Actiontec From Best Buy Replacing HDMI Cables with Wireless

Disclaimer: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Actiontec MyWirelessTV 2 and ScreenBeam Mini2

One thing I hate is wires and cables all over the place. It doesn’t matter how neat my office is, if there are wires and cables strung everywhere, it makes my office look messy. 

So I love anything wireless. Plus, we’re a very high tech family and love the idea of seamless streaming — the Actiontec My WirelessTV2 and the ScreenBeam Mini2 is our answer to both. I recently received both products and love how easy they were to set up.

Enjoy Brilliant HD Without the Wires

Actiontec MyWirelessTV2

Actiontec MyWirelessTV2 Wireless

Hooking up the Actiontec MyWirelessTV2 was extremely simple. I hooked up the power and HDMI cable to the receiver and plugged it in to an available HDMI input on my television. I then hooked up the transmitter to my source, a PC laptop, also using a power supply and a provided HDMI cable.

Wireless Actiontec MyWirelessTV 2 Setup

Within seconds the screen popped up on the TV, it really doesn’t get any easier than this. I also tried using it with a small projector, and the response was the same – a solid connection that worked on first hookup.

There is also a built in IR control relay from the receiver back to the transmitter. You just have to connect the provided IR cables accordingly, and the received IR remote signal from the receiver is sent back to the source for control.

This would allow you to hide the source (cable box, etc.) from the display and make for a much neater setup. This would work great for a wall mounted flat screen, since you would naturally want to point the remote at the TV itself.

Performance of the wireless pair was better than expected – there was no lag, and a sweeping full screen video played without any detectable jerkiness.

Also, it might be good to note that both audio and video is transmitted over the wireless HDMI connection, making it a truly one stop solution for remote displays.

MyWirelessTV 2 replaces messy HDMI cables with the convenience of wireless, so you can install an HDTV anywhere you want.  Now it’s possible to connect your television to your set top box without having to use an obtrusive cable. You get the flexibility to network your home exactly how you want to, without investing in an expensive wiring project, or string wires throughout your hallways. Trust me, I LOVE that last part. 

Wireless Display for Travelers: Realize the full power of your existing phone, tablet, or laptop

ScreenBeam Mini2

Actiontec ScreenBeam Mini2 Wireless

 

While I have used Apple’s Airplay many times, I had not used Intel WiDi products in the past. But I was anxious to try, and having received the ScreenBeam Mini2 I knew this was a perfect opportunity. Setting up the receiver itself was simple – just plug it in to an available HDMI port on your TV, then supply some power to it via the included power supply.

Wireless Actiontec ScreenBeam Mini2 Setup

Now, the stick is slightly wider than the typical HDMI cable, so if your setup is like mine you may have to use the provided cable to fit the connection in place. But if this is your only HDMi connection, you should find that space is not an issue. And while the stick itself is a bit long, most flat screens have downward facing ports for wall mounting purposes. You should find that in most circumstances the included cable is not even required.

After setting up the receiver I decided to try it with a laptop. This particular gaming computer had Windows 10, but I had to download the Intel WIDI driver. A simple google search gave me a link, and I ran the setup file. After installation I clicked on it, and selected the device to connect.

The device connected without issue, and soon I was streaming from the laptop to the TV without issue. It is nice that you can select to mirror or extend your Windows display to your TV as desired.

I also used the ScreenBeamMini2 with a small projector, and found that the experience was the same. As with the MyWirelessTV2 both Audio and video is transmitted to the remote device.

I did detect a slight lag during a full screen Netflix movie scene when the entire screen was moving. This went away when I took it off of full screen, and suspect it was more of an encoding issue on the laptop than the wireless display mechanics. Otherwise the combination worked great as a solution for throwing material from a laptop or mobile device onto a flatscreen or projector. 

Wireless streaming with Actiontec...

ScreenBeam Mini2 wireless display receiver gives you the power to wirelessly mirror anything from your phone or tablet onto your HDTV:  video & audio, pictures, apps, presentations, and much more. Use ScreenBeam Mini2 to share virtually any local or online content.

Beam movies, videos, music, games, applications, presentations, documents and more.  Enjoy better quality with a dedicated wireless connection directly to your HDTV!  You don’t need an existing Wi-Fi network or wireless router for ScreenBeam Mini2 to work.