Can't get pixel 4a or 3a to connect to Chromecast

[CCFit67]

All devices are on same network. I can set up the Chromecast but then I can't connect the phone to it to cast. I've rebooted the Chromecast, the phones, uninstalling home and reinstalling it. Making sure all the permissions for the home app are on. This is completely frustrating. Please help!

[Ashepherdson]

Can you cast from other devices, such as a computer?  Can you use your Google assistant to play YouTube videos on the Chromecast?  Can you see the Chromecast in your Google home app ?

[CCFit67]

No, YouTube will not connect to it through assistant. Ive downloaded Home on my iPad and  tried to set up chrome cast through that and I get the same problem. It tells me to connect to same network as the chrome cast even though I am.  Ive tried to connect to it with my husbands phone which is a pixel 3a and same problem. Ive even tried a different chrome cast thinking that something was wrong with the other one. Both chrome casts have the same problem. 

[Ashepherdson]

If you can't control the Chromecast from any device then I would suspect that they are not actually on the network.  This could be caused by many different reasons.  Do you have multiple wireless networks at your home?  Does your router have both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and are they named the same?  Some routers aren't very good at switching between bands so this could cause an issue.  I would suggest factory resetting one of the chromecasts and setting it up from scratch to see if you can communicate with it.  

[CCFit67]

Yes i have verified they are all on the network. I’ve done a factory reset several times. Ive switched my phone to the 2.4 GHz band and set up the chrome cast and it still says cant “see” the device. Then I did a factory reset again and switched the phone to the 5 GHz band and get the same issue. I did the same thing with the IPad making sure the device is on the same GHz band as the chrome cast. We have a new internet provider. t-mobile home internet.  Don’t know if there’s a setting in the router i have to change that could be blocking the chrome cast?

[Ashepherdson]

It could be a router setting yes, you can take a look for some of the below ones. 

Enable: Multicast and Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

Disable: AP/client isolation, virtual private networks (VPNs), proxy servers, IGMP Proxy

If all that appears correct, I'm quickly approaching being stumped.  Can you tell me what you see on the tv screen with the Chromecast ?  What Chromecast do you own?

Do you have location services enabled on your phone? 

Can you tell me what colour the light on the Chromecast is and if it's steady,flashing?

[CCFit67]

I can see the ambient mode on the tv. Pictures are changing. I have model NC2-6A5. I’m looking into the network settings. Maybe try renaming just the 5 GHz band again. And ill check the settings you suggested as well. Thanks.

[Ashepherdson]

Okay so that's a second generation Chromecast, can you tell me the status of the light on it ?  The chart at the link below will help us know it's status 

"Chromecast LED light - Chromecast Help" https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/6291385#zippy=%2Cfor-chromecast-nd-gen-chromecast-rd-ge...

[CCFit67]

It’s solid white

[Ashepherdson]

Okay that's a good sign, probably one of the settings I mentioned above, let me know when you have a chance to check on those, as well as location services on your phone.  

[CCFit67]

Yes…made sure location was enabled on all devices. Checking the other settings.

[Ashepherdson]

I did a search and found many with similar issues to you. 

https://community.t-mobile.com/tv-home-internet-7/google-chromecasts-and-other-streaming-issues-3531...

Looks like it may be the t mobile router that is the culprit.  Some people suggested that turning off band seperation was a fix.  

[CCFit67]

Yes, i couldn’t see any of the settings in the router that you mentioned. No vpns or proxies. This is a simple router with simple settings. I renamed the bands and tried setting up the chrome cast again and got the same error message “chrome cast has been set up but cant be found”. I’ll try shutting off the band separation. Hopefully that’ll work. Otherwise I’ll be placing an angry call to t-mobile! : )

[CCFit67]

So it doesn’t appear that i can turn off band separation with this router. One person in the thread suggested plugging an external Wi-Fi into tmobiles gateway. Nobody should have to do that just to use a chrome cast! Hopefully T-Mobile with address this issue. Thanks anyway for all your help.

[Ashepherdson]

Not a worry, I'm sorry I couldn't get this solved for you!  Please let me know if you have any other questions I can troubleshoot with you.  

[Googuser]

I have nothing to do with T-mobile but also also stated experiencing the same issue with my Gen-1 this week. Everything else in the forum describe my issues accurately. In fact T-mobile doesn't even operate in my country. I bet this is something to do with a bug in Chromecast or the app

[CCFit67]

I've wondered that myself since my Roku works fine on the network. Maybe I should submit a bug report. 

[Ashepherdson]

CcFit67 -. You said both you and your husband have pixels right?  Try creating a hotspot with one pixel, and use that as your "network" ..connect the chromecast to that hotspot , same with your second pixel.. if it works and they can communicate then you can confirm it's the t mobile router that is giving you the trouble 

[CCFit67]

Good idea.will try that when I get home tonight. Will update with the results.

[CCFit67]

Well what do you know.....I connected to the Chromecast and could see the cast icon in the Google TV app. I could cast my screen and everything!

Totally a fault with TMobile router!!

So I did a little experiment and changed the SSID and password on the TMobile router to match the SSID and password on the Pixel hotspot. The Chromecast connected and I see the ambient mode on the tv changing pictures. But when I went back to the Google tv app to try to cast something, the cast icon disappeared!!!!

What the heck is going on inside of T-Mobiles home internet routers? Is there a feud with Google TV and they're blocking it or something??

[Ashepherdson · Accepted solution]

It's either being blocked, or there's AP isolation going on.   I mean a work around would be to add your own router , then there would be no issue.  Personally I hate the routers that ISPs provide , and have been using my own for years with no issue.  I know this is an extra cost, but may be worth it to avoid the headache of having to speak to customer service at t mobile 🙂

[CCFit67]

Totally agree! I've not experienced a router that limits so much of what you can change as much as this TMobile router. 

I still may raise the issue with them because this shouldn't be happening.

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions!

[Jeran]

Hey there!

It looks like Ashepherdson was able to help out CCFit67, so I'm locking the thread. As always, feel free to make a new thread if you have any more questions or concerns.

Thank you for your all of your help on this, Asheperdson!

Best regards,
Jeran