Help me find the weakest link!

I would look into the network. You could get a better router maybe? Try to measure troughput on your network with file copying and see what kind of speeds you are getting. You can look into some kind of application that measures this.

Also, there is no use for using G network unless you actually have a device that dont have N. Look into optimizing your network with channels, technology (N vs G etc) and that stuff. Or just get the Asus RT-N66U with dual channels and 5 GHz.



see this article on Lifehacker.com
http://lifehacker.com/5931280/optimize-your-wi+fi-network-with-macs-hidden-diagnostic-tool

 

RE: WiFi Diagnostics.app...

Hi CirrusPilot,

I believe your 5400rpm USB2.0 HDD is plenty fast enough to stream HD video without pausing. I've seen this done without problem. (Of course, I don't have the LaCie drive, so you might also check the communication speed (e.g., using BlackMagic) for your USB2.0 drive.)

Therefore I suspect that your wireless is your problem. Does the Apple TV2 not use 802.11n? If not, this is probably your bottleneck.

I would use Apple's WiFi Diagnostics.app to see what your S/N levels are and what other wireless routers might be causing radio interference. Even when your signals are strong, radio interference will lower net throughput by causing retransmissions of packets. I've even seen a network radio stop broadcasting intermittently because of radio interference. The WiFi Diagnosics.app should help you determine if radio interference is a problem. Also, you might be able to switch the channel for your equipment to one that is less crowded. Using 40MHz wide channels on the 5GHz band instead of using the 20MHz channels on the 2.4GHz N band will also help.

Regards,
Switon

 

Could it be that the ATV 2 was having issues with 5GHz network? I just read that some were having issues with 5GHz and ATV2. But it does support N, so try and look into optimizing your network.

The best option would of course be wired, but I'm guessing that your ATV is not placed close to the router.

 

I had a similar problem, then I moved my ATV away from right under my big, flatscreen TV, and it worked great. I think the TV was "shielding" the wifi signal away from the ATV.

 

Ive had this problem as well.
My router a NETGEAR Beta product creates an AP(AccessPoint) For N and non N devices.
If the mac and the atv are NOT on e same AP i also recieve constant buffering + pauses.
Ensure having the ATV and your Mac on the exact same AP.
+ try N B G bands amd see what works best for both.

 

Wireless is not on par with ethernet whatsoever. Wireless-N can reach a theoretical maximum of 450Mbps in perfect conditions( which pretty much only ever happens in a lab), whereas ethernet can do 1000Mbps easily and is mostly limited by read-write speeds more than the network.

 

Two things: ATV -> switch *SHOULD* be ethernet, AND enable QOS on AP.

And this thread should had been at the ATV section.

 

Even on the best of days will still only be half the throughput of a wired connection. If they're all in the same room, why not ethernet? You take the guesswork out of the problem.

 

I know u folks mean well, but going full wired, and may as well hookup a HDMI cable to the TV and it's done. The purpose of Mirroring is so that one can sit on the couch and BAM!

Op, did you read the QOS part? Critical.