dropping sound

[AJWard549]

Hi all, I have an Apple TV that I uses for streaming all of my music from a 1Tb drive that is connected to my iMac. This works flawlessly, however, when I attempt to stream to an external speaker connected to an airport express that is located just outside on my deck, I am continuing to get frequent stuttering of the music on the external speaker connected to the airport express. The Apple TV never does this unless the airport extreme is added to the equation.

Would it be better to alway use airtunes from the iMac rather than accessing it via Apple TV and having it streamed? Or maybe am I pushing the envelope when it comes to streaming media?

 

[waw74]

the outdoor express is probably just on the edge of the signal range. It's also possible you're getting interference from something like a microwave oven or cordless phone.

I'm guessing that the imac to the express would also stutter

would it be possible to hardwire the express, or the tv. Or possibly move the main base station closer to the outdoor location?

 

[AJWard549]

hardwiring is out of the question without a major investment in time and effort to run more cables through the walls. Previously I was broadcasting fro the iMac to both the AppleTv and airport express without problems, but the airport express was just in the next room, not >50 ft away and outside on the deck.

I guess what I need to do first is experiment by playing iTunes from the iMac and turning on the external speakers from there to see if the sound is lossless. If that doesn't work, I'll try moving the station.

 

[AJWard549]

So, it's been a while since my original post, but I tried transmitting direct from my imac and also moved my router location to the center of the house rather than where it was at the far end.

Continued to stutter when transmitted from the imac,no change just as you thought.

Moving the router helped, but did not resolve the issue, so I guess my issue is not getting a strong enough signal out the the express. Time to find a new router!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[waw74]

you could also try a different channel. It's possible you have neighbors on the same channel and causing interference

check out istumbler. it will tell you about all the wireless networks around you.

you want to be as far away as possible from the others. Channels need to be at least 5 apart to avoid overlap.

 

[AJWard549]

helpful app!

my neighbors networks are at 1 and 11, i am on ch 6. my router is a very inexpensive one that is several years old at this point, so I think I am at the point where it would be best to upgrade anyway. Not only will that help with my problem of dropping sound, but it will help with streaming video to my apple tv and will help with online gaming too!

thanks for all the help!