Q: Home Sharing drop out with Apple TV2

My ATV (2nd Gen) was rock solid forever until drop outs would occur every ten minutes.

I have a linksys w54tg (something or other, it's so old I can't see the name for the dust

(The blue one)

So I moved the modem literally one foot to get to the wiring in prep to replace it.

It hasn't dropped since.

(I've run it all morning)

From Apple Weenus to Apple Genius in one easy step.

Drew

I am surprised to hear that. With a lot of people saying that they have replaced their routers with a new model and then their home sharing works again, that to me indicates network configuration.

If you have a Mac, do you have the setting checked for sharing files and folders on that computer? Did you follow all the other steps for changes in the ATV and your computer? Is your computers firewall activated? Did you try configuring just one of your ATV's first?

Yes, I have checked and tried everything and most things twice. I've been back and forth on the phone with a level 2 tech from apple for a week, and we have gotten no where.He wanted me to try hooking the ATV directly to the ethernet port of the computer to rule out a router issue, which I did. The problem still happened even with the ATV plugged into the computer.

I'm at my witts end on this. I had Boxee Boxes before this, and they never dropped connection. I really like the Apple TV 3's I have better than the Boxees, but these dropouts are making me think twice.

Hi, I am having the same problem, I have a bt home hub3 and have changed all the settings and have had no luck. If you open ITunes, open a movie and then stream to AP2 you should have no problems.... not really the answer but an interim solution.

NK

how can it be a router/network problem if it works just fine until the upgrade to atv 5.0 came through? If something gets broken in the magical land of computers, just take a peek at what's changed just before it got broken!

And basically that's the upgrade of ATV!

cheers

emiel

emiel

I'm absolutely positive the problem was caused by one of the Apple updates, whether iTunes, Apple TV, Apple's iTunes servers, or some combination thereof. But it is entirely possible depending on what they've broken that changing some router settings could fix the issue.

Personally though, at this time I'm not prepared to do so, everything else is working fine except Homesharing. Apple obviously broke it and I shouldn't have to fix it. There is a workaround which is quite easy if you have an iDevice - Remote App control iTunes and tell it to AirPlay to the Apple TV.

The fact that workaround works tells me I shouldn't be messing with my network setup...

emiel - For you it may have broke with the ATV 5.0 upgrade but if you look, not only at this thread but others that these problems have been occurring over a year.....doesn't point to just one incident. I echo what laurieknight is saying where it may possibly be a combination of things, especially Apples servers. Depending on your equipment, people are having no success at whatever they do. Some are having a little success and others like myself have found a workaround for it to work as it should. My workaround didn't work for SpidermonkeyCVO while it has for many others.

spma3, My feeling says apple just is to dependent on network parameters and stuff. My atv (homesharing & airplay) broke with the upgrade. I'm using netgear routers. For other routers the breaking-time can occur earlier.

If I reboot the switch, atv and airplay is working fine, for 2 minutes, and then breakes. That has got nothing to do with port forwarding f.i. A firewall either works or doesn't. I think either atv or itunes (or both) die due to things happening on the ethernet were a 'normal' device will stay alive.

or i it due to the fact that itunes servers at apple aren't as predictable as they should be?

I'm still a fan, btw ;-)

cheers

emiel - Port forwarding opens a specfic communication port for data to pass through the firewall(s) and communicate with Apples servers. I know it sounds strange but you would think that just deactivating your firewall should allow this communication to happen but I have tested that and it wasn't until I put the port forwarding in place did it actually work. It could be possible that even though it says the firewall is deactivated that there could be something blocking the communication from my ISP provider. This I can't say for certain.

By rebooting your switch (router) and the ATV and airplay works again albeit for 2 minutes should tell you that your switch is blocking the information. The line of communication is open briefly and either DHCP times out or that's the amount of time it takes for Apples servers to not be able to authenticate your account.

With so many people buying new routers and having that work for them, it all points to changes that Apple made to either iTunes, Apple TV and their servers and the way your network settings communicates.  

Here is another way to think about this. In order for Homesharing to function, you have to be signed into your iTunes account on both the ATV and your computer with iTunes. Apple does this to authorize your ATV to utilize your content on your iTunes account. There is communication with Apples servers for this to happen. If the flow of information isn't clean and constant from Apples servers, THROUGH your computer with iTunes TO your ATV...it will break. This is mostly private network configuration settings.

I'm a new Apple TV user and I've been experiencing the same thing.  I've got a 2011 Mac Mini and a brand new Apple TV 3 (2 days old) and a BT Home Hub 3.

I've tried a wired connection from the Home Hub to the Apple TV and the Home Sharing drops out after 5 minutes which is the same as on Wireless.  I have an old Netgear DG834GT and set up a cable between the BT Home Hub and that and tried different configurations of Wireless settings (Mac and ATV on Netgear, Mac on Home Hub, ATV on Netgear) and had varying results of 5 to 20 minutes but the result is always the same.  Eventually the Home Sharing will disconnect and I either need to go into iTunes and re-enable Home Sharing or shut down and restart iTunes.  When I do this it will last for another 5 to 10 minutes and then I need to do the same again. 

I've also gone into the Home Hub settings trying to work out if there's anything I can do there to open ports etc and not had any success. 

I purchased the ATV so that I could use the Home Sharing feature and now beginning to regret the decision.  It's a real shame as when it does work it works really well but as it stands this is unusable for me.  I really hope that Apple are looking at these issues and trying to do something about it. 

Spma3, I use static IP addresses on both atv and mac/itunes.

A switch doesn't block traffic, a router could do that. I configured port fowarding according to the mentioned topic, without any success. My atv is (wired)  through a switch to the wan router.

But most important: this setup worked fine until atv 5 came along. The depencies of network equipment is too much.

Cheers

spma3

Thank you for your patient posts and suggestions. This is a totally frustrating issue. I have had an ATV2 for neearly a year and had this drop out problem early on until I connected the ATV to my Billion 7401 router via ethernet cable, Everythng then worked fine.

My main use has been streaming music via Airplay. I also stream video via Airplay from an app. That, too has started dropping with the latest OS.

With recent upgrades to iTunes, iOs and the ATV OS, the problem is back in spades. I often cannot see the iTunes library from the ATV and the remote app on Ipad and iPhone often refuses to find either device unless I restart.

Stopping and starting Home Sharing in iTunes makes no difference. To restore the connection I have to disconnect my PC from the wireless network and reconnect it again.

Sadly or otherwise, many of your suggestions with port forwarding and so on are beyond the scope of my technical capability. I think I can do it, but my router's settings look different and  I am reluctant to fiddle too much--over the course of my life, unwanted fiddling has produced many unhappy results. I'm also not sure about the consequences of turning off a firewall on a Windows PC and am reluctant to do so. Indeed I'm not sure even whether you're referring to the router's firewall (which is not on) or the one on the PC.

For me, the real issue here is that Apple are selling a product that it claims 'just works'; one designed for non-expert users. It doesn't work properly and lots of people here over the past year attest to that.

I've no idea whether the problem is a simple one to fix. I doubt it or I suspect Apple would have done so by now. I find it strange, though, that a constant connection between PC ATV and iTunes is required for Airplay which, since recent OS upgrades refuses to work properly.

As I say, it is all very frustrating indeed and obviously far too complex for non-technical users.

Regards

Cormanus - Well said.

It was very frustrating for me as well. I spent MANY hours trying to get it to work. I'm the type that doesn't give up and I was determined to get it functioning. After reading through countless threads and seeing what others have tried, I managed to get it to work. With this forum, all we are trying to do is help those who are where I was....angry and frustrated at a product that doesn't function as advertised.

I don't think of myself as being too technical so when I presented the workaround, I thought that it would be something that people could attempt to do. I'm not a computer programmer or IT person. I do though have knowledge of computers and computer networking. To me, if *I* can do it why not everyone else.

Hopefully these issues are heard by Apple and they become resolved.

Thanks-

spma3

I've made a complaint on the Apple web site, but then I have done so before. I've given them the link to this thread so they can see (if they are minded to) that mine is not an isolated grizzle.

However, the number of possible solutions posted here, plus the fact that the problem continues, suggests to me that the problem is proving very tricky for Apple techs to resolve.

Just for fun I might try turning off home sharing and see what happens to Airplay.

By the way, I noticed your workaround forward port 80. Does that cause other problems? I thought port 80 was widely used by applications.

Regards

Cormanus-

Port 80 is the port for HTTP- standard web site port. I have only the Apple ports forwarded while my router's firewall is active to block other ports. Just because I have port 80 forwarded doesn't mean that I am wide open to every web site. Its a common port for all web sites.