Wireless projection over existing Wi-Fi networks
It has been observed that in 90 per cent of cases, when a user launches a wireless projection stream, the device they are using is already connected to an existing Wi-Fi network, whether in a home or business. To that end, Microsoft extended the ability to send Miracast streams over a local network rather than over a direct wireless link in the Windows 10 Creators Update.
Wireless projection over existing Wi-Fi networks has several advantages:
This solution leverages existing connections to significantly reduce the projection time of content.
Instead of managing two simultaneous connections (a Wi-Fi connection and a Wi-Fi direct connection, both to the receiver), the computer gets only half the maximum bandwidth each.
Using an existing connection simplifies the work that wireless devices need to perform, which both improves reliability and provides a very stable flow.
The user does not have to change the way they connect to the receiver because they use the same UX (as shown in Figure 2-4).
If the connection is trusted, Windows will choose to project over an existing connection only if the connection is over an Ethernet or secure Wi-Fi network.
No changes are required to the wireless drivers or hardware on the computer.
This also applies to older wireless hardware that is not optimized for Miracast on Wi-Fi Direct.
Windows automatically detects when the recipient supports this feature and will send the video stream over the existing network path if applicable.