Separate wifi for Airplay

[Philsy]

Hi

I have Airport Expresses connected to my living room and kitchen hifis to stream music from my iTunes library. When it works, it's great. However, the audio often drops out which I believe is due to the wifi also being used as an internet connection for the family's various devices.

So, is it possible to create a separate wifi network just for music streaming (a bit like Sonas does) via the Expresses?

Thanks

Phil

 

[FreakinEurekan]

is it possible to create a separate wifi network just for music streaming (a bit like Sonas does) via the Expresses?

It's not practical to do (I never like to say impossible). That said, your conclusion is probably not correct anyway.

Internet traffic is very unlikely to cause problems with streaming, unless you have Google Fiber or some other ridiculously high-speed Internet. For 99.9% of us, our Internet bandwidth is a fraction of the total throughput of the wifi network.

Perhaps you're not getting the Wi-Fi throughput you could be - that could certainly cause audio drop-outs. Fix the issue with your wireless network, and you'll fix your AirPlay.

First - are your Expresses set to "Join" your network, or "Extend" it? Extending wirelessly does decrease overall bandwidth, so avoid it if you can.

Other network (not Internet) traffic certainly could cause issues - say if you have a Time Capsule and a MacBook is backing up wirelessly, that could have a significant impact.

Lots of other possibilities as well, based on how your particular network & data distribution is set up in your home.

 

[priitv8]

Sure. Just set your Express to create a new wireless network, give it a distinct unique name, connect your device and stream to that network.
You will lose internet connection, as long as your Express is not also wired to the rest of your network and working as a bridge to connect your new WLAN to outside network.

 

[Philsy]

Hi, thanks for the replies, which are much appreciated.

Freakin, I've looked at the network carefully and, from what I understand, it ticks all the boxes yet still drops out. I see what you're saying, though, and will continue to play around with my existing setup.

Cheers

Phil

 

[scbond]

You can create a new wireless network and have no ethernet input for internet so that it's dedicated to just AirPlay...seems a bit OTT to me though. The issue with AirPlay dropping out would most likely be due to wireless interference or some other issue.

 

[eecyclone]

I have noticed my airplay drops out more often since upgrading to an iPhone 5S with iOS 7 and mavericks. I am usually airplaying from my iphone though.

I want to put a second base station where my dropouts occur because I think it is due to weak/intermittent wifi signal.

 

[SBlue1]

Hey I know this is an old thread but I am having similar problems. Since I upgraded to iOS7 and Mavericks my Airplay drops music playing on both my Apple TV and Airport Express.

Did it work out for you?

I don't know what the reason may be?? Is it my Airport Extreme base station creating a bad network with interference from other networks from apartments around me? Is it my iOS7 iPhone and Mavericks Mac streaming bad signals? Or is it my Airport Express and Apple TV getting old and loosing connections to the network?

 

[paulrbeers]

Hey I know this is an old thread but I am having similar problems. Since I upgraded to iOS7 and Mavericks my Airplay drops music playing on both my Apple TV and Airport Express.

Did it work out for you?

I don't know what the reason may be?? Is it my Airport Extreme base station creating a bad network with interference from other networks from apartments around me? Is it my iOS7 iPhone and Mavericks Mac streaming bad signals? Or is it my Airport Express and Apple TV getting old and loosing connections to the network?

Could it just be coincidence that it has been since you upgraded to iOS7? I'd lean more towards a neighbor's wifi on the same channel as yours causing interference that just happened to be installed at roughly the same time....

Just my thoughts.....

 

[SBlue1]

I should try to find out what channels are used and try to switch to another one. I will let you guys know if it helps.

 

[Altemose]

iStumbler can help with that. As for the Expresses, that is really strange. Let me ask this first before I go any farther, is the main base station (The one connected to the modem) an Apple base station?