TPCast Wireless Adapter for HTC VIVE - PC

*UPDATE* 4/10/19 after nearly a year use.This has been running without fail for a long time now, it seems as if things have matured. Vive Starts every time for at least 3 or 4 months now.Original Post---Many of you (like myself at one point shortly ago) were wondering if this wireless device is worth it. I am here to answer that question for you.Concerning the green light on the edge of the lens. This is nearly a non issue. It is there, but barely visible if there is a dark screen such as during loading times. It is COMPLETELY invisible during game play. In fact it was days and days of use before I even noticed it. Do not let this be a factor in you decision. A non issue.Concerning the “whine” coming from the transmitter. I have none. Not at all. I am not sure if this is newly fixed or a random event that some people complain about. But in either case. I have no noise at all.Concerning latency and general usability. Nearly perfect. When I am playing, I notice no difference in lag or latency. It works the same as wired, only no wires! The immersion is so much better. I have about a hundred hours now of play time with the wireless, occasionally you will get a small drop (grey screen) for a few seconds, but that is about it. I can play Skyrim VR for hours and will have a drop out only a few times. So it is not perfect, but not a deal breaker.I have my satelites 20 feet apart, further than recommended. I have a huge room play area. So I am really testing the limits of the satellites and wireless ability. Again, results are about the same as wired. At this point, I could never go back to the wires.So here is my issue. Getting the headset to light up is somewhat challenging. Many users experience the same issue. Often you must restart the “ritual” of rebooting PC, restarting the TPcast software and finally the SteamVR software. If it is a good day, the headset will light up and off you go. Once the headset lights up, you can play for hours and hours without any trouble. If the Vive does not light up, A tip to all the frustrated users- simply unplugging the diplay port cable (which I use for the Vive) from the computer, and plugging it back in will get things going. But before I discovered this tip, truth is that I had spent 10 or 20 minutes some days trying to get it going, frustrating. There seems to be no logic or explanation for this, and appears to be a common event as reported by forums and reviews. I experience about a 90% rate of success, there have been a few days that I gave up and could not play. Only to try later that day, and miraculously everything works fine???I have worked with TPCast support several time and they were quick to help, but didn't have a solution for me. They suggest rebooting etc. as described earlier.Setup of the hardware was relatively easy, a little time consuming, but not bad. It does work with the Deluxe audio strap which I have and recommend. I didn't have any trouble at all with set up or downloads.The battery life is really good. I have yet to run out. I get a true 4 or 5 hours of play, which I can never use in a session. If you have multiple users in your household, consider an additional battery because the take a long time to recharge, typically overnight.So to do or not to do. I always believe that if I'm going to do something, I might as well go all in. I want the best experience possible. But for most people, truthfully it depends on you wallet. If $300 is not to big of a deal, then go for it. The immersion and usefulness are worth every penny. You will likely be frustrated from time to time attempting to get it going, but not as happy as you will be when you are using it. But if the money is a stretch, you might want to hold on until prices drop or more mature connectivity is available.I hope this helps.

First, get yourself a network USB 3.0 adapter... you'll need it. This device comes with its own router, and they expect you to run the TPCast to your computer ethernet, then use secondary ethernet for your internet, wireless, or LAN passthrough from their router. The interwebs suggest that this may be due to the high bandwidth requirements for streaming the 2x video, audio, etc. so they want their own router, perfectly set up to run the device. However, I have Google Fiber (930Mbs), and when I set the system up per their instructions, their router maxed me out at about 100Mbs... so, um... no, I'm not going to sacrifice my 930Mbs just for this device. So, I used the USB 3.0 (I wouldn't trust less for bandwidth) to network adapter. When I tried to run TPCast through the secondary ethernet, it was not recognized at all :(. So, get a USB 3.0 adapter. Set up is a pain. The instructions are vague, and they initially tell you to download an older version of the software which did not work with my newer version of their hardware... so after a lot of research on the interwebs, I determined I needed to uninstall 1.1.3, and install 1.1.4... which they did not tell me to do. Finally, you have to have their router in a good location, but now you also have a TPCast box (that hooks up to the original cable running to the headset). It is recommended that this mounts near one of your VR wall boxes, or directly above the play area on the ceiling (WTF????) So be prepared to mount ANOTHER box on your wall. You also have to fully disconnect your HTC Vive cable and replace with the receiver box and battery holder. So, if you want to switch between original cable, forget it... once it is set up, it is set up. So for all your seated games (Elite Dangerous, Star Trek Bridge Crew, etc) you'll just have to live with the lag issues, because it is too much of a pain to switch between lagless cable and lagful TPCast. When I play, it TYPICALLY works pretty good... you might see a bit of lag here and there, but for the most part it works well. Problem is, far before you meet the 2 hour battery life, you will often start to see disruption and lag. Especially if you have any temporary network issue. So you have to shut the whole system (computer et al) down and restart, because it does not typically recover well... and the lags and disruptions make any game unplayable. I have a VERY high end gaming PC, but I also have a taxed IoT. So this also may contribute to some of my issues (Echo Show, Echo Dot w/ Screen, Nest, 9x Hue Wireless Bulbs, Security Camera, Smart Door Lock, 6x WeMo switches / outlets, standard internet stuff). With all of that said, I've tested this across a number of games. I already had a cable management system suspended from the ceiling, and regardless, the TPCast, when working, is superior. The cable just doesn't get in the way at all, you have full control and movement over your play area, and when taking a momentary break, you don't have to put all your equipment away, you can pretty much carry it with you. I am waiting for the newer version of the HTC Vive and their version of wireless together, so I went with this solution for now. If they removed the need for a separate router, improved connectivity, and simplified TPCast box location better, they'd get a LOT closer to a 5. If you have A LOT of trouble with cable management (in particular, for trade show demo's, rentals, sales demo's, etc.) this is a good solution.

The Good: You get complete freedom no wires works well for games like budget cuts also works with the audio strapThe Bad: works for about 2months even at first its a troubleshooter and it only gets worse, It comes with a router and a wireless box that connects to the box on your vive headset wirelessly all 3 parts are buggy and as for VRchat users Don't bother this takes more processing power than you think and will lag you HMD out this also happens on other games too and lastly your wireless box that connects to your headset box often bugs out (out of range) even when your stood next to itVerdict: a Good start well-done product, however a prototype at best, Troubleshoot is required everytime you turn it on

For the few that get it to work it is apparently pretty good. For the rest of us it is a nightmare. I love tec and ive messed around building and repairing pc's since the 8086 came out, but this thing is totally beyond me. I started by following the instructions. then videos. Then tec pages. Then searchs for other people with the same problems. Ive tried different cables. different connections. blah blah blah! Some people get it working and some don't. If you have a spare few hundred pounds to gamble with, be my guest. If not, wait for the tpcast air to become available. That is supposedly working out of the box, like this crap was supposed to do. Gave it a 1 star rating as it dosnt go any lower.

Vive is an amazing VR experience. Feels very immersive. Easy to use controls and for the most part easy to set up. Their customer service is ok, it may take longer then expected to get an answer to your questions but you will eventually get the answer. The only problem I have with Vive is the controller thumb pad button wears out after 200-300 hours of use, so be prepared to repair them.

Es ist soviel angenehmer zu spielen ohne der stolperfalle der htc vive. Wenn man von der installation absieht steigert der wireless adapter den spielspass der htc vive um mindestens um 100%2 sterne abzug wegen der eher schweren instalation und dem stolzen preis.Aussetzer oder verbindungs probleme hatte ich bis jetzt keine auch ruckler oder verzögerungen beim bildaufbau sind mir keine aufgefallen. Ich kann nur empfehlen eine 2 powerbank zu kaufen da die ladezeit bei ca 12std liegt und somit doch relativ lang ist. Die akkulaufzeit liegt bei ca 4-5 stunden.Ps: ich empfehle den wireless adapter an eine seperate netzwerk karte anzuschließen. Ich habe meinen an einer usb netzwerkarte angeschlossen.

Mit diesem Adapter bin ich das Kabel, das mein Headset mit dem PC verbunden hat endlich losgeworden! Keine Stolperfalle mehr und nichts, was meine Bewegungsfreiheit einschränkt! Das hätte ich schon früher anschaffen sollen!Für die Inbetriebnahme habe ich etwas über eine Stunde gebraucht, war etwas tricky, aber hatte mir auch eines der vielen Installationsvideos angeschaut, das hatte geholfen. Den Aufwand muss man zum Glück nur einmalig betreiben!Der Akku ist sehr gut (Die Marke "Anker" steht drauf, also was feines!) und hält etwa 4 Stunden.Ich habe den Sender in der Mitte meiner Spielfläche an der Decke befestigt, so dass ich auch beim Bücken den Empfänger auf dem Kopf nicht in einen Funkschatten bringe. Auf diese Weise gibt es Null Bildaussetzer oder Verzögerungen.Niemals mehr VR gaming ohne drahtlos!