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Posted on 03/26/2026 5:40:17 AM PDT by Paul R.
I am trying to set up a "Miracast" connection from my laptop to a TV, and apparently I need to manually change the IP address of my wireless router. Although the router is working just fine, I cannot "find" it from my desktop machine, which is connected via a "fast switch" and ethernet.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
As noted in my "Body of Thread", I cannot "find" the wireless router from my desktop machine, which is connected via a "fast switch" and ethernet. Windows took out the nice little "map" of one's network back in Windows 10, and neither going into Network Settings or Device Manager locates the wireless router. No address I've tried (obtained through AI web searches) works. If I can't locate the wireless router, obviously I can't log in to it, which I need to do to change it to a range that does not conflict with the Miracast address.
When I connect and power up the Miracast HDMI dongle to the TV, I get a nice entry screen, but can do nothing with it / on it via the TV's remote - because... the dongle is not connecting to the wifi network. That's evidently due to the address conflict.
Is the wireless router being "hidden" from my desktop by the fast switch?
Can I only access the wireless router login via my laptop's wifi connection? Wifey has it with her, but will be back this evening.
I'd take the fast switch out of the network and try connecting the desktop machine directly to the wireless router via ethernet, but, that sort of thing always scrambles my network, connections to printers and such, and is basically another(!) headache I don't need.
The option in Settings to view all network adaptors goes freaking nowhere useful.
Anyone have any ideas?
This all got precipitated by Bluetooth “disappearing” from the laptop. Apparently the Bluetooth circuit has failed, or, a MicroSoft update killed it. I’ve attempted several hours of troubleshooting of THAT, and the machine behaves as if there is no Bluetooth adapter in it anymore, even though I made no hardware, software, or settings changes. The Bluetooth failure occurred well before I did anything with Miracast whatsoever. :-(
Disclaimer: I am NOT expert with computer networks, and that all seems to have become worse with every new Windows Version after Win 7 — maybe even XP. :-(
Thanks in advance!
OS is Win 11 Pro.
Yes, yes, I know. Please don’t clutter up the thread with disses of Windows. It doesn’t help anything.
Oh, almost forgot: The command < arp -a > brings up a list of 7 addresses, but is one for the wireless router?
The list of adapters in Device Manager all appear to be internal to the desktop machine.
You can buy a Bluetooth adapter.
Is your SSID broadcast turned off?
Complicated setup you got there. I would guess that the router has a non routable IP address like 192.168.0.1. Trying pinging it from a command box to see if you get a return. In the past when I have had to configure a router I would get a sign on screen with the default login Admin, password Admin.
Class C: 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
It might be helpful to the geeks - yours truly included - to post a screenshot (may require more than one) of your settings.
If you do a web search for how to access the “CMD” (command prompt) console and display the “ipconfig/all” settings, the results would assist your query at least in part.
I have nothing like your setup but i sent you some WAG suggestions that you can try anyway if you like via PM. (Either they will work or they will not work.) Good luck...
Re your Bluetooth: Generally speaking, Bluetooth is reserved for peripherals (buds, mice, etc.). I wonder if you’re confusing WiFi & Bluetooth.
Regardless, does your phone pick up any Bluetooth or WiFi in range of your laptop & router?
Just another data point for troubleshooting...
WTH is a “fast switch” and why isn’t all your gear behind a router, which acts as a firewall?
Screwy setup on the face of it. Who is the ISP?
bookmark
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he might be referencing a fast ethernet switch. some ethernet switches (the more recent ones) are faster (eg capable of operating at up to 100Mb/s) than others (eg at 10 Mb/s). at least that would be my guess.
I don’t know anything about Miracast but it appears to work with WI-FI only. If your blue tooth isn’t working on your laptop that is indicative of a problem that might bleed over to WI-FI. I would do a blue tooth reset on the laptop. Try to fix the problem you can first identify.
For the layman, I gave Grok a quiz.
“Miracast” connection from my laptop to a TV.
What is this connection?
This sounds like it’s actually rather old. “Fast Ethernet” was a common name for 100mbit Ethernet - 100baseT, one step up from the original 10mbit 10baseT, and one step down from the now standard 1000baseT “Gigabit Ethernet” that runs at 1gbit.
Who is your ISP?
Are you using their supplied modem/router? If so what is the name and model number of it? If not what are you using?
How have you configured the wireless router that you have connected to the switch? By that I mean is it acting as a DHCP server? What is it’s name and model number.
Pics of the physical layout are always great.
The short answer is to connect the router directly to the ISP NIC, then to the switch. That’s why it’s called a router.
see if you have a bluetooth on your desktop and it is turned on. go to settings and then go to bluetooth. if the bluetooth switch is off, toggle the switch to on.
also, move the desktop as close as you can to the TV on which the receiving Miracast dongle is installed so it is within the (short) bluetooth range. Sometimes for me the range is very short. a web search says 5-10 meters but i have experienced fails if it is spanning more than a few feet.
also try connecting the receiving Miracast dongle to your desktop to initialize it. that way it is super close. then after initializing it, switch it to the tv. (i have never done this and i have never messed with miracast so it might not work, or at least not work the way that i am guessing it works).
IT consultant here. This sounds like a non-standard configuration, specifically that you have a router behind a router, or that your wireless router is running in bridge mode - in which case you’re going to be hard pressed to find the IP address to talk to it. There are ways to do so.
First of all, we need to verify that the connection is indeed from the ISP to the switch and then to the desktop and router. Second, we need the specific make and model number/name of all the networking equipment - the ISP modem or router, the switches, the wireless router and the “PowerLink.” Third, we need to know what ISP you are using.
This particular setup sounds quite old and you may be handicapping your speed quite badly with it.
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