Streaming radio dropping out

Uh huh!

Presumably the question, that you didn't ask, is why does that happen and what can you do about it?

Buffering is due to the audio not getting to the iPod Touch quickly enough (and I assume, since you've posted in the Touch community, that you own one, along with the iPhone, iPad and laptop). This may be because the Wi-Fi isn't fast enough or the signal isn't strong enough. That may be because the aerial on the iPhone and iPod Touch simply isn't as sensitive as the iPad. You don't say whether the laptop is Wi-Fi or wired.

There may also be interference to the Wi-Fi signal. My speaker dock transmits audio to other rooms, but it interferes with the Wi-Fi on my iPod Touch and will cause drop-outs.

So part two of your my question: what can you do about it?

1. Turn off any transmitters that may be interfering with the Wi-Fi
2. Use the iPod Touch closer to your Router - in particular, make sure there are no large lumps of metal between the iPod and the router. For example, don't hide the iPod from the router behind the fridge!
3. Use one of your other devices to listen to streamed audio.
4. Can you download the audio as a Podcast (or simply an MP3 file) and play from the downloaded file on the iPod?

A transmitter is anything that sends audio or video wirelessly, and may also include microwave ovens which emit radio frequency signals while they are operating.

For example, my iPod dock sends the audio signal to another dock, in a different room, using radio transmission. But the transmitter (that sends the audio) interferes with Wi-Fi signals, so I cannot use my iPod to recieve streamed audio (it's not radio by the way!) and then send it to the second dock. That isn't the fault of the Touch (as you suggest) but in fact the "fault" of the dock, which is using radio frequencies to send the sound, that are interfering with the Wi-Fi.

• A microwave oven produces interference while operating. Even the best microwave ovens can interfere with nearby electronic items.
• I live near to London's Heathrow airport. The radar from the airport (that they use to guide the planes) caused inteference to my old videotape machine, every seven seconds. I don't live that close!

tomsdad wrote:

My broadband is not the strongest as I live in a village. But it is 1.5 meg. Should easily cope with this.

It's not the speed of your broadband that is the issue, after all, you say that the iPad works better than the iPod. The fact is that both the iPhone and the iPod Touch almost certainly have smaller, less sensitive aerials inside, (the bit that receives the Wi-Fi) because they are physically smaller devices. There simply isn't the room to fit in a bigger aerial. So the audio arrives at your end of the broadband but then is slowed down by the Wi-Fi connection. The speed of the Wi-Fi may be reduced by any or all of the following:

• physical obstructions between the two devices (such as walls made from stone or with a lot of metal in)
• distance between the two devices
• several devices using the same Wi-Fi at once. Is anyone else in your house using Wi-Fi for anything while you are? E.G. kids on their iPods, spouse using their Android tablet etc.?
• outsiders using your Wi-Fi, particularly if your Wi-Fi is not secured.

tomsdad wrote:

I am hugely disappointed that the touch ( or the iPhone 5 for that matter are so pathetic at doing this.

Perhaps it's simply the laws of physics - not everything is Apple's fault. The technical limitations of Wi-Fi may not help. But again, that isn't Apple's fault, Wi-Fi technology is still being developed and each new generation of Wi-Fi is better than the previous one.

Try moving the dock to another place, even a few inches (centimetres). It may sort out the problem.