Airplay dropouts

[emaja]

I have an interesting problem that I have had a devil of a time figuring out.

My setup - I have a last-gen iMac with my iTunes library located on an external drive attached through USB. I stream to my Airport Extreme hooked into my stereo located in a different room.

If I use the iMac to stream - no issues. If I use my iPhone or iPad to control the stream - again, no issues. If I use Screen Sharing and control it that way - no problems there either. The ONLY time I get any dropouts is if I try to use Home Sharing and control the streaming from my MBP.

Both Macs are running Lion. This setup worked fine until I moved 2 weeks ago. Some network setup and nothing has changed. Except one thing - I no longer have the library attached to my MBP, but now have it on the iMac. Distances are actually closer so I doubt it is a signal strength issue.

I have searched and Googled and have not found a definitive solution. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

Could there be a dead spot where your wifi coverage?

 

[emaja]

I seriously doubt it. All the pieces are within 15 feet of each other. I seem to be getting a solid signal.

This is driving me nuts!

 

[emaja]

Also, I am sitting in the same spot when I use the iPhone or MBP to control iTunes.

I guess it could be a bandwidth issue, but I never had this problem when I was using the Mac that the external drive was connected to.

 

[waw74]

This setup worked fine until I moved 2 weeks ago. ... nothing has changed

not true, a lot has changed, the environment plays a huge part in wireless success or failure.

you say distances are closer, are the devices in the same room? your new walls could be constructed differently which can block wireless signal.
also if your devices are on either side of the wall, but at opposite ends, then the entire signal path is through the length wall, so it's basically like having a wall that's 8 feet thick. if the signal goes thorough the wall at a right angle, there's much less to block it (and chances are only drywall, and not several 2x4s)

get istumbler, check what wi-fi networks are in the area, look at their channel numbers, you want to be as far away from those as possible. at least 5 away to avoid overlap, so for example 1, 6, and 11 don't overlap at all.
and if there are a lot of networks, it can stop working all together. Just look at the iPhone4 preview, when Jobs couldn't get wi-fi signal with his iphone since there were over 500 personal hotspots in the room with him.

it's also possible a new neighbor has a cordless phone or baby monitor, those can cause interference, as well as microwave ovens (should be only when running). changing channels can help with these problems too.

 

[emaja]

not true, a lot has changed, the environment plays a huge part in wireless success or failure.

It sure does.

The building I moved into is about 40 years newer than the one I left. I am sure that the construction materials here are more wireless friendly than at my old place.

I have checked local wireless networks with iStumbler and have changed channels to stay clear of any other networks in my building. I have also walked around with iStumbler open to see if signal strength changed depending on my location. It didn't

What I do not understand is how I can sit in my chair and control iTunes on the iMac from my iPhone and iPad without issue. If I try to do the same with my MBP, then dropouts occur. I can then - from the same location in my chair - log into the iMac using screen sharing and control iTunes directly like that and have no problems that way either. Furthermore, I have had no problems at all with streaming to the ATV that sits in the same entertainment rack as the AX and there are no skips or dropouts from the local network or Netflix.

 

[jeff.bird]

how do i set this up?!

emaja- how do u control the stream using an ipad? I am looking for some pointers on how to set this up! i have a desktop upstairs with my itunes library on an external HD. I want to control itunes using my ipad, and have it play through my stereo reciever located downstairs. (Receiver controls speakers through house and outside) Whaty am I supposed to do to set this up?

 

[emaja]

Just download Apple's free Remote app from the App Store and link it up to your library with Home Sharing. Easy as pie and it works great. It works for both the iPad and iPhone as well as the iPod touch.

As far as my issue goes, I ordered a mini to hook it up as both an HTPC and a general media server, but just for kicks I hooked up and external drive to my AEBS and tried that. Works fine with no dropouts at all. Nothing else in the network changed either settings or positions. Weird, but it works.

Now I have to decide if I want to keep the mini anyway.

 

[jdguggs10]

I am having similar issues streaming music on iTunes from my Mac Mini on my girlfriends MBP, they are usually within 20 to 30 feet of eat other and the router. Signal is not a problem. This issue is also with home sharing and both machines have Lion installed, 2011 Mac Mini, mid-2009 MBP.

interesting...

 

[NumberNine]

I just picked up an ATV2 this weekend and it works fine for everything but home sharing.

I can watch maybe 15 minutes of a movie from iTunes before it disconnects home sharing.

There are numerous threads on this issue at Apples site and many people are experiencing this problem.

I have tried both wireless and wired connections, same result.

 

[emaja]

For me the ATV works fine. It's only when I stream to the AX that I get dropouts. I have no idea why.

 

[emaja]

OK, this just got weird...

I decided to set up the mini and hook it up to the TV as an HTPC. After all the setup was done I opened up iTunes and played music from the same iTunes library as before but this time NO SKIPS! The trick appears to be to NOT use Home Sharing and to just use the library as a shared library. I never turned on Home Sharing on the mini and no problems.

I have turned Home Sharing off on my MBP and will run the rest of the night off of that to see if that really is the culprit.

 

[emaja]

Update - skips still happening. In fact they are now even happening when I control playback from the iPad or iPhone. It's WORSE! AAAGGGHHH!

I'll walk away from this for a bit and try using the ATV or going with ethernet where I can.

This is driving me completely insane.

 

[emaja]

Well...

I've got the mini setup and running through my receiver and the USB drive with my music on it running fine now. I connected the mini with ethernet and the skips have gone away. I can control the music using Home Sharing from my MBP.

I am still stumped as to where the wireless issues came from. There must be some sort of interference, but I have no idea where it is coming from.