Best setup for the following:? (vonage router included)

[Gagoots]

I am going to buy the 40gig apple TV and an airport extreme in the near future.
Can you guys offer the best setup in your opinions? I've seen so many different ways of wiring out of the airport extreme. Here's my details.

imac with my music and pictures. Music = 62 gig / Pictures = 43 gig
I understand pictures can't be streamed, so I will create some slideshows and use much of the ATV's hard drive for pictures.

Movies = western electric 500 gig. Full. Connected to imac by USB.
(need a 2TB hard drive to backup the imac, and to continue backing up my DVD's...but that's after the ATV purchase)

Now, I have a comcast cable modem outputting ethernet to my Vonage router. The vonage router outputs to the imac.

OK, now I love my vonage, and am saving alot. This must be part of the equation.

Can anyone offer advice?

Thanks!

 

[TraceyS/FL]

You can skip the Extreme if you want and just use your iMac to broadcast wireless to the AppleTV. UNless you have other needs for the wireless and really *need* to buy the extreme.

I had my G Mini broadcast a net so my BIL could use his iPT while he was here, kept my N network clean (and him off of it). It was easy to set up!

 

[blackfx35]

Is the Vonage a wireless router? If not, you won't be able to stream to your apple tv by using your iMac as the above poster indicated. If it is, then just use that (instead of an extreme), and stream from your imac wirelessly (via vonage wireless router) to your apple tv. If the vonage is not a wireless router, then get the extreme, connect it to your comcast cable modem, and connect your vonage router to the extreme via ethernet... thats exactly what I do with vonage and extreme. Oh, and my 1TB external is connected to the extreme directly via usb...

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Is the Vonage a wireless router? If not, you won't be able to stream to your apple tv by using your iMac as the above poster indicated. If it is, then just use that (instead of an extreme), and stream from your imac wirelessly (via vonage wireless router) to your apple tv. If the vonage is not a wireless router, then get the extreme, connect it to your comcast cable modem, and connect your vonage router to the extreme via ethernet... thats exactly what I do with vonage and extreme. Oh, and my 1TB external is connected to the extreme directly via usb...

Why not? Is it a limitation of the AppleTV?

I can use any of my (hardwired) Mac's with an Airport card to create a wireless net. In the case of what i did, i have my mini (running leopard) hardwired to an Extreme, that extends the net of a Time Capsule. They talk via N, the Mini then took that internet connection and created its own G net for the iPod Touch. It had it's own name and key, totally separate from my N only net.

Like this: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8156.html

I don't see why it wouldn't work - but I don't own my AppleTV yet, hence the not knowing if it wouldn't work with it. But if that is the ONLY reason the OP needs the wireless, and he's going to have to have the iMac on to stream anyway.... i'm not seeing why he really needs to buy another piece of hardware. I'd rather have another drive.

 

[Gagoots]

Well, I got the ATV & the Extreme.
Here's my setup, and all is working well.

Cable modem - Vonage router. So far, no conflicts.
The USB cable is connected to the printer, and even though I
forgot to pick up an extra ethernet cable, the imac's internet is still
very fast connecting wi-fi.

Everything is happy. And so am I.