Airtame Wireless HDMI Streaming Dongle Review

Airtame Features

Wireless capabilities

Airtame comes with dual-band wireless networking built-in. It supports WPA2-Enterprise security as well as uploading of certificates. The device isn’t large and the wireless antennas are internal. That’s naturally a thing that can have an impact on the performance. A good performance requires a good reception, that’s a given. The included HDMI extender can help with this too. TVs and monitors can easily create a blockade for wireless signals, but you can place the Airtame away from the device with the included cable.

Wireless doesn’t always mean without a wire

Airtame has built-in WiFi and that is the general idea and intended usage. But it isn’t limited to your wireless network. Wireless networks can have coverage issues and be prone to interference, my apartment is a perfect example of this. For situations like those, the team came up with an Ethernet adapter for the Airtame. With it, you get the option to stream video signals from any system connected to your network, whether it’s wired or wireless.

Adding Ethernet to the equation opens up another option. Power over Ethernet (PoE). By using a PoE adapter, you can connect and power the Airtame with a single cable. And that’s really when the ideas of usage situations start to pop into one’s head. While the Airtame itself becomes cabled with such a setup, the video connection itself isn’t. After all, this isn’t a wireless network adapter, it’s an Airtame.

Don’t limit yourself, think big

You aren’t limited to share your computer screen to a single Airtame. Large auditoriums might need more than one display or maybe you’re using them as digital signage devices and want the same content streamed to multiple monitors. All that is no problem with Airtame as you can stream to multiple Airtame’s from a single source.

Airtame offers up a lot of options, at least in my mind. Just think of the possibilities when you have a huge server running, full of VMs for your various needs. Distribute Airtame devices throughout your organisation and suddenly you got options you didn’t think were possible without custom created solutions.

But the main intentions is probably this. Imagine you walk into a room where you have to hold a presentation. You open your laptop and press start. That’s all. Your system is connected and you can start your presentation on the screens within the room. You can then focus on yourself and the delivery instead of fumbling for HDMI cables in order to connect to the monitor or projector.

Go Smart instead of black

What do most monitors do when there isn’t a system connected? That right, they go black. With an Airtime, that doesn’t need to happen. It can display KPI dashboards, your custom images, public websites, or social walls. This is also the feature which could allow for general information display throughout an apartment store, hotel, airport, or similar. It could run digital signage and show your latest offers, just show your homepage, or run videos. In the end, it’s up to your imagination what you’ll be using Airtame for.

The overlay can be turned off too, so you don’t need to worry about it blocking your content.

Central management from the cloud

The team behind Airtame also built a central management cloud system which is free to use. With it, you can troubleshoot all your devices from a single location, and even when you are offsite. The central management system allows you to change and configure all aspects of your Airtame with one exception: The wireless settings can’t be changed remotely and that’s an intended feature.

An HDMI device which isn’t limited to HDMI devices

HDMI is a standard and there aren’t a lot of monitors out there which don’t have an HDMI port available. However, there is nothing to worry about if that is the case for you. You can use DVI or VGA adapters with Airtame and still enjoy all its benefits. Well, nearly all. There is the natural limitation of DVI and VGA which don’t offer audio throughput. So you’ll lose that ability when using an adapter. Most usage situations for the Airtame won’t require audio which more or less eliminates it as a problem.

Flexible with the power

Technically, the Airtame is a tiny computer and it does require power to run. But it requires so little power that it is very flexible in that regard. The device has a USB port for power which allows you to connect and power it directly through your monitor. At least if your monitor can deliver 1A or more on the USB port. If not, then you can use the included adapter, allowing you to power it from any outlet.

The last option is in combination with an Ethernet adapter. You can add a POE adapter to the mix and both power it and connect it through a single cable linked to your PoE switch.