Don't trust people with your Wi-Fi password? No worries -- Chromecast gets guest mode

People that know me, know that I am socially awkward. I am useless at a party, and overall, face-to-face human interaction just escapes me. Suffice to say, computers give me an outlet -- I am rather suave on IRC, you see. As a result, I don't have many friends, but regarding the ones I do have, I refuse to give them my Wi-Fi password. These aren't new friends either; I have known some more than 20 years. Quite frankly, I share the password with the family members in my home under protest.

While not everyone is as odd as me, I know I am not alone. Surely there are other nerds that view friends and family with access to the network as weak-links in the security chain. In other words, I don't want some malware-infested machine touching my precious home network. Apparently, Google knows of my woes, as today, the search-giant announces guest mode for Chromecast.

"You're having friends over and before you know it, a battle has ensued in your living room over who can show the funniest YouTube video. Now, it's even easier for your friends to cast to your TV without first having to connect to your WiFi. With the new guest mode feature, anyone with an Android device can cast to your TV as long as they're in the same room", says Jagjit Chawla, Product Manager, Google.

Chawla further explains, "to set up guest mode for your Chromecast, open the Chromecast app on your Android phone or tablet and select 'Devices' from the navigation drawer. Choose your Chromecast device, tap the 'Guest mode' setting and then turn the slider to 'on'. This update is rolling out starting today. Just make sure your Chromecast app is up to date on your Android phone or tablet. To learn more about this feature, visit chromecast.com/guestmode".

Sadly, iOS is not compatible with this new guest mode; it is an Android-only affair for now. Google shares the following:

• Guest mode is only available for Android devices running Android 4.3 (JB MR2) or higher.
• Guest mode is an opt-in feature that you can choose to turn off any time from the Chromecast device settings. You can access and manage (turn on or off) guest mode from the Chromecast app on your Android device.
• You need to be connected to the same WiFi network as your Chromecast in order to set up or manage guest mode settings.
• Guest mode settings will be reset when you perform a Factory Data Reset (FDR) on your Chromecast.

Do you plan on utilizing guest mode? Tell me in the comments.

Photo Credit: PathDoc / Shutterstock