Why does my Chromecast / Google TV keep needing setting up again?

The short answer

The cast button simply disappears, with no explanation of why. Repeated re-pairing nearly always means the gadget is losing its place on the network, not that it is faulty.

What's happening underneath

Small Wi-Fi client, often tucked behind the TV inside a metal shadow. Keep with the household phones.

Source: Manufacturer documentation

Try these, in this order

• • Put the phone and the Chromecast on the same Wi-Fi name.
• • Turn off any isolation or guest setting on the router.
• • Use the HDMI extender cable in the box so the dongle isn't buried behind the TV.
• • Check the signal where the gadget actually lives, not where you're standing.
• • Move the router off the floor and out of any cupboard before buying anything.
• • Put the gadget and your phone on the same Wi-Fi name.
• • Restart the gadget before the router — it is quicker and it fixes more.

Setting it up again properly

• • Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
• • Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
• • If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
• • Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.

When it's worth spending money

Rarely needed — this is almost always a network setting, not a signal problem.