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Chromecast Gen II keeps loosing profile (WiFi ID)

AZgl1500

Extreme Android User
I have two of the Gen II adapters.

The 1st adapter came right up, programmed correctly, and I watched a movie.
The next day, the Gen II could not be found by NetFlix app on my phone ( Samsung S5 )

Used WiFi360 to look for it, it did not even broadcast a signal.

Did a Hard Reset on the Gen II module, and it shows up on WiFi again, and the Chromecast Android app sets it up again. Watch two movies, and leave it alone for two days.

Pop up NetFlix on my S5 and no ChromeCast icon on NetFlix :mad:
Open the Chromecast app, and it says "No Chromecast adapters found".

Okay, I conclude I have a bad device. I have another one because the wife wants one on her TV.
I go grab that one, and set it up.

Watch two movies, and 24 hours later, that one has lost its' profile :mad::mad::mad:

Set it up a 2nd time, 24 hours later, the profile is missing again.
This now 3 days in a row, the damn things looses it profile IF the cellphone is not talking to it.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

( The TV system is powered by a 1.5 KW UPS, power cannot be lost period.
The internet modem is also on the UPS )

Tonight, I am ready to take both of the adapters and hit them with a sledge hammer, but I have $75 + bux tied up in the damn things..... stupid me, threw the boxes out just yesterday....

It is now my considered opinion that the Chromecast idea is not ready for Prime Time...
Never had a Gen I, it looks like a Thumb Drive. The Gen II likes like a fat silver dollar that is dark grey.

Anyone using these things?

I have searched the internet high and low, and there is nothing recent on the Gen II period, except one statement I found that a reviewer made saying that it was released for sale to the public on 1st October 2015.

Oh lovely, I bought a POS trial and error device....

Help! :p
 
all i know is that googled claimed these second gen chromecasts were not supposed to have the wifi connection issues that the first gen ones suffered from...sounds like from what you're saying though, the new ones are just as bad...
 
FWIW, I have a gen 1 that works like a charm. I have it in the same room as the router, but I think you do too. Have you tried them on another TV. I don't know why that would make a difference, but it can't hurt to eliminate that possibility.

Another thought is to try Google customer support, even though the boxes are gone. I had to swap out an N7 with a bad screen and they shipped me a new box and I just put the defective one back in that box to ship back to them. The only downside was the hold on my account for the price until they received the defect back.

Oh, and finally, I moved this to our Chromecast forum where you may get some feedback from other Gen 2 owners.:)
 
i looked for a chromecast forum first, guess my 73 years young eyes missed it.

I have tried in the past to get help from Google, and they ignored me. will try again.


EDIT:

I failed in the 1st post to mention that the 2nd adapter which was on the wife's TV had been set up also... but when my S5 could not find mine, and I brought up the Chromecast app, it said "No Adapters found".

uh oh, that means the wife's adapter had also gone off to never-never land...
I didn't give that any thought at the time, I was just mad at mine, and grabbed hers to put on my TV.... if my noggin had been thinking straight, I would have realized that BOTH of the adapters had gone to sleep.
 
Last edited:
Oh good, I just looked at their 'help' advert which said they have 24/7 tech help by phone.
and guess what? this is what i saw:

ButtonOfflineImage_12.gif
 
Well, I just went through an hour of "telephone help", the 1st twenty minutes of which was music...

then I get a nice lady who tries to help, but her Script Book does not have anything like this in it.
she calls an "engineer", and he tells her that there is something wrong with my WiFi router, that they have to reconfigure it for me.

Okay, it is a Linksys E1200 (Cisco) and it is back-to-back behind a AT&T U-Verse Pace router.....
The Chromecast Adapters won't log into the Pace router or I would be using that instead.

so, I drug out a 10 year old Cisco Linksys and Chromecast found that in seconds.
I get Chromecast hooked up to the TV HDMI port, and it is talking to the Android Chromecast App just fine.

But, now it says it cannot find the "Netflix server" or words to that effect....
So, I go into the Linksys manager and turn off DNS. I conclude that the Cisco DNS and the Pace DNS or not compatible with each other... especially as the Linksys will not accept the LAN port from the Pace router as an "Ethernet signal from Cox Cable".

So, realizing that won't work, I just plug the LAN ports together between the two routers.
With DNS turned off on the Linksys, wallah! everything works like a champ.

EXCEPT, the Chromecast adapters go to sleep after I turn off the cellphpone's NetFlix app.
How long after, I don't know... it just isn't there anymore 24 hours later when I want to watch a NetFlix movie.

Short story:
call google, google hands me to a CS rep. CS says they can't help me, I have to talk to a CISCO rep and they have to "fix the router". (right here I see that the jig is up, but I go thru with it)

After the lady named "Ellen" who speaks with a dialect from somewhere in Asia works with me a while, she keeps trying to use my Email Address to look up my router configuration.... I explain to her 20 times the router was bought in a store, and it never had an email address associated with it. she says "you are not a Company user?"
no lady, I am an "End User" and she hangs up........................

piss on getting Chromecast to work, when it is daylight, I will call them again, and get a refund.
the whole exercise is useless. No point in it going any further....

I am not going to reprogram the damn things every time I want to watch a movie.....
I have a very expensive DTV subscription already, I can get along just fine w/o Netflix on the TV.

One last thought: it would probably work with my cellphone's Mobile Hotspot..... but my little 6 gB/month data plan would disappear in about 15 minutes.

. I just wrote a reply to Google on the Service Order they emailed to me..
requested a refund....

now I wait.
 
I have the same issue with mine. Though, I've not gone to the extreme of factory resetting it. Simply rebooting it allows me to start casting again. Takes a minute or less to reboot and done.
 
I could do that, but it is PITA to turn the TV around and reach into push the Reset Button.

and yes, as long as I use the thing, it continues to work just fine.
but, when I "disconnect" from the adapter, ie, turn the NetFlix app off, the adapter quits broadcasting its' ID.
when that happens, nothing can find the adapter again UNTIL a full reset is done.

I have been going back and forth with Google Support via email, a fellow by the name of "Phil" is working on my trouble ticket.

Here is a copy of what he asked me to do yesterday, and my answers back to him.

  • Today at 1:37 PM
To
  • chromecast-support@google.com

  • Since you mentioned your using Samsung S5, have you tried other device to cast (another mobile phone, tablet or computer)? YES, I ALSO USED MY LAPTOP, IT GAVE THE SAME RESULTS
  • How far are you from the router (within 15 feet is the recommendation)? 6 FEET
  • Aside from netflix application, have you tried other supported application (Youtube, Hulu, HBO GO etc.)? YES DIY
  • Try to turn on and off the automatic timezone of the mobile device that you are using, NO EFFECT
  • Check for the systems update for the mobile device that you are using. IT IS A VERIZON, THERE IS ONLY ONE SYSTEM PERIOD! YOU CAN'T UPDATE THEM....
If we may ask, where did you purchase the devices? BEST BUY, OWASSO, OKLAHOMA
Now, I work in computers everyday, I have a degree in electronics, I am not an uninformed user.... I support all versions of Windows and Android products.... this is NOT my problem, it is a CHROMECAST problem simply BECAUSE your ChromeCast product looses its' ID immediately after it is programmed. I have already included for you Screenshots proving the problem is the ChromeCast adapters.\\

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blow me down, I sent that at 1:30ish and I already have a reply:

Hi John,


Good day, my name is Mark and I'm taking over the case since Phil is out of the office. I read about the issues you're having with your Chromecast and I do apologize for this.

Just to make sure we're on the same page, 2 of your 2nd Gen. Chromecast can't keep the wireless connection from your Cisco E1200 Router, but was working on your previous router,

am I correct?


Regards,

Mark
 
Well, this Mark fellow is on the job, at 3:05 he replied back to me:
Hi John,

Are these Chromecast device or Ethernet adapter for Chromecast?

Sincerely,

Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sent his a picture of the ChromeCast adapter that is so clear, he can read the labeling on the thing. so, let's see how this story progresses.

I will have to say one thing for Google in this instance, they have not abandoned me yet.
 
3:42 Pm
Hi John,


Normally when the Chromecast had been setup already, it will not broadcast as an access point or a WiFi. This is normal and you should be able to cast as long as you see the cast icon on a Cast ready app such

as YouTube or Netflix. Now if the Chromecast does not appear on the Chromecast app and or no cast icon on YouTube or Netflix then we have another issue. When you disconnect casting from Netflix do you still see

a cast icon on either Netflix or YouTube? Can you also detect both Chromecast on the Chromecast app?

Here is an example. If you are seeing Chromecast that you can manage or reconfigure this is normal.
 
I got a new request to give them the serial number of the adapter and the firmware numbers.
I just made a series of Screenshots and uploaded them to HighTail so they can download the files.

Now I am waiting for a new answer to their problem... it is their problem, I did not make these things.

were it not for future users of ChromeCast needing this kind of info, I would not be posting all of this.
 
seems that the series of Screenshots and Firemware numbers are enough for today.
they have called in the Engineers to work on it, said a reply in 24-48 hours.

that is fine, at least they are working with me.
 
Okay,
I have left out a couple of their email replies which "implied" that I did not know what I am doing.
So, I gave them a history on myself, only been licensed with the FCC for 1st Class Commercial TV/Microwave/Radar/Telephony support since 1958.... and a lot more historical narrative which I won't bother you with.

anyway, today, they asked me to send in the purchase info, a picture of the two devices showing the serial numbers, and my Google Wallet account info....

they said they would send me two replacement adapters. I snipped this one line out of their email:

Hi John,
Upon further investigation and due to the issue its showing on both routers, we can replace your Chromecast.




so, there it be, now to wait for Snail Mail.
One thing about their typing, it is full of grammatical and spelling errors.... sigh :cool:

. I will report back on this thread after the two replacements show up with the latest results in this saga...
.;)
 
Well, it seems that Google is Billing me for the replacement Adapters, and then will Deposit to my Google Wallet the same amount to cover the new charges.

Their warranty process uses the store front that sells you stuff online (which is cheaper than buying local), and then they refund that amount to your Virtual Wallet.

I inquired about that, they sent out two separate replacement emails with links to my adapter's serial numbers:

Hi John,

Sorry for the confusion. By now, you should have gotten the 2nd email that I sent. The replacement process requires us to send the shipping labels individually, that is why I had indicated the serial numbers in the subject.




Sincerely,

Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

as before, I will update with anything of significance.
 
well well, I am impressed with the process, and the fact that they have answered Every Single Email that I have sent in.


Hi John,

It is not a charge-it is a temporary hold amounting to how much the Chromecast costs. It will be removed from your account once we've confirmed that the defective devices are returned to our warehouse, and it will take within 14 days starting from the day that the warehouse has received them.




Sincerely,

Mark
 
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