I’ve never been comfortable logging into streaming services on a hotel or Airbnb TV. My alternative for watching our favorite shows on a big screen is traveling with a 10-foot HDMI cable and a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter for directly connecting our mobile devices to an unfamiliar TV. Belkin’s wireless HDMI adapter will let me leave that cumbersome mess at home.
Wireless video streaming is already baked into Apple and Android devices through AirPlay and Google Cast, but using those features away from home requires access to a compatible TV or streaming box and a reliable Wi-Fi network. If all I used a shared TV for while traveling was watching our favorite shows, a compact HDMI dongle from Roku or Amazon would be the easiest solution. But my family likes to browse the day’s photos on a big screen, collectively plan our next adventure, and even play a few games. For our needs, the ConnectAir is a welcome upgrade over wrangling a long video cable that has, on more than one occasion, been a tripping hazard.
It’s not a perfect solution, but the few compromises are easy to overlook given how easy the $149.99 ConnectAir is to use. Setting up the wireless video adapter was even easier than using AirPlay or Google Cast. It comes with a transmitter dongle, roughly the size of a wireless earbuds charging case, that you can plug into any device with a USB-C port that supports the DisplayPort Alt Mode. (No, the Nintendo Switch isn’t compatible.)
The ConnectAir also comes with a 28-inch receiver cable featuring an HDMI connector on one end and a USB-A connector on the other for power. Most hotel rooms, or at least those that have been upgraded sometime in the past 15 years, should have a TV with a USB port on the back that can power HDMI accessories. I haven’t encountered one that doesn’t, but if you find yourself trying to connect to a TV from the early 2000s without one you will need to find an alternate source of power for the receiver. That will complicate your setup if it requires a separate power adapter and a USB-extension cable if an available outlet is farther than 28 inches away.
Once both are connected to their respective devices the transmitter and receiver need about five seconds to automatically connect and start wirelessly sharing video at a resolution of up to 1080p/60Hz. I used the ConnectAir to watch several hours of movies and TV shows on Netflix and Disney Plus and despite the step down from 4K the video quality was very good, with only the subtlest signs of added compression and color loss.
The video streaming was also rock solid within a certain range. I don’t live in a sprawling mansion and wasn’t able to test Belkin’s claims of the ConnectAir having a 131-foot range. But I was able to get about 60 feet away from a TV, with the signal passing through a floor and a wall before video playback would occasionally start to hiccup or briefly pause.
That 131-foot range might be possible if you’re using the ConnectAir to present a slideshow on a projector on the other side of a large conference room without any obstacles. Keeping the transmitter and receiver in the same room will give you the best results at home, but it’s nice to know they don’t always have to stay in each other’s line of sight to work.
You’ll find buttons on both the transmitter and receiver for resetting the wireless connection should you run into issues, but I haven’t had to use either yet. The HDMI receiver will also show a static image on the TV when not connected to the transmitter, making it easier to find the device when cycling through the TV’s inputs.
Being limited to 1080p isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but after streaming a two-hour movie the ConnectAir’s transmitter dongle was almost too hot to touch. I wouldn’t be comfortable throwing it in a bag without a cooldown period. There’s also a tiny bit of lag between what you see on your device and the wirelessly connected TV. It’s not an issue for casual gaming, but I wouldn’t recommend playing Fortnite with this setup.
My biggest complaint with the ConnectAir is the lack of power passthrough on the transmitter. It draws all the power it needs from your device, which is going to drain its battery even faster. On a laptop you’ll have other ports to connect a power source to, but mobile devices only have a single USB-C port. If you want to charge your mobile device while streaming to a TV with the ConnectAir, you’ll need to add a small hub to the mix, or pair your phone with a wireless power bank.
The ConnectAir is certainly not a cheaper alternative to schlepping a long HDMI cable wherever you go, and you can find wireless alternatives from Belkin’s competitors like Ugreen (that include a power passthrough port!) for under $100. What I like about Belkin’s solution is that even with an extra power adapter to connect to older TVs, I still find it a more convenient and portable solution than an HDMI cable stretched across a room. The ConnectAir is easy to use, it’s reliable, and there’s no risk of TVs and devices accidentally crashing to the ground should someone walking by forget it’s plugged in.
Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge
