Win10 - Cast to Device Showing non-local device?

[TheGood]

I have a Win10 PC that's used as a backup DVR of movies I want to keep. When I click on "Cast to Device" to playback on my television, sometimes I get a selection for someone@comcast.net's FireStick, that's not registered on my local network. Even more strange, my network router is via Verizon, not Comcast. On the computer I'm using I have the network set to "Private Network" and it shouldn't be allowing incoming connections via wi-fi or via the router from the outside world.


I went into the security advanced settings and deleted all controls for "public" access from it (there were a lot that were set to allow "public" to do various things by default). This did not fix the problem with Cast-To seeing an external to my local network device.


A second desktop running Win11 connected to the same router is not showing this problem, with no changes to the security protocols, so I'm baffled as to why the problem exists on one computer and not the other.

[SactoDoug]

How does your TV connect to a casting device? Is it WiFi, Bluetooth or something proprietary?

It sounds like when you go into those options your TV just searches for any signal to pick up. If that is the case, I would not worry about your neighbor's device. I don't think it is actually on your network. You can always log into your router and look at the connected devices.

[TheGood]

How does your TV connect to a casting device? Is it WiFi, Bluetooth or something proprietary?

It sounds like when you go into those options your TV just searches for any signal to pick up. If that is the case, I would not worry about your neighbor's device. I don't think it is actually on your network. You can always log into your router and look at the connected devices.

When I select "Cast to Device" in Win10, it shows 'Searching for Devices" for a few seconds then shows a list of available devices. I would expect that it only searches for local devices, but maybe it's looking through the router's firewall to exterior devices?


My TV is wi-fi connected to the router, and the desktop computer is also. My second desktop which does not have this issue is connected via the Ethernet port to the same router.

[arrix]

Do you have bluetooth on? It's probably picking up your neighbor's Firestick with that.

[gabe123]

potus@whitehouse.gov. It is just a name. Could be that firestick lost connection to its router and just broadcast its name. Your windows pick up as wifi direct connection ( not thru router/ gateway). You can connect your computer directly to other devices without having to go thru routers.

[TheGood]

potus@whitehouse.gov. It is just a name. Could be that firestick lost connection to its router and just broadcast its name. Your windows pick up as wifi direct connection ( not thru router/ gateway). You can connect your computer directly to other devices without having to go thru routers.

The point I was trying to make was that the computer is 'seeing' devices outside of my LAN (home) network, past the firewall of the router. Either that, or the device labeled "@comcast.net' somehow has tunneled through my router's firewall.

Do you have bluetooth on? It's probably picking up your neighbor's Firestick with that.

The desktop computer with the issue does not have/use a bluetooth connection.