Airplay audio cuts out intermittently

Ok, today's update: I have tried iTunes without Airplay i.e. playing through the iMac, with no external speakers. Guess what, it still shuts down after 61 minutes. Now i'm really confused! I think a call to Apple is in order......

For what it is worth, I have been going CRAZY trying to figure out why AirTunes keeps cutting out every few seconds and then coming back on as well. After reconfiguring my router (extreme) and my expresses 20 times, moving stuff around, checking amps & speaker wire, etc., I think I figured out the problem - at least MY problem.

I had downloaded an App called Signal. It monitors your wireless network and tells you if there is interference, etc. and reccommends the best channel to be on. Just messing around with stuff, I Quit the Signal App and all of a sudden...everything worked beautifully again. I don't know if there are other Apps like this out there that are causing trouble, but it's worth the quick second to turn them off and find out.

So, for now, I can enjoy my music again!

I tried another router, bell aliant router, it worked flawlwssly for about a month. I was able to airplay without any issues. I then decided to change router to the apple extreme and am now suffering through all the horrors mentioned in this forum. Why? I always thought the extreme was superior but woooo, boy-o-boy was I wrong.

I will be changing back to the other router - what a shame.

Everything works with the other router router except "extend network". That, only works with the extreme. I miss it but it boils down to listening to crappy cutout music versus extended network, apple looses royaly. I like my music with airplay. The apple extreme is now schedule to be smashed with the sledge on main street in front of everyone. For all the aches and dispointements it caused me, that is the only way I can get a small onze of satifaction and piece of mind - spelled relief.

I saw something on another forum that ACTUALLY works.

KEEP AIRPORT UTILITY OPEN AT ALL TIMES.

It absolutely works...no more cut outs...AT ALL. I just leave it in the dock and open all the time. It is quirky, but it works.

I was running all over my house thinking that my wireless security cameras or cordless phone were the problem. Not sure exactly what the problem is, but leaving AirPort Utility OPEN works. Like I said, I read it on another forum and it helped a lot of other people. Just sharing the wealth.

Good luck!

@jtphilps, are you talking about keeping the utility open on your Mac, or on your iPad?

@RobBobCanada, whatever works! But, before you smash your AirPort Extreme, what kind of equipment were you using as your network extender? Was it an AirPort Express or a third-party bridge?

I ask, because I actually had the reverse experience from you. I had a very good Netgear router, and found Airplay to be so unreliable as to be totally unusable — until I replaced it with a new AirPort Extreme, and also replaced my third-party bridge/extender with an AirPort Express.

I've got a pet theory that a lot of my own cutouts happen when my iPad switches from the extender to the mothership. I know NOTHING about what actually happens there, but am speculating there's a split-second when I'm disconnected, thereby losing Airplay. I do know that I can usually reestablish a connection by turning off Wi-Fi in iPad settings, then immediately turning it back on. This seems to reset Airplay.

As a general comment, I find Airplay to be by far and away the best protocol of its kind. There are even four or more Airplay apps in the Google Play market. Most offer spotty performance at best on my Android phone — but there's simply nothing even close in the Android ecosystem.

@Arthur,

I have the main Bell Aliant FiberOp router made by Motorolla. It acted as the main dhcp network for my home network and wireless throughout the house. From there, I have an airport extreme that was connected to this router as connect to an existing network. Extending didn't work. I also have 4 airport express around the house where I connect $99 Bosse speakers so I can listen to my music through airplay. Also, I have 2 apple TV, Mac pro laptop, iPhone and iPad2.

All of my airport express were cutting out at different times independantly. Very frustrating, annoying and embarrassing when company is home. So from there, I didn't know if it was my network topology creating this issue so I decided to isolate out the Airport extreme. I made the Aliant router the dhcp (which it was all along) and attached all airport express wirelessly to that router with static IP address. The results were 98% good with no cutouts except for once in every 2 weeks of so. Not sure why, really. A router reboot solved that.

Then I decided to change over to the Airport extreme. I removed the dhcp and wireless from the aliant router, rendering it as a simple fiber router with no special function. I setup the extreme with the internet static IP to connect to the Aliant router by giga ethernet wire. Then I wirelessly connect everything in the house to the extreme both wired and wireless. Awfull results. Cutouts were every few minutes and very discouraging.

So there you are. I really am a fan of airplay but now I am positive, by isolation, the extreme is causing this failure. Is it because I have too many devices connected? I tried splitting the wireless by creating the 5GHz network and connecting the 4 express by extending the network. It seems a little better but still cuts out every 10 minutes or so. While one cuts out, I can hear the other one still playing. So I know it's not the source itunes playing the music cutting out.

So I'm going back to my Aliant router, removing the extreme out of the mix, and connecting all express to the Aliant router by "connect to a network"' I would prefer extending but that only works on the extreme (unfortunately). So I have to decide between music that don't cut out and extending the network. The extreme loses. I want my music uninterrupted by crappy cutouts. My Aliant router works whereas the extreme craps out.

@Arthur,

I wanted to add that I also have a B&W zeppelin air that plays music via airplay. When that is connected to the Aliant router, it works perfectly. When I connect to the extreme, it cuts out. I thought maybe something was going on with the express but now I know it's not the case. The extreme router is junk, it just does not working properly.

@Arthur

I am talking about on my Mac. I use 2 iPod touch devices to stream the music either from the iPod directly or using the Remote app. Works flawlessly when Utility is open and like crap when it is closed.

Hope that solves your issue. It is pretty frustrating.

Hello all,

I've been battling intermittent audio dropouts for a while racking my brain trying to figure out why the audio drops o. I must have read for 10 hours on forums and website. I FINALLY figured out my problem!!!

I am using a Cisco E4200v2 router with simultaneous 2.4ghz/5ghz support with separate SSID's. For me, my two iPads could send AirPlay audio without a hitch but any iPhone 4/4s on my network couldn't go more than 20 seconds without dropping out.

In the end, all I had to do was disable the 5ghz band on the router and now I'm a happy camper.

Maybe when I get an iPhone 5 I can enable the 5ghz band again. For noe though, I need to use my 4S for AirPlay.

Sorry man, iPhone 5 doesn't address the problem in its current state. I have the same issue as you... I just connect the the 2.4GHz band rather than the 5GHz one and that solves my problem. No idea why this is...

My setup

AirPort Extreme (2012) -NAT & DHCP

Airport Express (prev gen)

Mac mini (1000gb Ethernet, 2009)

Qnap NAS 412

All audio files on NAS, iTunes library on Mac Mini

Issue

Primary: when playing audio files to airport express file plays but audio drops after a while. Rejoins and drops. When I start and stop - there is no problem.

NO ISSUE WHEN STREAMING INTERNET RADIO. Only network activity is iTunes playback.

Secondary. Noticing 1 second sound drops with iTunes 11 on wired only playback.

Anyone have luck with Airfoil? Seemed to work fine in brief trial. Shame that apple can't a) support QoS with airport or Airplay. Network should support music no problem. B) no buffer in AirPlay.

I was experiencing too heavy sound drops. But following the below mentioned steps I was able to minimize the issue.

1. I changed the Wireless standard from 802.11b&g compatible to 802.11n only 5Ghz

a. Setting can be made using AirPort Utility on Mac or on iPad, iPhone

2. Bring the transmitting (Mac, iPad) and receiving device (AirPort express) physically closer to each other

a.Even though the devices show full Wi-Fi signal strength AirPlay sound drops. Try bringing devices closer helps.

3. If the location of Wi-Fi routers and devices are separated by walls

a. You can use Powerline-adapter.

b. I can recommend the ZyXEL PLA4211 .

My setup: MacBook Pro, iPhone 5, iPad, actual Apple TV, AirPort Express 2009

I would like is to hear from someone who uses the latest (2012) AirPort devices (Express, Extreme, time capsule). If they are also facing this AirPlay sound drop problem.

Have the original airport express. Going N won't help.

The router is beneath the Express. Everything else is wired 1000 Gb. I've tried the 192.IP range ... Not it. Also increasing the cross fade to over 5 sec. Face it. Apple has terrible networking skills. No QoS on AirPort Extreme. Poor show

I experience annoying audio dropouts from B&W A7 Airplay speakers. A7 is located downstairs and wireless router (Westell 327W) is upstairs (office). I am streaming from new iPod touch, not PC. I suspect the problem is signal quality/strength from the router. Is there a way to improve this? New router? Signal booster? Other trick wireless setup? Hard wiring is not possible.

Other info: Music dropped this morning, even with the PC off (but router on). I noticed the wireless signal indicator on my iPod occasionally drops from 3 bars to 2 while downstairs listening. When I walked into basement, the indicator dropped to 1 bar and music stopped. While standing next to the router upstairs, there was no drop in audio downstairs even when I turned on PC, opened Outlook to download mail, then downloaded Flash Player update. Thus, it seems that I am not streaming directly from the iPod to the A7, but rather the streaming is going from the iPod up to the router then from the router to the A7. Is that correct?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

One more piece of information in case it matters. I also have an Airport Express upstairs, in my den (which is room next to office where router is located). The AE is tied into my Yamaha soundbar so that I can stream music to the soundbar if I want to listen in my den. Since the AE is part of my wifi network, I didn't know if somehow the AE affected whatever routing is going on in my system. (I was surprised to find that if I turned off my router, the wireless streaming to my soundbar via AE also stopped. Perhaps I should unjoin the AE from my wifi network. While this would prevent me from streaming from my PC, I believe I could still stream directly from my iPod to the AE since it worked before I figured out how to get it to join my network.)

One additional pc of info: While streaming from iPod to A7 (standing upstairs), I unplugged the AE and this had no effect on streaming. So I gather the presence of the AE is not the source of the dropouts or has an adverse effect on wifi signal.