Time Capsule Wireless Setup Help

[bpletcher]

Just to give you a bit of backstory I have a Macbook Pro and just bought an Apple TV3. With buying the aTV3 I am extremely interested in purchasing a Time Capsule to stream my movie library to the aTV. My router is downstairs and my aTV is setup in my room upstairs. My Macbook is on my desk setup across from the TV that the movies will be streaming to.

With that knowledge I have a few questions. Obviously I wish to keep my Macbook portable so here lies the concerns. Will it be possible to have the Time Capsule next to the aTV and be completely wireless from the router and my Macbook. My main concern is streaming quality with the Time Capsule basically hoping through two wireless stops. Time Capsule --> Macbook --> aTV. How will streaming load times be and the quality of the movie in question.

I know, and hope, that once a jailbreak is available for the aTV3 that I will essentially be able to remove the Macbook from the equation and be able to wirelessly stream from the Time Capsule to the aTV but that is not an option at the moment.

Thoughts or comments on the issue?

 

[mic j]

Just to give you a bit of backstory I have a Macbook Pro and just bought an Apple TV3. With buying the aTV3 I am extremely interested in purchasing a Time Capsule to stream my movie library to the aTV. My router is downstairs and my aTV is setup in my room upstairs. My Macbook is on my desk setup across from the TV that the movies will be streaming to.

With that knowledge I have a few questions. Obviously I wish to keep my Macbook portable so here lies the concerns. Will it be possible to have the Time Capsule next to the aTV and be completely wireless from the router and my Macbook. My main concern is streaming quality with the Time Capsule basically hoping through two wireless stops. Time Capsule --> Macbook --> aTV. How will streaming load times be and the quality of the movie in question.

I know, and hope, that once a jailbreak is available for the aTV3 that I will essentially be able to remove the Macbook from the equation and be able to wirelessly stream from the Time Capsule to the aTV but that is not an option at the moment.

Thoughts or comments on the issue?

When you say, "your router", are you talking about a gateway (for your DSL/cable) or is it your wireless broadcast device? Not sure why you would want a TC if you already have a wifi router (unless of course you don't think it is adequate). The TC is a full wifi router as well.

 

[bpletcher]

I guess I am still learning of the capabilities of the TC. My main purpose to get one is so I can use it as an external wireless hard drive to stream movies to my aTV without having to worry about it being plugged in all the time to my MacBook and just point my iTunes library towards it.

If there is a better alternative to this I'm all ears but what I need is a practice way to stream my movie collection to my aTV without it having to be plugged into my MacBook. If I wanted to that I would just by an ordinary external hard drive.

 

[mic j]

I guess I am still learning of the capabilities of the TC. My main purpose to get one is so I can use it as an external wireless hard drive to stream movies to my aTV without having to worry about it being plugged in all the time to my MacBook and just point my iTunes library towards it.

If there is a better alternative to this I'm all ears but what I need is a practice way to stream my movie collection to my aTV without it having to be plugged into my MacBook. If I wanted to that I would just by an ordinary external hard drive.

Does your current router have a USB port?
If your router has a USB port you can connect an HDD directly and use it as a network drive.
If it does not have a USB port, you can configure the TC to act an extension and do everything wirelessly. However I would recommend trying it connected directly to your router and on use it's wireless capability for communicating with the aTV and MBP. I had mine configured that way and it worked fine. And I had my router/TC/aTV in the basement and my MBP on the first floor. Load times were excellent, maybe a minute or 2 at most for a BR, instantly for a dvd. Downloaded movies were also nearly instant starting.

Think about this. Instead of a TC, how about an Airport Extreme Base Station and purchase a HDD of your liking. When my TC power supply died, I lost both its router (which is a AEBS) and 1TB HD. By building them separately, it gives you the flexibility to change either component and any time, or replace a power supply if it happens to die.

 

[bpletcher]

I definitely will be considering both of those options. Either way would it be just as fast streaming if I had my TC a standalone device and not directly connected to any device? My main issue is I have roommates who share the downstairs tv which is next to the router. I would prefer to keep an item as expensive as the TC in my room upstairs so I won't worry about accidental damage.