Chromecast: Not a Review. Yet.

So, I've been considering one of them there "streaming devices" for my TV for some time, and finally decided on the Google Chromecast for two reasons:

• I asked Chris Pirillo for a recommendation and he took the time to do a whole video on the subject of streaming devices. His advice militated in favor of the Chromecast in my particular case because I'm a Google fanboy. I'll embed that video below once it's public. At the moment, it is private for his Patreon supporters. Hey, have I mentioned I'm on Patreon and seeking supporters, too?
• The Chromecast on sale for less than $25 at Best Buy this weekend.

But, you know, it's always something. Got the little box home, plugged it into my TV, went to the setup page, started following the instructions (I had already installed the Google Cast app on my Chromebox before going to the store) ... and ... nothing.

Turns out my particular router (Chromecast works over wi-fi, requiring the device and the controlling computer to be on the same wi-fi network) is not on the "supported routers" list. I did a little Googling and found examples of, and instructions from, people who got it to work. But those instructions didn't work for me.

Well, that's what I get for having a router that Micro Center moved into the clearance aisle about the time Constantine was having his vision at the Milvian Bridge. I've been meaning to upgrade routers for a long time now. I'd like a router with more range. I like to take the laptop out to the backyard gazebo but it gets a fairly weak signal there. And since I have several devices with built-in dual band wi-fi, might as well get a router that can take advantage of that as well.

So I saved $10 on the Chromecast, but now it looks like I'm going to need to shell out $50-$150 before I can use the Chromecast, and that's going to be awhile. The only real consolation is that I suppose the other devices I considered would have had similar wi-fi connection issues. Anyway, no review, yet, except to the extent that this problem is a review-worthy issue. If you've got an older router, don't count on newer devices working with it.

[Update: Here's that Chris Pirillo video I mentioned]