Apps unable to detect Chromecast until Nest WiFi Pro rebooted

[mamono]

Hello, I’m having an issue were periodically the Chromecast dongles are not detectable in Chromecast enabled apps (YouTube & Netflix) unless we reboot the Nest WiFi Pro mesh wireless network.  The Chromecast dongles are accessible from the Google Home app and I can interact with the Chromecast dongles from the Google Home app be changing settings and even get Chromecast dongles to enable cast to Sling, even though we don’t use Sling. But, all apps that we use are unable to detect the Chromecast dongles when we select the chromecast icon.  Chromecast dongles become detectable after Nest Wifi Pro mesh network is rebooted.  Google Home app can reach the Chromecast dongles, but Chromecast enabled apps cannot. I know this js not a WiFi signal issue because both Chromecast dongles are well within full signal of the nearest Nest WiFi Pro AP. Both Chromecast dongles (System firmware version: 275994
, Cast firmware: 1.56.275994) and the Nest WiFi Pro APs (Model: G6ZUC
, Software version: 3.73.406133) are on the latest software version available to them.

I suspect, but am unable to prove this at this time that the Near WiFi Pro mesh network is not allowing the Chromecast dongles to broadcast the multicast protocol for Discovery. The reason why I believe this is because the only affected change to resolve this issue that we’ve been dealing with is a reboot of the Nest WiFi Pro mesh network/APs.  We would like a more permanent solution.

I also suspect this may affect Ring cameras because they drop offline periodically since we upgraded from the original Google Wifi to the Nest WiFi Pro, though this issue is much more rare than the Chromecast issue. Neither of these issues ever happened on the original Google WiFi.

[nerys]

Hi mamono,

Thanks for posting in the community!

I understand it can be frustrating when your apps can't detect your Chromecast.. To assist you better, I just have a few questions.

• Which type of Chromecast do you have (e.g., Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, etc.)?
• Have you tried connecting the Chromecast directly to your modem instead of using the mesh network?
• What kind of device are you using to cast (tablet, phone, laptop)?

Once I have this information, I can provide some useful steps to help you resolve the issue.

Best regards,

Nery.

[mamono]

Chromecast 2nd Gen (System firmware version: 275994
, Cast firmware: 1.56.275994)
Nest WiFi Pro APs (Model: G6ZUC
, Software version: 3.73.406133)

Apple iPhones 11 Pro (MWA52LL/A)
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPad 9th gen (MK2K3LL/A)
Apple iPad 6th gen

I have 2 Chromecast 2nd gen dongles that are the same generation and software, I bought them at the same time, one in the office and one in my son's room. Both drop offline though they may not always be offline at the same time, sometimes one or sometimes both.  Network restart of the Nest WiFi Pro usually brings them back online.  Which is why I suspect the multicast discovery protocol is being blocked or truncated.

We have a Chromecast enabled Sony HDTV and it is always online and reachable from all Chromecast enabled apps.  We always see the Google mini and Amazon Echo Shows from Chromecast enabled apps as well, so we know for certain the Chromecast enabled apps are seeing devices on the network.  The problem is strictly isolated to the Chromecast 2nd gen dongles.  Rebooting the Chromecast 2nd gen dongles from the Google Home app does not always make them reachable from Chromecast enabled apps, once in a while it does but not always.  Sure fire way to bring everything back online is to reboot/restart the Nest WiFi Pro network, but I cannot always keep rebooting/restarting the Nest WiFi Pro network all the time because we work from home.

[nerys]

Hi mamono,

Thanks for your response and all the information you've shared with me! Here are some steps we can try to take to solve this:

• If you haven't tried this, you can try to unplug the power cable from the Chromecast device and leave it unplugged for one minute. After that, plug the power cable back in.
• Restart your phone.
• If you are using a dual band, try to connect the Chromecast to the 2.4 GHz band. Also, make sure the Chromecast is within 15 to 20 feet of the WiFi router or point.
• Try to factory reset the Chromecast.

Hopefully, taking these steps might solve this situation. If you have more questions for me, feel free to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist further.

Best regards,

Nery.

[mamono]

• If you haven't tried this, you can try to unplug the power cable from the Chromecast device and leave it unplugged for one minute. After that, plug the power cable back in. We’ve tired this and it only resolves the problem sometimes, probably 1:3 tries.
• Restart your phone. We’ve tried this before and it is pointless when same symptom across multiple devices and different apps (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu), phones and iPads are not the problem. All while our Sony HDTV remains discoverable on ChromeCast.
• If you are using a dual band, try to connect the Chromecast to the 2.4 GHz band. Also, make sure the Chromecast is within 15 to 20 feet of the WiFi router or point. Office ChromeCast is within 6 feet of the primary AP and 10 feet of a secondary AP.  Son’s ChromeCast is within 15 feet of two different AP’s.
• Try to factory reset the Chromecast. Factory resetting the ChromeCast each and every time is not a viable option. Yes, factory reset will make the device discoverable for a while but the problem will always come back.

None of these suggestions provide a permanent fix.

[nerys]

Hi mamono,

Thanks for your response and for taking time to troubleshoot these devices! I'm so sorry to hear that all the steps I sent are just offering a temporary solution. 

To provide you with the most personalized support, my team will be contacting you via email as soon as possible. They'll explore more possible solutions and work together to find a permanent fix. You just need to fill out this form.

In the meantime, if you have more questions, feel free to reply to this email.

Best regards,

Nery.

[nerys]

Hello again,

We haven’t seen your form submission come through. Were you able to access it okay? Let me know if you’re running into trouble or still need our help!

If you have more questions for me, feel free to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist further.

Best regards,

Nery.

[RPhTom]

I also have this exact same issue with my 2nd gen Chromecasts and Nest Wifi Pro. Google Homes is able to detect the Chromecast devices but I am unable to detect the Chromecast devices when trying to cast from any apps. When trying to reset the Chromecast device and connections, it gets stuck near the final steps. Only solution is to restart my Nest Wifi Pro. This is a huge inconvenience and not always practical. I am also working from home and others require wifi for streaming TV. Google's Nest Wifi Pro seems to be a step back in utility and compatability. Especially for older devices that run off 2.4ghz band (Sonos Arc, HP printer).

[nerys]

Hi RPhTom,

Thanks for your reply in this thread!

I'm so sorry to hear that you're experiencing the same situation. Have you checked and done the steps mentioned above?

• If you haven't tried this, you can try to unplug the power cable from the Chromecast device and leave it unplugged for one minute. After that, plug the power cable back in.
• Restart your phone.
• If you are using a dual band, try to connect the Chromecast to the 2.4 GHz band. Also, make sure the Chromecast is within 15 to 20 feet of the WiFi router or point.

I hope this helps!. If you have more questions for me, feel free to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist further.

Best regards,

Nery.

[RPhTom]

Hi Nerys,

Yes I have tried the steps mentioned near the top of the thread. I have also tried unplugging, powering down and restarting my devices (Chromecast, phones, then router). As stated above, the only solution so far has been to restart the Nest Wifi Pro router. To my knowledge and research, there isn't a way to select only a 2.4 GHz band on the Nest Wifi Pro (besides the hack of: using my mobile Hotspot, selecting the 2.4 GHz band for the Hotspot, renaming that Hotspot to the same network name as my Nest Wifi Pro, assigning the exact password for the Hotspot as the Nest Wifi Pro, then go through the set up process for the device that needs set up). Previous process was extremely tedious to get a "2.4 GHz band" available to work. The other "solution" of walking out of my house just so a device will lose 6 GHz and 5 GHz bands just to pick up the 2.4 GHz band isn't reasonable either. At that point, it's just easier to restart the network from the Google Home app. If there is not a reasonable fix to this, I am most likely going to return the Nest Wifi Pro and go with another product that has easier access to 2.4 GHz band.

[nerys]

Hi there,

Thanks for your reply!

I'm so sorry to hear that all the steps mentioned above are not fixing this situation permanently. 

As mentioned previously, it would be great if you filled out this form. My team will be contacting you via email to discuss some important details. You'll work with them to find some possible solutions for this situation. 

In the meantime, if you have more questions for me, feel free to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist further.

Best regards,

Nery.

[Fccdaytongirl]

Crazy enough, mine did it again today. Tried to restart the chromecast, forget and sign in again to our nest WiFi pro... only solution that worked was to restart the nest. Like you said, it's really inconvenient. Still waiting for a permanent fix from Google. 

[Fccdaytongirl]

Following bc this is my exact issue too.

[Cyberdan]

I have the same issue now that I upgraded from Google Wifi to Google Wifi pro. I upgraded because after years of them working perfectly the wifi points progressively required restarts more often until it was required muliple times a day which my kids blamed on me! Upgrading resolved that issue, but now the chromcasts become unavailable for selection and the kids are now blaming me for that 🤣. This thread suggests I'm not alone. How can we influence Google to genuinely nvestigate the issue rather than have a community member repeatedly ask us tp provide a whole lot of details just to later advise us to unplug, restart use 2.4 GHz band.