How to watch video from your phone on TV via WiFi Xiaomi Mi

Modern Xiaomi smartphones have powerful screens and high-quality matrices, but for a full-fledged home theater diagonal of 6-7 inches is often not enough. Users are increasingly eager to bring their favorite series, family album or gameplay to the big screen of the TV, getting rid of wires and unnecessary adapters. WiFi wireless data transfer technology allows you to do this in a few touches, using standard protocols built into the shell of MIUI or HyperOS.

The main challenge for many owners is choosing the right method of broadcasting, as the Xiaomi ecosystem offers several built-in tools, and third-party applications only complement this functionality. Wireless connection provides stable high-definition signal transmission without loss of quality, if certain network infrastructure conditions are met. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of connecting, from the native “Translation” function to the use of multimedia DLNA servers.

Before you start setting up, make sure both devices — your Xiaomi Mi or Redmi smartphone, and your TV — are connected to the same wireless network.This is a fundamental requirement for most protocols, whether it’s Miracast or Google Cast. If the router distributes the network at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, make sure the gadgets are in the same subband to avoid device detection issues.

Equipment preparation and network settings

Successful image synchronization depends not only on software settings, but also on the quality of network equipment. The router must maintain WiFi standards at least below 802.11n, although it is preferable to use the 5 GHz band and the 802.11ac standard or later to broadcast 4K content. This will ensure sufficient channel bandwidth, preventing delays and compression artifacts during the transmission of the video stream.

Depending on your TV brand (Samsung, LG, Sony or Android TV), this feature can be called Screen Share, Smart View, wireless monitor or simply Translation. It is critical that the TV is not in guest mode or customer isolation, otherwise the devices will not see each other on the local network.

For owners of Xiaomi and Redmi routers, there is an added bonus in the form of traffic optimization for gaming and multimedia applications. If you use proprietary hardware, check if the power saving mode on the router is turned on, which can limit background data transfer processes.

Checking the operating system version on your phone is another step that you can’t ignore. The MIUI stream functionality is regularly updated, and older versions may not have the necessary codecs or security protocols. Go to Settings → About your phone and make sure tersedia is the current version of the software.

Use of the built-in Translation (Miracast) function

The fastest and most versatile way to bring your smartphone screen to your TV is to use the native Miracast-based Translation feature, which allows you to completely duplicate the image from your phone’s display, which is ideal for displaying photos, presentations or navigating the Android interface.

To activate, lower the notification curtain down and look for the Translation icon (sometimes hidden in the optional button editing menu). If the icon is not available quickly, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Broadcast. Once turned on, the phone will start searching for available devices on the local network.

When the name of your TV appears on the list, click on it to pair it. The TV screen may have a request for confirmation of connection, which must be coordinated by the remote control, then the image from the phone will appear on the large screen.

Importantly, Miracast creates a direct WiFi Direct connection between your phone and your TV, which means that even if the internet goes missing in your home, local video will continue streaming from your phone’s memory without interruption, but if you’re watching online video through your browser, Internet stability will still be required to buffer content.

⚠️ Note: When using the function "Translation" smartphone battery discharges much faster than usual mode, as the WiFi module operates in a constant active transmission of large amounts of data. It is recommended to keep the phone on charge or use a wireless charging station while browsing.

Broadcasting through YouTube and streaming services

If you want to watch videos from YouTube, Netflix, IVI or other streaming services, then using the Miracast is not the best solution. It consumes the phone's processor resources to encode the video stream. It is much more efficient to use the built-in Google Cast (Chromecast built-in) protocol.

To start playing, open the YouTube app on your smartphone and find the broadcast icon (a rectangle with WiFi waves in the corner). By clicking on it, you'll see a list of available devices. Select your TV and the video will play directly to the TV using its own WiFi module to download data.

The advantage of this is that the phone is just a remote control, so you can fold the app, answer the phone, or even turn off the screen of your smartphone, and the video on the TV will continue to go without interruptions, and the quality of the picture in this case is limited only by the TV and the speed of the Internet, not the power of the phone.

Not all apps support Cast technology. If the app does not have an appropriate icon, then the developer did not implement this feature, in such cases you have to go back to the method of screen duplication or use third-party solutions for browsers.

Setting up DLNA to view local files

For owners of extensive archives of films and TV series stored in the memory of the phone or on the phone SD-The ideal solution is technology. DLNA. It allows you to broadcast media files directly without loading the processor with real-time video coding, as Miracast does.

In Xiaomi smartphones, this feature is often performed by the built-in player Mi Video or Gallery. Open the video file, click on the projector icon or Send to the device. The phone will find a compatible TV on the network and transfer the file to play.

Alternatively, third-party media center applications such as BubbleUPnP or VLC for Android have more flexible codec and subtitle settings. With DLNA, file navigation is done from the phone, but the decoding and output of the image is taken over by the TV.

When using DLNA, it is important to consider the support of formats by the TV itself. If the TV can not decode a certain audio codec (for example, DTS or AC3 in some models), video can be played without sound, even if the phone reads this format.

Solving Common Connection Problems

Despite the simplicity of the technology, users often face a situation where the phone does not see the TV. One common reason is the use of different WiFi frequencies. If the router distributes networks with the same name (SSID) at 2.4 and 5 GHz, some older TVs can get stuck at 2.4 GHz, while a modern phone automatically switches to 5 GHz.

Another reason may be the settings of antivirus or firewall on the router, which block local connections between devices (AP Isolation. Check your home network security settings. It's also worth trying to reboot the router, as the table overflows. ARP-Addresses sometimes interfere with the correct detection of gadgets.

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If standard broadcasting is running with delays, try lowering the screen resolution in your phone’s settings or turning off background downloads on other devices on the network.

In some cases, resetting network settings on a smartphone helps. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset WiFi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This action will remove stored WiFi passwords, but often solves problems with software conflicts of network modules.

⚠️ Note: When you reset your network settings, you will lose all saved passwords from WiFi networks. Make sure you remember the password from your home network to reconnect your phone to the Internet.

Use of third-party applications and alternatives

If Xiaomi’s regular funds fail or your TV is classified as “regular” (not Smart TV), third-party apps come to the rescue. For older TVs that only have HDMI input, there are special set-top boxes (TV Stick) that turn them into Android devices that support AirPlay and Miracast.

For advanced users with PCs and TVs connected to the same network, a great solution is to create a media server on a computer (for example, via Plex or Kodi) and connect a phone to it. However, if you want to bring the screen from your phone to a regular TV without Smart features, the only option is to buy an external signal receiver (for example, Xiaomi Mi TV Stick or HDMI analogue).

There are also receiver emulator apps that can turn a phone into a signal source, but they are usually not suitable for receiving a signal on a TV without additional hardware. The Xiaomi ecosystem is popular with the Cast to TV app, which tries to find workarounds for older protocols.

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For non-Smart TVs, the only wireless solution is to buy an external adapter (dongle) that supports Miracast or Android TV consoles.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)