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Level 1

31 points

time capsule setup query

Hi,

please, consider this:

equipment: internet modem, time capsule 2 TB, apple tv, refurbished 2013 imac 21.5-inch 2.7GHZ quad-core i5, Onkyo amp TX-SR309, Toshiba LCD HDTV

22AV600UZ

set-up idea: modem --(ethernet, wan)--> tc --(ethernet, lan)--> imac --(usb)--> printer

tc --(wi-fi)--> atv --(hdmi)--> tv OR stereo + atv --(optical audio)--> stereo (am not sure yet which configuration will work best)

The plan is to stream audio and video from imac to stereo and tv respectively. Modem and imac are in basement office; tc, atv, tv, and stereo are upstairs. I like to be able to listen to tv and video via tv speakers only and to music via stereo and its speakers only (no surround sound). I may also use airplay to do occasional mirroring from imac to tv via avt.

Does my set-up idea make sense? Can anybody give me some constructive feedback on this?

Best

Frank M.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Jun 26, 2015 6:23 PM

Best reply

LaPastenague

Level 9

67,208 points

Posted on Jun 27, 2015 12:13 AM

Your basic setup is fine... except that wireless may or may not work.. I am not sure I understand your location of the modem and imac in the basement with the TC upstairs.. as well as ATV.. if that is the case run ethernet also to the ATV as that will work a lot better than wireless.

set-up idea: modem --(ethernet, wan)--> tc --(ethernet, lan)--> imac --(usb)--> printer

tc --(wi-fi)--> atv --(hdmi)--> tv OR stereo + atv --(optical audio)--> stereo (am not sure yet which configuration

You are not going to be able to control which speakers your music and video come out from.. You would need to do that from the amp.. BUT I could be wrong.. I am really answering the Time Capsule part of this.. for airplay or apple tv questions you will need to ask in the respective areas of the forum. As long as you are prepared to play around and be flexible I am sure you can get a setup which works.

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18 replies

dubwisedude Author

Level 1

31 points

Jun 30, 2015 5:07 AM in response to LaPastenague

Hi LaPastenague,

after an almost sleepless night I have at last concluded to keep both the apple tv and time capsule and set it all up when my imac has arrived using aforementioned configuration, cat6 ethernet cables, and an optical audio cable. If I run into trouble, I'll consult apple's tech service or the support community. I am tired of ruminating on this, so that's it. The only inconvenience I'll have is that I must convert each movie to go with the itunes library and apple tv. As for the rest, I can only hope that all goes smoothly and stays that way. But I have one last question: since you mentioned a 2-3 years replacement interval for a modem-router - considering that the said present dsl modem was installed in 2007, is it advisable to request a new one from the isp provider even though the modem still functions fine? Please, let me know...

Cheers

Frank

Jun 30, 2015 1:39 PM in response to dubwisedude

The modem you bought in 2007 probably cost $300 or more.. and was built like a tank.

The modem you buy today is made out of ticky tacky and will last maybe 2 years but costs $50.

Modem technology has not moved much due to limitations of phone lines. If you still get full speed for your set of line conditions there is no need to replace the modem. ADSL is now up to a standard called 2+ and should be capable of 24Mbps download and 2Mbps upload on phone lines up to 1Km. Over that distance the speed drops rapidly until you get adsl1 standard which is 8Mbps down and 1Mbps up.. and then it goes slower and slower from there.

Speed and distance therefore are absolutely in lock step.

http://www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk/2012/graph-ADSL-speed-versus-distance

If you are on a long line or restricted speed from your ISP then no improvement in modem will make it go faster. So if the current modem is fine there is no need to upgrade until fibre finally reaches you. On the other hand if you actually have a good line.. loss less than 20db.. . and your ISP offers unlimited speeds.. ie whatever the modem syncs at.. you are better with the latest greatest modem.

My situation is somewhat similar.. I use a very old modem (brand new old stock) because my line is so poor that it works better than the latest modems do.

I have a high attenuation line.. ie far from the exchange and a poor line with bad noise and lots of joins .. all corroding and fill with water when it rains. This is about the best I can do.

Another more modern modem.. the latest used by our major ISP.

Technicolor TG587N v3

Link Information

Uptime:0 days, 0:03:38

DSL Type:ITU-T G.992.3

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:1,003 / 6,915

Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]:32.12 / 30.64

Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]:12.1 / 18.9

Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]:27.1 / 40.0

SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]:7.1 / 5.6

System Vendor ID (Local/Remote):TMMB / ----

Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote):BDCM / BDCM

Loss of Framing (Local/Remote):0 / 0

Loss of Signal (Local/Remote):0 / 0

Loss of Power (Local/Remote):0 / 0

Loss of Link (Remote):-

Error Seconds (Local/Remote):0 / 0

FEC Errors (Up/Down):0 / 89

CRC Errors (Up/Down):0 / 0

HEC Errors (Up/Down):0 / 0

So the old technology modem manages

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:1,020 / 7,851

And the new modem is slower at

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:1,003 / 6,915

The difference might not seem much but it helps netflix no end.

ADSL is so tricky that nobody can be 100% sure of what the best modem will be. I have tried 20 or 30 different modems.. (I do install them so easy for me to try).. and the old speedstream wins for me.. other people have different results.. so there is no one size fits all solution.

Sorry I think I just added to your headaches and sleepless nights.

Post me your line stats from the modem.. I need to see SNR and Attenuation plus the sync speed.

BTW ADSL is about 85% efficient.. so your sync speed is not the speed you achieve in practice.. that will be 15% less.

dubwisedude Author

Level 1

31 points

Jun 30, 2015 2:48 PM in response to LaPastenague

Ok, no sleep and more headaches then till this is finally sorted out - am I the only one who has such a hard time wrapping my mind around this set-up and configuration thing?

Man, I don't even know where I would look up the modem stats. All I can tell you is that we are one of the very few here who actually do have a high speed cable connection from the isp because the line does not go everywhere and it so happens that we are close. To my feeling, downloads go pretty fast but uploads are exceedingly slow. The local isp does not offer unlimited internet access and we have a limit of 80GB consumption per month which is enough for our needs.

In the meantime, I am tempted to change my mind again - it would be the imac + modem/router (4 ports) provided by isp (free installation and connection, costs $2CAN/month, and if anything happens they replace it) + ethernet connected "wd tv media player" to stream my media to stereo and tv + usb-connected "wd my passport ultra 1tb" for backup.

Negatives: no wi-fi, again confined to the basement only for computer work (though the workability of an apple-only wi-fi and bluetooth set-up was also uncertain), must initiate playing media from the basement

Positives: no headaches, no fiddling, more economic, can stream all my media regardless of format

But the last word has not been spoken yet - I still need the blessings of my better half for any of the envisioned possibilities, and we'll discuss this upon her return on Wednesday to take the final decision together.

Thanks for bearing with me, LaPastenague! I am always glad to read from you...

Best

Frank

time capsule setup query