HT1595: Apple TV (1st generation): Troubleshooting wireless connections

Learn about Apple TV (1st generation): Troubleshooting wireless connections
Aspenarbo
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Q: Does using Apple TV use data on my Verizon Mifi Internet device?

The only internet we have is through Verizon and the Mifi "puck". That is the network that I have my Apple TV, iMac, iPhone, and iPad set up through. Does having it set up that way use internet megabite usage while streaming from one device to the apple TV?

Also, its very slow. How can I set up a seperate home intranet to use the Apple TV but not have it hooked up to the internet?

Thank you,

Sam

Apple TV, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on May 28, 2012 2:22 PM

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Aspenarbo

Q: Does using Apple TV use data on my Verizon Mifi Internet device?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Winston Churchill,Helpful

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill May 28, 2012 2:30 PM in response to Aspenarbo
    Level 10 (104,521 points)
    Apple TV
    May 28, 2012 2:30 PM in response to Aspenarbo

    Welcome to the Apple Community.

     

    Generally speaking streaming from one device to another does not use the Internet, however for iTunes purchases the Apple TV may require to confirm authorisation, this uses a very small amount of bandwidth but does require an Internet connection.

  • by Aspenarbo,

    Aspenarbo Aspenarbo May 28, 2012 2:33 PM in response to Winston Churchill
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    May 28, 2012 2:33 PM in response to Winston Churchill

    Thank you. That is what I thought, but wasnt sure.

    Since you seem to know what your doing. How can I imporve the speed at which things stream and not tie-up my Verizon Wifi? Would airport fix that?

  • by Winston Churchill,Helpful

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill May 28, 2012 2:38 PM in response to Aspenarbo
    Level 10 (104,521 points)
    Apple TV
    May 28, 2012 2:38 PM in response to Aspenarbo

    You'd need to work out why it's a bit slow. Are the distances between devices excessive, are you experiencing interference, are there a lot of devices on the network, is it an old router etc.

  • by Aspenarbo,

    Aspenarbo Aspenarbo May 28, 2012 2:44 PM in response to Winston Churchill
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    May 28, 2012 2:44 PM in response to Winston Churchill

    Ok, I will try those things. To answer some of your questions, Yes the distance from the WiFi device and iMac are on oposite ends of the house. I don't know about intereference. There is just the iMac and/or the iPhone and the apple TV connected. I don't have a router, unless the WiFi "puck" is the router, then its a 3G wireless interentet device and new.

  • by Winston Churchill,

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill May 28, 2012 2:54 PM in response to Aspenarbo
    Level 10 (104,521 points)
    Apple TV
    May 28, 2012 2:54 PM in response to Aspenarbo

    I don't really know anything about MiFi, but assuming it is a standard Wi-Fi system, there are a number of solutions to compensate for excessive distances. My preference would be to deploy a second Wi-Fi base station in bridge mode and connect it to the first with an ethernet cable. Obviously positioning both to best serve the space that they are working in.

  • by Aspenarbo,

    Aspenarbo Aspenarbo May 28, 2012 5:08 PM in response to Winston Churchill
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 28, 2012 5:08 PM in response to Winston Churchill

    Thank you!

  • by muralwork,

    muralwork muralwork Aug 4, 2012 5:52 PM in response to Aspenarbo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 4, 2012 5:52 PM in response to Aspenarbo

    I just bought the Apple TV and the only high-speed internet access I have available where I live (without spending over $1000 to bring cable to my house ... bummer) is my Verizon Jetpack™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi® 4510L.  It is expensive and has a major data limitation for streaming video (10GB/mo for $80 ... bigger bummer!) One good thing is that it is way faster than 3G ... I can stream video ... but if I did, I would likely be paying over $200/mo.

     

    To answer your question:

     

    Verizon told me that if I used the wireless network created by the Verizon Jetpack MiFi to stream video from my computer, it would still be counted as data usage against my account even if I'm not streaming from the internet.

     

    So, here is what I did:

     

    1. Set up Apple TV using the Verizon MiFi network.

     

    2. Turned on Home Sharing in iTunes Store on computer.

     

    3. Connected computer to a network router (I am using Time Capsule)

     

    4. Connected router to Apple TV using ethernet port (You can connect wirelessly if needed, but it'll be slower, however, I tried both and wireless worked fine.)

     

    5. Go to Settings / General / Networks / Configure / Automatically

     

    6. Choose your network router if using wireless connection

     

    7. Select "Continue without internet"

     

    Now you're good to stream movies from you computer.  I download them to iTunes at my parents house using there high-speed internet.

     

    Note:  If you reboot your Apple TV, you have to do steps 1., 5. and 7. again, otherwise Apple TV will ask you to Authorize your computer in iTunes.