Google has patched a bug in Chromecast and Android devices that could dramatically slow or knock-out home Wi-Fi networks.
Users had complained that Chomecast and Google Home devices shut down home Wi-Fi networks when they woke-up from a low-power “sleep” state.
When these devices awake, they can be capable of suddenly transmitting more than 100,000 packets of data – enough to overwhelm most home routers.
Google has acknowledged the issue on its support pages.
“We’re aware of an issue where Chromecast built-in devices may be affecting Wi-Fi network performance,” the US technology company wrote.
“In certain situations, a bug in the Cast software on Android phones may incorrectly send a large amount of network traffic which can slow down or temporarily impact Wi-Fi networks. The specific impact to the network will vary depending on the router.”
A number of router manufacturers have already rolled-out patches to help their hardware to better deal with massive data surges.
According to the California-based company, the problem was part of the Cast software found in its Chromecast and Home hardware, as well as its Android smartphones.
The Cast functionality allows users to beam movies, songs, YouTube video, or a mirror image of their display, to another screen, most often a TV.
The glitch occurred because Cast software does not stop trying to keep in touch with other Google-enabled devices on the home network.
That means when a Cast-enabled device awoke, it got sent with all the data packets it was unable to receive when it was inactive.
“The longer your device is in ‘sleep’, the larger this packet burst will be,” router manufacturer TP Link said in a statement about the bug.
The sheer amount of data could overwhelm a home Wi-Fi router and cause it to slow to a crawl – or shutdown.
Google confirmed that it was rolled-out a fix, which will be available via a Google Play services update from Thursday, January 18th.
Those who experience the glitch should also reboot their Android smartphone and check their Wi-Fi router is running the most recent firmware version.
According to the BBC, TP Link, Netgear, Linksys and Asus have all produced patches for their home routers to enable them to handle the data surge.