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Need Suggestions for Improving Connection Quality Using AirPlay!

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ABR173rd

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 19, 2013
9
0
Hi,

I stream a lot of shows from my AirMac (in my Office) to my Apple TV( in my living room roughly 5 feet away but separated by a wall). My MacAir and my Apple TV are both running on my Wifi Network (not connected via a Hard line).

Occasionally when I'm streaming shows the video on my AirMac will play uninterrupted but there will be some Lag on my Apple TV. I am currently using the Verizon Modem/Router combo and was thinking about buying the latest version of either the Airport Extreme or Express because they both operate on dual band which should enhance the connection from my Mac Air to my Apple TV.

Will upgrading to the Express or Extreme benefit the streaming quality when using airplay and if so which one would you suggest?
 
FreakinEurekan

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,529
2,587
Are you using AirPlay Mirroring, i.e. you see the video on your MacBook Air and your Apple TV at the same time? What are you streaming the shows from - websites like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix?

A faster router could certainly help with this but not enough info for a strong recommendation.
 
A

ABR173rd

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 19, 2013
9
0
FreakinEurekan said:
Are you using AirPlay Mirroring, i.e. you see the video on your MacBook Air and your Apple TV at the same time? What are you streaming the shows from - websites like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix?

A faster router could certainly help with this but not enough info for a strong recommendation.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,

Yes I am using Airplay mirroring and streaming from all different sites to include the above. So when I watch a show if I walk into my office I can see it playing on my MacAir Notebook and walk back out into my living room and see it playing on my TV via my Apple TV. In my OP I noted that sometimes there will be some lag on my TV in regards to picture and audio but if I look at the MacAir, it's streaming the video just fine. So I believe the issue is the data going from my MacAir to my Apple TV when using Airplay Mirroring.
 
FreakinEurekan

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,529
2,587
ABR173rd said:
Thanks for the reply,

Yes I am using Airplay mirroring and streaming from all different sites to include the above. So when I watch a show if I walk into my office I can see it playing on my MacAir Notebook and walk back out into my living room and see it playing on my TV via my Apple TV. In my OP I noted that sometimes there will be some lag on my TV in regards to picture and audio but if I look at the MacAir, it's streaming the video just fine. So I believe the issue is the data going from my MacAir to my Apple TV when using Airplay Mirroring.
Click to expand...

For mirroring the bottleneck could certainly be your router - however before you throw money at a hardware solution, give Beamer a try - http://beamer-app.com - you can do limited testing (15 min of video) without buying it. Beamer seems to be less bandwidth-hungry than Mirroring and it has some nice features that sounds like would work for your application.

Edit - giving Beamer a 2nd look I'm not sure it will work for you, looks like it's more for local files. Best solution might be a different router.
 
M

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
Lag can also be produced due to the conversion to h.264 for streaming (that's how AirPlay mirroring works, it converts whatever is on your main platform to h.264 then sends it to the network). Before buying a new router, I would try to see if you have lag when hardwired. If you do, it's conversion. If not, it's wifi.
 
d21mike

d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
356
Torrance, CA
Wired is always better. If you could hardwire your Apple TV that would be best since it never moves. If not, then if you get the Express then you would want to hardwire it to your FIOS Router. Best to locate it close to the center of the house. Then I would try to use a different wifi connection for the two devices.
 
M

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
d21mike said:
Wired is always better. If you could hardwire your Apple TV that would be best since it never moves. If not, then if you get the Express then you would want to hardwire it to your FIOS Router. Best to locate it close to the center of the house. Then I would try to use a different wifi connection for the two devices.
Click to expand...
Why would you suggest an Express over an Extreme? :confused:

Edit: just found this and thought I would post it for informational purposes only. Probably not the most scientific test of Express vs Extreme but a reasonable one.

http://abottlerocket.net/2012/06/2012-airport-express-review/
 
Last edited:
d21mike

d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
356
Torrance, CA
mic j said:
Why would you suggest an Express over an Extreme? :confused:

Edit: just found this and thought I would post it for informational purposes only. Probably not the most scientific test of Express vs Extreme but a reasonable one.

http://abottlerocket.net/2012/06/2012-airport-express-review/
Click to expand...
Sorry, I was not recommending either. I was thinking Extreme when I typed Express. I have a Extreme and TimeCapsule and FIOS Router. I have > 3000' house so I spread the WIFI around. But the Extreme is now used most and it is in the center of my house. But I only use wifi for portable devices. iPhones, iPads, MacAirs. Everything else is hardwired.
 
M

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
d21mike said:
Sorry, I was not recommending either. I was thinking Extreme when I typed Express. I have a Extreme and TimeCapsule and FIOS Router. I have > 3000' house so I spread the WIFI around. But the Extreme is now used most and it is in the center of my house. But I only use wifi for portable devices. iPhones, iPads, MacAirs. Everything else is hardwired.
Click to expand...
No prob, just didn't going out and buying an Express when they should have bought an Extreme (or some other brand equivalent).

And on the whole, I agree with you approach that wired is always better, but there have been a few threads around here and in the Apple forums of people having video (and update) issues that were solved by switching to wifi from ethernet. It's almost as though Apple designed the aTV to be used with wifi and put very little into the ethernet side of it.
 
d21mike

d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
356
Torrance, CA
mic j said:
No prob, just didn't going out and buying an Express when they should have bought an Extreme (or some other brand equivalent).

And on the whole, I agree with you approach that wired is always better, but there have been a few threads around here and in the Apple forums of people having video (and update) issues that were solved by switching to wifi from ethernet. It's almost as though Apple designed the aTV to be used with wifi and put very little into the ethernet side of it.
Click to expand...
I have 4 ATV's all ethernet. No problems.

However, I do not use AIRPLAY MIRROR. Not a fan.
 
A

ABR173rd

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 19, 2013
9
0
Thanks for all the replies. I have one last questions pertaining to how the video actually gets streamed from My MacAir to my Apple TV when using Airplay Mirroring.

When using Airplay between the two devices, My MacAir is fetching the stream via wifi and then sending it to the Apple TV via my Wifi Connection? Or Is My MacAir retrieving the stream via my wifi and then sending it directly to the Apple TV via Blue tooth or some other method?
 
P

paulrbeers

macrumors 68040
Dec 17, 2009
3,963
123
ABR173rd said:
Thanks for all the replies. I have one last questions pertaining to how the video actually gets streamed from My MacAir to my Apple TV when using Airplay Mirroring.

When using Airplay between the two devices, My MacAir is fetching the stream via wifi and then sending it to the Apple TV via my Wifi Connection? Or Is My MacAir retrieving the stream via my wifi and then sending it directly to the Apple TV via Blue tooth or some other method?
Click to expand...

Wifi. So you the video streams to your MBA via wifi from your router. Your MBA will encode the video and send it back out via wifi to your router. Your router then sends the video stream out to your AppleTV via wifi. It uses a lot of bandwidth because of this.
 
A

ABR173rd

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 19, 2013
9
0
paulrbeers said:
Wifi. So you the video streams to your MBA via wifi from your router. Your MBA will encode the video and send it back out via wifi to your router. Your router then sends the video stream out to your AppleTV via wifi. It uses a lot of bandwidth because of this.
Click to expand...

So according to this it sounds like it would benefit me to get the Apple Extreme and connect it my current router.
 
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