The Chromecast streaming dongle and Google Home smart speaker are some of the most popular products in the California search engine giant. Although the products are popular, as they now became known they can also cause problems and cause temporary failures or malfunctions in some wireless routers.

An Error in Google’s Streaming Technique Google Cast is currently apparently creating Wi-Fi users around the world. According to a report by the techblog “Myce”, the problem occurs especially when a device with the current Android version 8.0 or 8.1 is active on the same network as one or more Google Cast devices. According to a report by the techblog “Myce”, the problem occurs especially when a device with the current Android version 8.0 or 8.1 is active on the same network as one or more Google Cast devices. For example, Android smartphones typically send a few small packets of data through the wireless network every 20 seconds to discover and connect to available Google Cast devices. However, the current versions of Android seem to show an unwanted behavior.

Many users of Asus, Linksys, Netgear, TP-Link and Synology routers recently complained of temporary signal outages, and it is now clear that Chromecast and Google Home are responsible. Google has now confirmed the first reported by Myce behavior against Google. However, the current versions of Android seem to show an unwanted behavior.

For in fact, according to “Myce”, the data packets normally sent would jam in idle state. However, as soon as such a device wakes up, it sends within a short time 100,000 or more of the so-called MDNS multicast discovery packets. The number is higher, the longer the device has remained in sleep mode, said an engineer of the router manufacturer TP-Link.

The consequence of this data outbreak is an overload of the router by Chromecast. Because its memory is literally flooded by the useless data packets, the router either shuts down its Internet connection or disconnects from devices connected via Wi-Fi. In some cases, it is enough to wait a bit for the router to recover from the overload, according to Myce. Often, just help restart the device to reconnect.

Basically the affected routers lose the connection for a certain (short) time, with some the connection breaks off completely. The problem has obviously been around for some time, the first reports about Chromecast were probably last October.

Try to connect

Recently, a technician from TP-Link presented and confirmed the problem. The FAQ of the router manufacturer states that this comes in particular when a Google Chromecast hardware is together with Android devices with the latest firmware version in a network. When a cast-enabled app, such as YouTube, wakes up from sleep mode, it sends packets to the network to discover and connect to a cast device.

These packages should be a few that are shipped every 20 seconds, which is not a problem. In recent Android versions, however, it comes to so-called “MDNS multicast discovery packets”, according to TP-Link can sometimes be more than 100,000 packets. The longer a device was in sleep mode, the more packets are sent out and ultimately the router temporarily stuns out.

Google has now confirmed the behavior and has stated that they are working on a solution for Chromecast issue and will provide it as soon as possible. Further details were not mentioned