Getting Started with Wireless Display Mirroring for Windows 10

Getting started with Windows 10 wireless display mirroring in your classroom

Wireless screen mirroring is the final piece in the puzzle to untether the teacher from the desk at the front of the classroom. Much has been said about flipped learning and moving away from the factory model of teaching, but unless you can get the technology right, none of that will work.

This guide will walk you through everything you need and outline all the pitfalls to get wireless screen mirroring with Windows 10 in your classroom.

What is wireless screen mirroring?

Wireless screen mirroring is the ability to mirror the display from your laptop or tablet to an external screen or projector without cables. This allows the teacher to move around the classroom instead of being tethered to the front desk.

You might use a camera to display students work on the classroom screen, allow a student to edit a document from their desk, or connect their own device to the screen at the front of the room to share something they are working on.

Screen mirroring has been available on iPad for several years. It’s only recently that this has become a viable option on Windows 10 devices.

What do you need for screen mirroring in Windows 10?

There are two things you need to get Windows 10 screen mirroring up and running in your classroom?

A computer running Windows 10 with Miracast support.
A wireless display adapter that supports Miracast.

To use wireless screen mirroring your Windows 10 laptop or tablet needs to support Miracast, which is an industry-standard wireless mirroring protocol. Most modern Windows 10 computers, including Microsoft Surface, support Miracast as standard, so if your computer is new, you’re good to go.

Wireless Display FAQ

How can I check that my computer supports Miracast?

Most modern Windows 10 laptops and tablets, including all models of Microsoft Surface, support Miracast as standard. But if you’re not sure you can check if your device supports it by doing the following:

Select the Windows Start button and open the Connect app.

The Connect app will confirm if your Windows 10 computer allows screen mirroring.

What is a wireless display adapter?

The wireless display adapter connects to the HDMI socket of your classroom screen or projector and receives the image from your Windows 10 computer.

Can I use screen mirroring if my computer doesn’t support Miracast?

Don’t worry, hope is not lost. If your Windows 10 computer doesn’t support Miracast, you can buy a Miracast dongle to add the hardware required. It’s not as graceful a solution as having it built in, but it will get you up and running without having to buy a new computer.

What if I don’t have Windows 10?

Screen mirroring is baked into Windows 10 and Window 8.1 as standard. So, you don’t need to install any additional apps or software as long as you have the hardware to support it.

If your computer is running Windows 7 or Windows 8, you can still use wireless screen mirroring, but you may require additional software provided by your wireless display adapter manufacturer.

Can I use touch input or draw on my screen and send that back to my Windows 10 computer?

Yes. Windows 10 supports touch feedback during screen mirroring if your touchscreen and wireless display adapter also supports it.

We recommend using the ActionTec Screenbeam display adapter listed below for this.

How do I know if my screen supports touch?

To support wireless touch your screen needs to be able to receive/send touch input via USB.

Can I wirelessly display my screen on another Windows 10 computer?

Yes, but that’s a post for another time!

How do I know if my screen or projector supports wireless screen mirroring?

You need a free HDMI socket, and that’s it:

Types of wireless screen mirroring

There are two types of screen mirroring that you’ll come across, each with their own pros and cons.

The first is direct or point-to-point screen mirroring, which is the cheapest and easiest to get started with.

The second is infrastructure screen mirroring, which is more complicated, and costly, but provides a more scalable and manageable solution.

I’ve outlined the difference between the two options below to help you choose the best solution for your situation and school.

Direct Wireless Screen Mirroring

Direct (or point-to-point) wireless screen mirroring creates a direct connection between your Windows 10 computer and a wireless display adapter plugged into the screen. This is the easiest and quickest way to get up and running with screen mirroring in your classroom but can provide a less consistent connection.

Pros

Cheap to get started
Easy to set up
Can be easily moved between screens
Can be used easily by students & guests

Cons

Can be affected by high Wi-Fi use
Difficult to manage multiple devices
Limited range
Difficult to secure

Infrastructure Wireless Screen Mirroring

Infrastructure wireless mirroring connects your Windows 10 computer to your screen via your school’s WiFi connection.

Pros

Provides more reliable connection
Allows you to connect over a greater distance
Can be supported by your IT team
Easy to manage multiple devices
Multiple ways to secure

Cons

Cannot be easily moved between screens
Cannot be easily used by students or guests
Higher cost

What hardware do you need?

If you’ve checked that your Windows 10 device supports Miracast (see the FAQ above), the final thing you need is wireless display adapter. This is the hardware that plugs into the HDMI socket of your display screen or projector.

Depending on the option you’ve chosen, a range of different adapters are available.

Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter

Direct connection only

The official Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter is the easiest and cheapest way to get started with screen mirroring with Windows 10 in your classroom.

Pros

Low cost
Easy to setup and use
USB powered or optional power from wall socket
Easy to move between classrooms
Official support from Microsoft

Cons

Heavy Wifi use can cause interference
Easily stolen
Struggles with 4K
Doesn’t support touch feedback
Security cannot be centrally managed

Find prices on Amazon

Find prices on Microsoft Store

Screenbeam 1000 Edu

Screenbeam with a third-party Miracast adapter. It’s designed to be installed in large numbers and has a range of management options.

Direct and infrastructure connections supported

Pros

Consistent image, even with video
Can be centrally managed
Easy to setup and use
Powered by wall socket
Supports up to 4K
Supports Android, iPad, Mac
Uses industry standard Miracast
Self manages wireless frequencies

Cons

Expensive
Complicated configuration
Not easy to take with you

Find prices on Amazon

ScreenBeam Transmitter

If your laptop doesn’t have the hardware to support wireless screen mirroring, rather than buy a new laptop, you can purchase a Miracast transmitter.

Pros

Enables wireless mirroring on devices without the hardware to support it

Cons

Additional cost
Requires additional software

Find prices on Amazon

How to connect to your wireless display adapter

Once you’ve got all your hardware in place, how do you connect to your screen from Windows 10?

Open the Windows 10 Action Center, by either swiping in from the right of the screen or clicking the Action Center button at the bottom right of the screen.
Click Connect.
Your wireless display adapter will appear in the list. Click it to connect.

Allow mouse, keyboard, touch and pen input from your screen

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If you’re connecting to an interactive touchscreen or projector, you can enable the touch input and pen from the screen to be sent back to your Windows 10 computer by following these steps:

Open the Windows 10 Action Center, by either swiping in from the right of the screen or clicking the Action Center button at the bottom right of the screen.
Click Connect.
Tick the Allow mouse, keyboard, touch and pen input from this device box.

Duplicate or Extend?

Using the

Open the Windows 10 Action Center, by either swiping in from the right of the screen or clicking the Action Center button at the bottom right of the screen.

Click Project.
Choose the display option you need:

PC screen only
Only show the display on your Windows 10 device.

Duplicate
Show the same display on both your Windows 10 device and the wireless screen.

Extend
Show a different but connected desktops on your Windows 10 device and the wireless screen.

Second screen only
Turn off the display on your Windows 10 device but show the display on your wireless screen.

How to disconnect from your wireless screen

To disconnect from your wireless display:

Open the Windows 10 Action Center, by either swiping in from the right of the screen or clicking the Action Center button at the bottom right of the screen.
Click Connect.
Click Disconnect.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Miracast?

Miracast is an industry standard wireless display technology that creates a point-to-point connection between the source device and the display.

Why use Miracast?

Miracast has broad adoption across most device manufacturers and operating systems. This means that when you change your device, you’ll still be able to use the same wireless display adapter.

Can I connect to two displays at once?

No. Currently Miracast only allows for connection to a single screen.

Can my students connect to my display?

Yes. If your wireless display adapter’s security is appropriately configured your students will also be able to wirelessly connect to your screen.

Can I connect iPads to my Miracast wireless display?

No. iPhoneOS and iPadOS devices (including iPads and iPhones) do not support Miracast.

Can I connect Macbook or iMac to my Miracast wireless display?

Yes. MacOS X supports Miracast.

How far away from the screen can you get?

Point-to-point Miracast connections are limited to approximately 10m, depending on the structure of your classroom.

Infrastructure connections are only limited by the range of your schools wireless network.

Battery life when wireless screen mirroring

Screen mirroring can have a significant impact on battery life.

Stay up to date!

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Did I miss anything?

If you have a question about wireless display mirroring which you didn’t find an answer for here, let me know in the comments so I can update the article!