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Apple TV suddenly streaming slow (Time Capsule issue?)

T

TheSmash

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 3, 2012
7
0
Hey,

I've had an ATV3 for about 8 weeks and everything has been running smoothly with it. I've been streaming from Netflix, HuluPlus & YouTube with not even a single buffer or error.

A few weeks ago I bought a Time Capsule to simply act as a wireless HDD. I configured it to 'join existing network', and then used it to store all my iTunes media. I was then able to use home sharing on my MacBook to access all movies, tv shows & music from my ATV3. This worked (almost) flawlessly.

Everything had been working fine until Saturday when streaming from either HuluPlus or YouTube (NetFlix was still fine) was going soooo slow. Even a 1 minute YouTube video was taking half an hour.

I then tried to stream a movie through iTunes on my MacBook to the ATV3 and that wouldn't work either. So I unplugged the ATV3 and plugged it all back together again. This solved the streaming issue from MacBook to the ATV3, but streaming from HuluPlus & YouTube was still extremely slow (basically non-existent.)

I checked my Internet connection and tested the speed, all came back fine. I was able to watch HuluPlus and YouTube on all other devices in the house (MacBook, iPhone, Laptop's, PC etc) at usual speeds.

I then unplugged my Time Capsule and suddenly the streaming from Hulu Plus and YouTube on the ATV3 went back to normal. I switched the Time Capsule back on and the streaming from Hulu Plus and YouTube goes back down to crawl speed.

Note, the ATV3 does not connect to the Time Capsule. The time capsule is only setup as a wireless HDD. My ATV3 connects directly to my router. I even turned off the wireless on the Time Capsule and connected it via Ethernet to my MacBook, but the streaming from YouTube and Hulu Plus on the ATV3 still went extremely slow. The only time the streaming goes back to normal now is when the Time Capsule is unplugged.

This makes no sense to me. How can the Time Capsule be causing interference even when the wireless is switched off? Also, it makes no sense how streaming was flawless for weeks and without changing anything suddenly barely works for Hulu Plus and YouTube, yet NetFlix streams fine.

I'd appreciate any advice or ideas, as this is a real head scratcher.
 
C

Cinephi1e

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2012
107
0
Northwest Ohio
The Time Capsule is a somewhat complex device: it is a router, a WiFi access point, a hub and a storage device. You have not said which functions are turned on. If the router function is turned on (that is the default setting) then that would explain your problems as there are now 2 routers on your network. You also said you used the "join existing network" setting for wireless. You should know that this extends your wireless network at the expense of slowing it down. You should not use this unless you need to extend the network to a section of your house without WiFi coverage. There could be other issues depending on how you connected everything ..........
 
C

colerc

macrumors newbie
Aug 15, 2007
4
0
What kind of router do you have? Unless you have something really high-end (cost $200+), it is almost certain that the Time Capsule is a superior router. If your setup allows for it, just put your old router in storage and let the Time Capsule be both the main router for the network and an external HD...it can generally keep up with those tasks just fine.

If you truly want to use the Time Capsule solely as a hard drive, you can also connect it by Ethernet cable to your existing router and turn off the TC's wireless capabilities altogether. That way it won't be interfering with and/or complicating your existing network but should still allow access to the HD. This will work best if your existing router is an Airport Extreme -- but be aware that if you do take this path, you're essentially throwing a good deal of money away; if your router is an Extreme you could just get a cheaper USB HD and plug it into the Extreme, and if your router is something else it's most likely giving you an inferior wifi experience to what the TC could do.
 
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