I have an Ubuntu laptop, but its screen is very small. Can I use the laptop screen from my Windows-10 laptop as a wireless / wired (HDMI) display? I found some documentation to allow my Windows laptop to be used as a wireless display, but nothing on connecting to a wireless display from Ubuntu or HDMI connection.
22 Answers
This probably won't count as an answer, because I can't give you a complete step-by-step on how to accomplish this, but what you're looking for is theoretically possible if you don't mind compiling source code and working with development teams to sort out the occasional issue.
Windows10 notebooks can act as an external monitor wirelessly using the Miracast standard. This allows "source" devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones to send a video stream to "sink" paired display receivers such as TV, monitor, projector, or another computer that is Miracast compliant. Windows 10 can be both a source and a sink to other Miracast devices.
Ubuntu, as of this writing, does not have a simple means of using Miracast. There are two projects that are actively updated, but neither are ready for prime time:
Gnome Network Displays
This is probably the one that will gain the widest adoption given the number of developers and advantages it has over the alternatives. You can easily install it via the Flatpak system. The app is still considered "experimental", and the tested devices list is pretty slim. That said, theoretically it may work with Windows10. You'll need to test, and I'm sure the developers would love to hear any feedback you have from the experience.
MiracleCast
This was the first Miracast implementation for Ubuntu that I learned about a couple of years back and it still sees regular updates from the developers. Before classroom lectures all moved online, I would use this to broadcast notes and slides from a ThinkPad to a big TV via WiFi. One limit of this software is that while using it you temporarily lose Wifi Internet connectivity. To get around this, I would be plugged in to ethernet for a network and use the WiFi just to broadcast the images. Latency was tolerable, but I wouldn't want to use this to send anything with a resolution higher than 1920x1080, as the video was often a fraction of a second behind the audio in my experience.
Miracast is still in early days for many Linux distributions but, if there are enough people interested in the technology and supporting the various development teams with reports, tips, feature requests, and maybe a Patreon contribution or two, there is no reason why Ubuntu could not also have a solid implementation that is just an apt or snap install away.
Speaking of wireless display, as you already know Windows 10 can act as a Miracast sink, meaning that you can use that laptop as a mere display for source devices like an Android smartphone or your Ubuntu laptop.
Sadly, the "Miracast source" part on Ubuntu is not well integrated yet. Your best chance is to:
- upgrade your system to Ubuntu 21.04 (it has updates relevant to the matter, but you could try with previous Ubuntu versions too)
- install the Flatpak package management system
- install gnome-network-diplays from Flatpak
- use gnome-network-displays: you just need to select the Ubuntu screen you are on and then select your Windows wireless display where the screen will be mirrored
With a little bit of luck, it will work flawlessly and you're good to go. Otherwise, no harm has been done, just uninstall the app, or maybe you want to help debugging it and seek for help on where the actual developing is going on.
1
