The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter V2 is the next generation of Miracast USB dongles to come out from our friends at Microsoft. For those of you who have no idea what a Miracast USB dongle is, well, simply put, it gives you the capability to wirelessly stream multimedia from portable Windows tablets, laptops and Ultrabooks onto large screen televisions and even projectors. As long as the second screen that you want to connect to has an HDMI port and a USB port (needed to provide power to the dongle) then you are in business.
When Microsoft first launched the wireless display adapter they made them especially for their line of Surface Pro tablets (at the time, the Surface Pro 3 had recently launched and now the Surface Pro 4 exists today) as well as their flagship Ultra book, the Surface Book. But no worries, if you do not own a Microsoft Surface device you can still use these Wireless Display Adapters once you laptop or tablet meets the following minimum requirements:
- It is a Windows device or is a device that is Miracast compatible.
- Runs a Windows operating system of at least 8.1 or higher.
The first version of the adapter was a long 3 inch dongle with a built in HDMI plug on one end and a USB plug attached via a 4 inch wire on the other end. This device has been very successful since launch and Microsoft has listened to feedback from its loyal customers and has made some small tweaks to the design. As a result we now have version 2.0 of the wireless display adapter available in the market today.
So, what are the main differences between version 1 and version 2 you may ask? Well here they are:
Latency
The newest version of the dongle is now much faster in that there is lower latency between your portable Windows device and the second screen that you are streaming your content to.
Smaller Form Factor
The first version was a very long dongle which would make installation awkward, especially if the HDMI ports are on the back panel of your TV and your TV is attached right up against the wall. By essentially cutting the dongle into two smaller pieces eliminates this issue.
Longer reach between the HDMI and USB plugs
Some TVs have their USB ports further away from the HDMI ports so having a dongle with a longer cable between both plugs helps fix this issue. Microsoft also threw in a USB extender which gives you an additional 2 to 3 inches of reach.
Plug Cover
This may sound trivial but having a cover for the dongle’s ports when the wireless display adapter is not being used, will greatly extend the life of your product.
Setting up Connectivity
To setup the connectivity between say, your Surface Pro 4 tablet and your 70 inch TV set – that you normally only use once a year to watch the Super Bowl in your man cave with your buds – you will first need to go to the Microsoft application store on your tablet and download the latest Wireless Display Adapter software. Once you have completed the download and installation of the software you can then go to your TV set and install the HDMI plug on your dongle into any of the available HDMI slots that are located at the back (or side) of your TV. You will then connect the USB plug into an available USB port on your TV. The USB connection is there to provide power to the dongle so that it can communicate with your Windows device.
You then simply select the correct input source on your TV set, depending on the HDMI port that you connected the wireless display adapter into and you should see the Microsoft Logo along with the name of the Miracast dongle. Finally you go to your Windows tablet and run the wireless display adapter application which will show you a list of active Miracast dongles that are in range. That is when you simply select the dongle that you want to connect to and that’s it. You should then see your laptop or tablet screen on the TV set. Both video and sound will now play through that TV and now have a second monitor.
There are many use cases with which you can use this cool accessory. Here are a couple of good ones:
Hotel Room TV Sets
If you a business traveler, always on the go then you can use this accessory to implement a wireless connection to your hotel room’s large screen TV and effectively give yourself a second screen through which you can work from as opposed to working through a much smaller laptop or tablet screen.
Connect to a Projector without the Need of Any Messy Wires
Most modern day projectors do have HDMI and USB ports that you can plug your Miracast wireless display adapter into so you can now conduct your PowerPoint presentations without the need for messy VGA cables and you can be up and running in mere seconds.
Watch Movies and Play Games on the Big Screen
Why delegate yourself to consuming multimedia on a small 13 inch laptop screen when you can enjoy your games and movies on a large 60 or 70 inch flat screen television?
The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter retails for about $50. If you want to get your hands on one of these you can get them from the Amazon store here.
You can also checkout my YouTube video showing my initial review of the wireless display adapter below.