Apple TV won't connect to Mac Mini home sharing unless I login first on MacBook Pro?

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Level 1

8 points

Apple TV won't connect to Mac Mini home sharing unless I login first on MacBook Pro?

Hi all,

Having a rather odd and irritating issue. I have a Mac Mini with Home Sharing enabled which has all my girlfriends tv shows and movies. I also have File Sharing and Remote Management enabled so my MacBook Pro can connect so I can add additional movies and tv shows that I have reduced in size via HandBrake.

The problem is my Apple TV which my girlfriend uses to watch her shows/movies in the bed room doesn't connect to the Mac Mini's home sharing unless I log in first on my MacBook Pro?

I have checked that both are connected to the same network and the same iTunes account. All products are running up-to-date versions. So I am not quite sure what the problem is and hopefully someone has an idea what the issue could be?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Jul 22, 2016 6:19 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 22, 2016 9:48 AM in response to Dannyholt

Hi,

Is the mini sleeping until you login? Is it running iTunes while sleeping? I'm wondering if the Mini doesn't publish its services until you interact with it, at least in a way the ATV can hear. Are ATV and the Mini both on WiFi?

Is your network simple: one WiFi router, any ethernet wired direct to the same router? Or are there switches, WiFi access points (or repeaters) involved? Is the main router an Apple AirPort? The thing is that the Apple Bonjour service used for service discovery works fine in a simple network configuration, but may have trouble with more complex configurations. The AirPort helps because it includes a Bonjour Sleep Proxy, which can be a central server for this.

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Answer 2

Dannyholt Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 30, 2016 9:14 AM in response to Diana.McCall

Hi Diana,

My network setup in my opinion is quite simple, it consists of a one wireless router which the Apple TV and Mac Mini connect via wireless. So would purchasing an Apple AirPort resolve the issue?

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Answer 3

Jul 30, 2016 1:14 PM in response to Dannyholt

It might, but it's a lot to buy just to try it. I don't have any details on the Mac side, but you may need some network settings to make this work. In particular, the WiFi interface needs to enable wake on LAN (WLAN) so it wakes up when ATV tries to connect.

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