Stop connecting your Mac to TVs with a bulky cable. The Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter saves you from having to stretch a cable across the living room, classroom or conference room.
Just plug one component into the USB-C port on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone, and the other into the HDMI port on any TV. Now you are ready to watch the movie.
I put the new accessory to the test, including its promise of plug-and-play connectivity. Here’s how it worked.
Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter Review
Wireless video adapters make it easy to connect your computer to your TV without having to run long HDMI cables around the room, keeping your spaces cleaner. And because the connection is wireless, you can stay seated on the couch or strolling around while your content remains on the big screen.
They are especially useful in living rooms, classrooms and meeting rooms where people want to share a screen without stretching a cable across the room. In addition to cutting clutter, no one will trip over the wireless connection and knock your MacBook to the ground.
Cut the mess of cables!
Belkin ConnectAir HDMI Wireless Graphics Adapter
4.0
Wirelessly mirror and/or extend from a host USB-C display-enabled device in corporate environments such as conference rooms or classrooms. Give gifts easily from your laptop, tablet or phone. Cut the cords and stay connected to effortlessly plug and play without the need for a network, WiFi or Bluetooth.
- Video in high definition without cable
- Plug-and-play convenience
- The wireless signal passes through the TV
- Not 4K
Contents: Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter Review
Portable and easy to connect
The Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter has two parts: a transmitter and a receiver.
The transmitter is a dongle that measures 3.0 inches by 1.75 by 0.75 inches with a 2-inch USB-C cable sticking out. It is basic black.
At first glance, I thought Belkin didn’t send me a receiver, just a USB power cable. Then I realized the cable was the entire receiver. It’s simply an HDMI connector and a USB-A connector connected by a 23.5-inch cable.
The wireless video adapter is really quite portable — ready to go in your backpack, laptop case, briefcase, etc. It’s much smaller than an HDMI cable of any useful length.
Plug-and-play setup
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Using the Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter is actually easier than plugging an HDMI cable into most Apple products. No need for an adapter – simply plug the transmitter into your Mac, iPad or even iPhone.
The receiver connects to a TV or projector. It needs a USB-A port for power, but those are standard these days. My 10 year old basic TV has it for example, as does my projector.
After connecting everything, just wait a few seconds. The transmitter and receiver will find each other and connect by themselves. They don’t need access to your Wi-Fi network, or even for Wi-Fi to be available. They communicate directly.
Performance in high definition
Photo: Belkin
In my testing, Belkin’s ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Adapter provided easy-to-watch 1080p 60Hz video.
For most people, 1080p is all they need. For example, the Netflix Standard plan streams video in this resolution. However, some people demand 4K – if that’s you, then this wireless adapter isn’t what you’re looking for.
Most videos and movies are shot at 24fps, so 60Hz is fast enough. However, gamers and graphics professionals usually want more and will have to stick with HDMI cables.
Belkin promises sub-80ms latency, and I found the wireless connection fast enough to enjoy gaming.
Scope: Good and Bad
Belkin promises a whopping 131 feet (40 meters) of range from the wireless graphics adapter. That’s farther than I can test, but I got the two components 30 or 40 feet apart and they stayed in sync.
This means I had a problem with the signals going through my TV. With the receiver behind the TV and the transmitter in front, the connection would occasionally drop out. This didn’t happen when I used a second TV with HDMI and USB ports on the side.
During testing, I watched hours of video streaming from my iPhone and iPad through this adapter. When the transmitter and receiver had a direct connection, it worked great. But when there was something between them—like a television—the connection wasn’t as reliable.
During the time the wireless connection went down, it always reconnected within a second or two. If not, there is a reset button you can press to restart the attempt. But I never really needed the reset button.
Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter Review: Final Thoughts
When I go on holiday I want to make sure I can watch TV – even a week at the beach includes rainy days. I’m sick of playing with rental smart TVs, and a wireless video adapter like the Belkin allows me to easily connect my own computer to any big screen and watch movies or TV shows from all my streaming services.
The gadget is very portable and generally reliable. That said, it’s not as reliable as some of the other wireless video adapters I’ve reviewed, such as the Nyrius Orion Prime Wireless USB-C to HDMI Video Transmitter & Receiver.
★★★★☆
Prices
The Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter is $149.99.
Cut the mess of cables!
Belkin ConnectAir HDMI Wireless Graphics Adapter
4.0
Wirelessly mirror and/or extend from a host USB-C display-enabled device in corporate environments such as conference rooms or classrooms. Give gifts easily from your laptop, tablet or phone. Cut the cords and stay connected to effortlessly plug and play without the need for a network, WiFi or Bluetooth.
- Video in high definition without cable
- Plug-and-play convenience
- The wireless signal passes through the TV
- Not 4K
Belkin provided Cult of Mac with the evaluation unit for this article. See our review policy for more detailed reviews of Apple-related items.
Ed Hardy He has been writing about the technique full-time for 25 years and has been using it for much longer. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but he now uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. It is written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthandas well as other sites.