The Netgear Push2TV PTV3000 is a small device that allows you to wirelessly display your Android device to an HDTV. With the new version of Push2TV, the PTV3000 supports Miracast which is what allows your Android screen to Beam its screen to the TV. Besides Android devices you can also mirror your laptop screen to allow using it on the big screen.
Using the device is rather easy as you connect the Push2TV unit to the TV via an HDMI cable (not included with the unit) and power it using the mini USB port of the device either to your TV or a wall adapter. The Push2TV unit supports any laptop that allows Intel’s Wireless Display (or WiDi) and Android devices with Wi-Fi Direct and Miricast. Keep in mind that most newer Android devices support this since Miricast is integrated into Android 4.2. We tested the unit with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4.
Netgear Push2TV PTV3000 Design
The Push2TV unit is very small with nothing more than an LED, HDMI port, miniUSB port and a button for changing the mode of the device. Unlike the previous model you can plug this device directly into a TV USB port to power it and it does not require an adapter. You can however plug the device into a wall adapter and keep it powered that way as well. The small form and smooth black design makes it a nice looking accessory.
Netgear Push2TV PTV3000 Setup
When you first get the Push2TV unit you will have some required setup and the first thing you will have to do is update its firmware. This process can be a little tricky for those that aren’t tech davy but not too bad just the same. You can refer to the video below to find out how to upgrade the Netgear Push2TV Firmware but the process is as follows:
Download the Push2TV Firmware from Netgear
- Push and hold the button on the side of the device for 5-7 seconds until the LED starts flashing
- Connect to the Push2TV unit via your computers wireless connections
- Open a browser and visit 192.168.3.1
- From there you can select the file you downloaded and update the firmware
Viewing your Smartphone on an HDTV
As we stated earlier if your device runs Android 4.2 or newer your device should be supported. Each device will however have different ways of connecting to the Push2TV unit due to the different skins that are laid over the Android OS based on manufacturer and carrier. We have demoed the connection process on the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the video below as well as the quality of the Push2TV device.
Netgear Push2TV PTV3000 Features & Quality
The Push2TV unit really has its one main feature and that is mirroring your laptop or Android device on your HDTV screen. I do have to say that its a very smooth process although the one drawback on mobile devices is its internet connection. Since the unit creates a peer-to-peer connection you will still be able to use the internet via Wifi although it will decrease your bandwidth a bit. When you are within 10-15 feet of the unit the quality is as good as any wired connection. When we backed up to around 20 feet there was a slight degradation in video quality although not enough to make a big difference.
Final Thoughts on the Push2TV PTV3000
Other than the small issue of Netflix having to buffer a few times before playing smoothly and a light decrease in internet speeds its a pretty handy accessory. Just make sure that you update the firmware first thing and everything seems to be smooth. We focused on connecting mobile devices to the unit and never ran into an issue. This being said the connection to laptops seems to be less reliable but still rather stable. The Push2TV unit is around $100 so isn’t the cheapest way to mirror your device but it is the most convenient and useful.