[desertmac]

Quick question: I use a PB as a "server" for my music, and soon my movies. I stream my music to an AE that is hooked up to my stereo system. The question: When I get Apple TV, will it make a difference whether I am using a PB with 802.11g capability, or a MBP with 802.11n capability?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[desertmac]

Here's what I've learned for anyone who's interested:

All scenarios assume an Airport Extreme with 802.11n capability.

1. MBP to Apple TV: 802.11n to 802.11n
2. MBP to Airport Express: 802.11n to 802.11g = 802.11g
3. PB to AppleTV: 802.11g to 802.11n = 802.11g
4. PB to AE: 802.11g to 802.11g = 802.11g

[Simon]

Originally Posted by desertmac 

1. MBP to Apple TV: 802.11n to 802.11n

Keep in mind though that you will see higher speeds if this a pure 802.11n network rather than a 802.11n network with additional 802.11g clients connected.

That said, for streaming content to the AppleTV the ~5MB/s you get between an n-capable client and the AppleTV on a mixed 802.11n network should be more than enough.

[desertmac]

Thanks Simon. That's a good reminder. I do have a related question. I have one Airport Express in the network that is configured as part of a WDS with the Airport Extreme (n capable). I know this will degrade the n speeds. The question is: will this Airport Express degrade the speeds of the MBP commnicating with the Apple TV?

[Simon]

Originally Posted by desertmac 

The question is: will this Airport Express degrade the speeds of the MBP commnicating with the Apple TV?

In principle, yes. If you operate the 802.11n network as a pure 5GHz network you can reach higher speeds than if operate it as a mixed 802.11n network. And for the AP Express to work as a WDS remote you can't operate the Extreme in the pure 5 GHz mode.

If you're worried about this performance penalty you could consider a "dual band network" running the Extreme as a 5GHz network, attach the Express to one of the Extreme's LAN ports and run it as another network on the 2.4 GHz band. That way you have two networks and both offer maximum available bandwidth to all clients. Apple explains how this is done in detail in this this guide on pages 47-48.

[desertmac]

Thanks Simon. I'll check out the manual.