Category Archives: Chromecast

Configuring Cisco 1702i Autonomous access point for use with Chromecast

Assuming you’d like to connect a client computer to your chromecast via the same WLAN on your Cisco AP, all you need to do is follow the below steps.

Assumptions:

  1. The Cisco AP is configured with only a single SSID, and that SSID happens to be associated with vlan 2.
  2. You are broadcasting the WLAN on both radios
  3. All the required configuration to support clients (SSID, Auth, etc) is already setup

Instructions:

  1. Login to your AP using the command line, issues a show run
  2. The output of your show run command should have some lines similar to what’s below:

!
interface Dot11Radio0.2
encapsulation dot1Q 2
no ip route-cache
bridge-group 2
bridge-group 2 subscriber-loop-control
bridge-group 2 spanning-disabled
bridge-group 2 block-unknown-source
no bridge-group 2 source-learning
no bridge-group 2 unicast-flooding
!
interface Dot11Radio1.2
encapsulation dot1Q 2
no ip route-cache
bridge-group 2
bridge-group 2 subscriber-loop-control
bridge-group 2 spanning-disabled
bridge-group 2 block-unknown-source
no bridge-group 2 source-learning
no bridge-group 2 unicast-flooding
!

So if our SSID is affiliated with vlan 2, we’ll need to issue a command to each of our sub interfaces using that vlan: Dot11Radio0.2 and Dot11Radio1.2

Enter the following commands:

  1. # config t
  2. (config)# interface Dot11Radio0.2
  3. (config-if)# no bridge-group 2 port-protected
  4. (config-if)# exit
  5. (config)# interface Dot11Radio1.2
  6. (config-if)# no bridge-group 2 port-protected
  7. (config-if)# exit

Now we’ll also need to globally stop IGMP snooping, we’ll enter this additional command from global config mode:

  1. # config t
  2. (config)# no ip igmp snooping
  3. (config-if)# exit

Lastly just save your config and test, you should now be able to connect to the chromecast from a wireless client connected to the same WLAN as the chromecast, or if you followed the previous post on configuring a sonicwall for use with a chromecast (located here), a wired client connected on another interface of your sonicwall.

 

Configuring Cisco Wireless LAN Controller for use with Chromecast

This post is mostly to compliment the post on configuring SonicWALL with Chromecast (found here) since it’s fairly easy, but never the less here we go:

Assuming your Chromecast is connected to the same Wireless LAN as your client, the only thing you need to do is Login to your WLC and enable multicast. Follow these steps:

  1. Load the WebUI of your Cisco Wireless Lan controller.
  2. Click Controller tab at the top
  3. Click Multicast in the left hand tab
  4. Check the box titled Enable Global Multicast Mode
  5. Click Apply in the top right of the page
  6. Click Save Configuration in the top right of the page

That’s it, you should now be able to see the chromecast from any wireless client connected to the same WLAN as the chromecast.

Configuring SonicWALL to work with Chromecast

In this write up I’m making the following assumptions:

  1. Your Client (Device trying to Connect to Chromecast) and your Chromecast are on SEPARATE zones. For example: Client is on the LAN and the Chromecast is on say, a wireless zone.
  2. The Wireless Access Point(s) that the Chromecast is connected to are already configured for Multicast (Ill have some other posts for how to configure those later. Update: Here and Here)

First off we need to enable multicast, and here is how we do that:

  1. Login to the SonicWALL and click Firewall Settings from the left hand pane
  2. The menu will expand, when it does click Multicast
  3. Check the box titled Enable Multicast
  4. UnCheck the box titled Require IGMP Membership reports for multicast data forwarding
  5. Select the radio button titled: Enable reception of all multicast addresses
  6. Click Accept at the top
  7. Now click Network from the left hand drop down, and when the menu expands click Zones
  8. For each Zone that will be participating with chromecast, click the configure icon, Check the box titled Allow Interface Trust if it’s not already selected. Click OK
  9. From the Network menu on the left click Interfaces. For each interface that’s part of any zone configured in step 8 perform the following: Click the configure icon for the interface, click the Advanced tab, check the box titled Enable Multicast Support. Click  OK.
  10. Now click Firewall from the left hand drop down, and when the menu expands click Access Rules
  11. Select the radio button titled Matrix at the top
  12. For each zone that was configured in step 8, select the rule from ZONE to MULTICAST
  13. Ensure that there is an ALLOW rule with ANY listed for Source, Destination, and Service. If there is not an ALLOW ANY ANY ANY rule, create on. Repeat for each Zone that was configured in step 8
  14. Update: as James points out below, you also need a traditional  bi-direction Allow rule between both zones.

Testing

  1. From your Client, open Chrome and download the extension “googlecast” if it’s not already installed.
  2. Verify that when you try to cast a tab, the Chromecast that’s located on the other interface/zone is listed.