Apple TV and ethernet switch

It would help to know the specifics of your switch, like the make, model, & particularly its speed.

Also, are you using "Cat 5" ethernet cables or cheaper "Cat 3" ones? (Cat 3 cables have 4 wired conductors, visible at the end of the clear connectors; Cat 5 or better have 8.)

Hubs & switches are not the same. Switches connect devices together as needed to route traffic between them, much like a telephone switchboard connects two telephones together as needed to complete a call. Hubs connect all devices together, sort of like an always-on conference call among all the phones in the system. Because it provides point-to-point connections, using a switch can increase network capacity compared to using a hub.

Neither can directly cause any IP address problems because they don't alter IP addresses or depend on them for proper operation. (Routers, a step up in sophistication from switches, can alter IP addresses in addition to switching.)

I am using my Apple TV on an 802.11g network and I don't have any speed problems. When you say that sync times are quite slow, can you give an example? If you want to connect via cable you should use a hub rather than a switch.

Make sure your router and all of your connected devices, including your Apple TV, are set to use DHCP. If the speed problems continue, check the network IP addresses in all of the connected devices and see if more than one device has been assigned the same IP address. A network address conflict will definitely slow things down.

You might also want to check your router manufacturer's web site to make sure your router has the latest firmware. If not, you should update it.

iMac Mac OS X (10.4.9) The more I think, the more I think I shouldn't think more.

If you want to connect via cable you should use a hub rather than a switch.

I'm not sure I would agree with that, a hub as RC-R says sends data to all devices, a switch is selective and routes the data to the device it is meant for. Taking this a step further, this means that all ethernet adapters have to listen for collisions caused by a hub, if they don't have to do this (as with a full duplex switch) they can transmit and receive at the same time. A large file can congest a network using a hub, indeed if a large file is sent on a slower older 10 Mhz, the network will almost come to a halt. The effect is less significant with faster networks.

All that being said, I believe hubs are not very common today as the price of a switch has tumbled over the last few years, unless you have had your device for some considerable time, my bet is that it's a switch.

I agree with Winston -- hubs are obsolete for all but a few specialized applications, none of which are likely to be found in home networks, so there is no reason to use one rather than a switch with an Apple TV.

IP address conflicts are a concern, but neither hubs nor switches likely to be used in small networks can cause them. For a network like Andoman's, the only devices with IP addresses that need checking are the Apple TV, the Mac, & the router in the modem.

With your wireless G connection, does it only stutter when you are watching movie previews or even when you are watching a movie already in iTunes?

My Apple TV is hard wired but still stops for a little while when streaming movie previews. It works great for all content local to iTunes. The stuttering I get is due to my internet connection not keeping up with the movie preview viewing.

MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.9)

So you can stream movie trailers at the itunes store? I wasn't aware of that function with apple TV. That's sweet!

The reason i would like a faster connection isnt cause of syncing but streaming. All my movies are over 3000kbps and original anamorphic resolution so they pretty much use up all the bandwith. Especially when fastforwarding there are issues.

I have a tv and a security camera (transmitting mpeg4 @ 1280 x 720) wirelessly connected to an extreme running g/n and I can't say I've had any issues.

Which is faster btw, a wired connection or wireless N?

Since the tv is only 100 BASE Ethernet in theory the 'n' network should be a little faster, I doubt very many are actually achieving this however.

Which is faster btw, a wired connection
or wireless N?

In theory, 802.11n should be faster than 100 Mbps Ethernet under optimum conditions (very short range, no interference, etc.); in practice, the wired Ethernet connection usually is the faster one in real world conditions.

All your equipment seems to be 100 Mbps capable. I'm not sure why you would get sluggish results with it, other than because of mis-configuration of your network settings in some way.

We may be quibbling over semantics here. By hub I am referring to switching hubs as I believe most hubs sold these days are switching hubs. Even with the older type hubs, it's doubtful that data collisions on a home network, where there are only a few devices connected, will cause a noticeable reduction in network speed.

A switch is not without a delay factor, either, as it has to wait until it receives a complete routable data block before it can read the header information and route the packets. From a practical standpoint, I don't think there is a significant difference between using a switch as opposed to a hub on a home network.

iMac Mac OS X (10.4.9) The more I think, the more I think I shouldn't think more.

Your earlier statement that one should use a hub instead of a switch with a wired network is unsupportable & trying to justify it in this manner can only lead to confusion.

The names "hub" & "switch" are well established throughout the world as referring to two distinctly different types of network devices, as are the advantages of switches over hubs for almost all Ethernet applications.

I have to say that I simply don't understand the purpose of that kind of reply. You and a few other members spend more time criticising the comments of others or debating the merits of some picayune point of disagreement than you do actually offering something that is substantially helpful to the person who originated the thread.

I do not want to get into yet another pointless debate that is not appropriate as stated in the terms of use located at http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa#terms. It is precisely that kind of commentary that can only lead to confusion and can make the Apple support forums an unpleasant experience for all but the most overzealous posters.

iMac Mac OS X (10.4.9) The more I think, the more I think I shouldn't think more.

Well, I just got my AppleTV today, and I've got it hooked up over wired 100Mbps network. It goes into a linksys 8 port switch, which is then hooked into my Belkin router, and I have to say I was shocked at how fast it was. I immediately starting watching tv shows on it before it even synced anything, and have had no issues with stuttering at all, and I've been watching shows all night.

For the record, I also have a mac mini and a B&W G3 plugged and a docking station for my laptop plugged into the router, and a PC and the AppleTV plugged into the switch. Works like a champ.

capaho, I have some empathy for your point of view. I personally target the beginner to moderately experienced user sort of poster to help, I try to keep my language simple and often use comparisons to help. The problem is that simple language can often miss the point and without proper clarification can be misleading, simple comparisons can be spurious and also lead to confusion. Believe me I've done it myself on many occasions.

From time to time it is necessary to clear up these areas of confusion and this is what I believe RC-R was doing, it was not an attempt to criticise anyone but an effort to avoid the OP any confusion.

To be fair I have used the term hub before when I meant switch for the same reason as you pointed out, that most people are unlikely to have just a hub. On the other hand you did make the distinction between the two and incorrectly identified the wrong one as the faster.

Incidentally, there is nothing wrong with debating some "picayune" point as you put it, we too are still learning and can benefit from this type of discussion on occasions, which ultimately means we are better equipped to help others in the future. On this point I admit my knowledge about routers is limited to the basics, can anyone tell me if a router can be programmed to run a private DNS server or is this a task for other equipment.