EZCast Magic Ether is one of those products you are not sure that you need, but once you have one, you won’t want to give it up.
What does EZCast Magic Ether do?
It is a dongle with an HDMI-out port at one end and an Ethernet-in port at the other. Ergo you can cast (a very loose term) audio and video over Ethernet from any device connected to the home Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.
The prime advantage is that Ethernet is vastly faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi casting. And the prime disadvantage is that you need an Ethernet port spare near your TV or monitor.
EZCast Magic Ether
Website | here |
Price | US$29.95 plus shipping |
From | Buy from the manufacturer EZCast online |
Warranty | One-year (EZCast are a reputable company and provide email and video support |
Country of Manufacture | China |
EZCast | EZCast (Action Microelectronics) is a Taiwanese company (Est. 2006). EZCast has patents in 30+ countries. It designs custom audio/video/wireless broadcast SoCs. The technology is in use by the leading router, monitor, and projector manufacturers. |
More | You can read more GadgetGuy EZCast news and reviews here |
Setup
It becomes a little clearer once you realise that it casts audio and video using over the Wi-Fi home network to an Ethernet-connected screen.
- Plug an Ethernet cable from a router or switch into the dongle. It transmits a maximum 1080p@60Hz, so it won’t hog bandwidth.
- Next is micro-USB power. All you need is 5V/1A/5W so it can be powered off most USB-A 2.0 devices or later.
- Plug the HDMI dongle into a TV or monitor (note that it can only cast sound if the screen has speakers or a 3.5mm port.
- Up comes the familiar Blue EZCast home screen.
- If casting does not work on some content, it is due to DRM copy protection
Windows
- Download the EZCast app
- It should find the dongle (if you are on the same network)
- You can mirror or extend your screen to a maximum of 1920×1080@60Hz. When you select extend, it is an extra independent screen with full mouse support – handy to add an extra screen
- You can also cast video or music from a NAS (network-attached storage), DLNA device or PC.
Android
- Make sure the Google Home app is installed and working for smart speakers etc. This also gives you voice control (not tested)
- Open Google Home and scroll down to ‘Other casting devices’ where you will see EZCast Magic Ether. Start casting, and you will first see your screen (mirror) and then permit it to cast the device’s screen where you can cast anything on it.
Apple Mac (not tested)
It will mirror or extend the screen using Mac’s inbuilt screen mirror/extension
iOS (not tested)
Use Airplay to connect. It also supports Siri from the iPhone or AirPod speaker.
Privacy
The EZCast Privacy Policy is fairly standard. It flashes up a warning about privacy that everything you cast will be visible to whatever casting protocol you use.
EZCast clarifies that as a Chinese company, it is subject to Chinese law. We have reviewed EZCast products before and find it a reputable, long-term company.
Overall, it is no more intrusive than Google or Facebook – at least it will limit any advertisements to its products. If you have sensitive information, it may be best to use Google TV or Apple TV devices.
Other EZCast app services
We did not test these fully; some are for Asian markets. You need to set up an EZCast account.
- EZChannel will search videos across media sites
- Video/Photo/Music stream and playback from the casting device
- DLNA – cast from a DLNA network storage device – works flawlessly
- Cloud – cast from a cloud server – works flawlessly
- Voice control – Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa (with access to all the content sources above)
- Digital photo frame
Uses
The EZCast software is the key to many different EZCast devices that can cast from 720p to 4K@60Hz. The trick is to determine your needs and then buy the right device.
This is a single user (one cast device to one screen) consumer device in that it works off the home Wi-Fi/Ethernet network. But you could equally install it in a boardroom, classroom etc.
Its strength is its OS support.
GadgetGuy’s take
We have reviewed several EZCast devices now, and without fail, they are easy to use and do what they state.