take advantage of this feature, open the supported app on your phone and find the broadcast icon (rectangle with waves in the corner). In the list of available devices, select your Mi TV. It is important that the applications on both devices are updated to current versions for the correct operation of the protocol.
| Characteristics | Miracast (Translation) | Chromecast (Google Cast) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of transmission | Full screen duplication | Streaming stream from the application |
| Phone load | High (encodes video) | Low (management only) |
| Working in the background | The screen must be active. | You can use other apps. |
| Quality. | Depends on the WiFi signal. | Stable (adaptive) |
The advantage of this method is that you can use your phone for other tasks while watching a movie, you can respond to messages or web pages without interrupting the playback on the big screen, and it also uses less battery power on your mobile device.
What if the Chromecast icon doesn’t appear?
Third-party applications for enhanced capabilities
Staffing is sometimes not enough, especially if you want to stream content from apps that don't support Google Cast, or if the standard Translation feature is unstable, and in such cases, specialized utilities come to the rescue that establish direct connection between devices using alternative compression and data transfer algorithms. One of the most popular is Video & TV Cast or Web Video Caster.
To work such applications often require the installation of a companion app on the TV itself from the built-in Google Play Store on Android. TV. This creates a reliable tunnel for data transmission, and after installation on both devices, you need to start the program and press the search button so that the devices find each other locally. IP-address.
Some apps allow you to stream not only video files, but also browser content, which is convenient for viewing online cinemas from sites that do not have official TV apps.
It is worth considering that free versions of such programs often contain ads that can pop up on the TV screen. Paid versions usually do not have this disadvantage and offer a higher bitrate when transferring videos. When choosing an application, pay attention to the rating and number of installations in the store.
Configuring a wireless projector in Windows and Xiaomi
If your Xiaomi Mi TV is running Android TV, it can act as a wireless monitor for a PC or laptop, and receive a signal from the phone through an intermediate link. However, you can use built-in tools to link the phone and TV directly through projector protocols. Newer versions of MIUI have a feature that allows the phone to be seen as a projector, but more often it requires reverse action.
To implement a complex connection scheme, where the phone is the source and the TV is the receiver through specific protocols, you can use the developer settings. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times to activate the developer mode. Then, in advanced settings, find the option “Wireless debugger” or similar, although this is rarely required for simple screen broadcasting.
A more relevant scenario is to use the TV as a Miracast receiver. Make sure that the settings in the "Applications" or "Inputs" section of the TV set up the signal reception mode. On some Mi TV models, this application is called "Wireless Display" or "Miracast." Without a side-of-the-TV application, the phone may not see the target device in the list of available devices.
⚠️ Note: When using wireless projector mode, the resolution of the phone screen can automatically change. Don't be afraid if the proportions of the image on TV will differ from the usual - this depends on the formats supported by the TV.
The solution: Connection and quality issues
Even when set up correctly, users may encounter situations where the phone can’t see the TV or the connection is constantly cut off, most often the problem lies in the settings of the router, which can divide devices into different subnets (for example, the guest network and the main network), make sure that both gadgets are connected to the main LAN network and have access to local resources.
Another common cause is a crowded WiFi channel. If an apartment building has many neighbor networks, the signal can be unstable. Try changing the router's settings to a less busy channel (for example, 1, 6 or 11 for 2.4 GHz). For a 5 GHz frequency, channel selection is usually automatic, but fixing on a free channel can improve the situation.
If the image twitches or is low resolution, try to lower the broadcast quality in the source application settings. Network equipment reboot also helps: turn the router off the socket for 10-15 seconds, then turn it on again and wait for the network to fully load before reconnecting the devices.
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90% of connection problems are solved by restarting the router and checking that the phone and TV are on the same subnet (the same is true). IP-prefix address, for example, 192.168.1.X).