ivanivanivanivan

Q: Audio connection drops out when browsing intensively.

Set-up: 2 Airport Express on my network, 1 of them connected to AMP+speakers for airplay. When I download or use the internet intensively, the signal lags or drops out. Can I improve this? Also wondering if issues would be the same with a SONOS set-up. Thanks!

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013), macOS Sierra (10.12)

Posted on Sep 28, 2016 5:43 AM

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Q: Audio connection drops out when browsing intensively.

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  • by Tesserax,Helpful

    Tesserax Tesserax Sep 28, 2016 11:41 AM in response to ivanivanivanivan
    Level 9 (54,798 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 28, 2016 11:41 AM in response to ivanivanivanivan

    The basic issue is bandwidth or, more specifically, sufficient bandwidth to do both networking activities simultaneously. As you can image, both streaming and Internet access, will use up the bandwidth that is available.

     

    The SONOS would have the same issue.

     

    Let's look at some typical data transfer rates that can go over a wireless (or wired) network:

    • An AirPlay "speaker" uses about 0.75 Mbps during audio streaming.
    • If that speaker happens to be in client mode. An example would be an AirPort Express that "joins" an existing wireless network, the rate increases to around 1.5 Mbps.
    • If you use Time Machine (or another backup solution) and the destination for its back ups in on a network drive, it alone can use anywhere between 160 to 200 Mbps.
    • Video, especially HD video, streaming over a local network will take up considerably more bandwidth than audio streaming. Starting around 3.5 Mbps for standard definition TV format to over 40 Mbps for Blu-ray.
    • Streaming HD movies from the Internet (Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) could take up to 10 Mbps.
    • Finally, using FaceTime or Skype, can take up to 1.5 Mbps.

    Ok, with that said, you can see that if you could do a number of these things simultaneously, or have others using the same network, your overall bandwidth can quickly be used up. Think of rush-hour traffic.

     

    Solutions?

    • Increase bandwidth
      • Use wired over wireless connections between the streaming source and the destination where possible.
      • Get a higher bandwidth tier from your ISP for Internet streaming.
      • Use 802.11ac or 802.11n wireless routers/computers if wireless is a mandatory goal.
    • Decrease video streaming quality
      • Use SD over HD for movies
    • Reduce doing simultaneous activities that demand high bandwidth requirements.
  • by ivanivanivanivan,

    ivanivanivanivan ivanivanivanivan Sep 28, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 28, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Tesserax

    Thanks so much! To get such an expansive reply is awesome and helpful! I'm currently on a 100mb connection, think I'll upgrade to 500mb. That's the max I can get.

  • by Tesserax,Helpful

    Tesserax Tesserax Sep 28, 2016 11:32 PM in response to ivanivanivanivan
    Level 9 (54,798 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 28, 2016 11:32 PM in response to ivanivanivanivan

    If you didn't think of it, I would suggest that you ask your ISP for a "trial" period at the increased bandwidth so you can verify that this would help. It should for streaming from the Internet with the right router.

     

    However, one issue will be your AirPort Express base station. The Ethernet ports on the the 802.11n models only support 100 Mbps. You would have to upgrade to the Extreme or Time Capsule to get 1 Gbps ports or to another brand.

  • by ivanivanivanivan,

    ivanivanivanivan ivanivanivanivan Sep 28, 2016 11:35 PM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 28, 2016 11:35 PM in response to Tesserax

    Thanks! If I'm correct the Extreme doesn't support AirPlay audio. Would the port on the Express ever get upgraded, so it can handle faster connection speeds. Or the addition of a jack in the Extreme. Guess I'll have to wait for that.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Sep 29, 2016 10:24 AM in response to ivanivanivanivan
    Level 9 (54,798 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 29, 2016 10:24 AM in response to ivanivanivanivan

    You are correct in that the Extreme is not an AirPlay-enabled device. Only the AirPort Express has this function.

     

    Since we are all Apple product users here at the Apple Support Communities, none of us could possibly know when or, even if, Apple will produce an new Express version or include AirPlay functionality in the Extreme.