Sitting on a couch, a person occasionally wants to mirror their phone to their (larger) TV display. And to do it without WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other configuration garbage. We just want to plug-in the phone to an adapter on our lap, one which also charges the phone, and switch inputs on the TV. Bim bam. Can this be done with an older XT1541 phone?
Not easily. Two main roadblocks:
- not all phone usb-c ports have physical capacity to transmit video. USB-C 2.0 supposedly cannot. USB-C 3.1/2 supposedly can. The XT1541 unfortunately only has USB 2.0.
- not all phones with 3.1 USB's have the Display Port (DP) alt-mode firmware to seamlessly screencast via the USB port. Motorola phones that did this had Motorola's proprietary "Ready For" configuration with both the correct USB-C, and DP alt-mode firmware. This feature was short-lived. Current Motorola phones lock screencasting to Google, and to WiFi, by restricting screencasting to Google Chromecast (now "Google Streaming").
XT1541 is a mixed bag
The 2022 XT1541 lies on middle ground. It was produced during Motorola's "Ready For" years, but did not receive a 3.1 USB-C port or the DP alt-mode firmware: the XT1541 cannot do a wired screencast natively with "Ready For" simplicity. Its firmware does allow non-Google screen mirroring (see screenshot below) but WiFi and/or Ethernet are the only options.
solutions
Option 4 (Ethernet) will receive the most attention here, and hopefully an Ethernet screencast configuration can be accomplished. If so, it will be far more secure than any WiFi option promoted by manufacturers.
Here are the apparent screencast options -- WiFi and Ethernet -- as I understand them.
- As noted here, Chromecast (now Google Streaming $80) is undesirable. *Both* WiFi and an active connection to the internet (DCMA?) are required for Google Streaming to accept a Motorola screen mirror. Newer Motorola phones only support screen-mirroring via Google Streaming. The "Ready For" phones are no longer produced.
- Miracast requires Wi-Fi, although not connected to internet. There are less expensive WiFi dongles than Miracast. On the phone, a person needs to enable screencasting which the XT1541 limits strictly to WiFi or Ethernet, but not yet only to Google Streaming.
- The Nyrius transmitter ($70) requires a phone be DP alt-mode ready. No WiFi required. The XT1541 is not DP alt-mode ready, ie, not "Ready For".
- *possibly* connect it via ethernet with a usb-c 2.0 to ethernet adapter cable.
Option 2 is the only working solution so far, unless a person also desires Google Streaming (Option 1) in addition to mirroring their phone. The XT1541 can mirror via Google Streaming if the WiFi is connected to the internet (Google Streaming requires it), which is, again, highly inadvisable. Even a non-connected WiFi network is easily compromised by security agencies and criminals -- don't make it worse by connecting the network to the internet simply to phone mirror via Google Streaming.
For example, this dongle $40, will connect to a non-internet connected WiFi network and mirror the phone's screen.
Option 4 is currently in-work. Watch this space. It seems slightly tricky and possibly TV-model dependent. If it's possible, this will be the most secure and convenient solution, all in one.
Option 4 (cont)
This is intriguing. First the XT1541 only has a USB-C 2.0 connector, that is 480Mbs. It's unclear how it would do the video. But it is definitely listed in Motorola's screen sharing options.
The portion circled in red is "Ethernet", which is part of a scrolling message in the screencast options icon. The entire message reads: "No Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection", making it clear there is some way to screencast beyond WiFi using Ethernet. But how?
We'd need a USB-C to Ethernet adapter. No problem, $15 on Amazon. And I believe a 480Mbs USB-c 2.0 can move video: even 720P only requires 2-5Mbs. But thirdly, once the video hits the router, with both the TV and the XT1541 connected, how does the TV detect the video signal arriving from the phone? This seems to be the real question. Configuration.
