Getting iTunes music outdoor

bbranckaerts

Honorable
Apr 19, 2013
2
0
10,510
I have the following situation: iTunes music library running on my Mac, wired and wireless network inside the house (2 Apple base stations, 2 Airplays to get good signal strength amongst 3 floors). I also installed an extra Airplay at the outdoor patio and connected it to my outdoor classic AV receiver and its 2 loudspeakers. Between the house and the patio is a concrete wall and a large glass door.
The music plays well (sometimes a small hick-up) until I close the glass door... than the audio stream is interrupted... I tested it with opening and closing the glass door- the music stops and starts playing when closing/opening the glass door...
Any suggestions how to get better music streaming to the patio? I'd like to keep the glass door closed and still play music.
The wireless network is used both for internet access (working outside on a laptop) and for the music. Taking the laptop outside (with iTunes on it) just to play music is not an option- I need a high-quality fluent audio streaming to the outdoor.

Thanks
BartMan from Belgium
 
Likely you have a low-e coating on the glass. This is metal you can see though and does a excellent job of blocking UV rays like it suppose to as well as most mircowave frequencies.

You don't have a lot of option, you have to get the signal outside somehow. The best way of course is to run a ethernet cable outside the house and put up a outdoor AP. You likely put it anywhere on the same side of the house and it will work great. The other way would be to put a AP inside the house as close to the wall/door as possible and attempt to blast the signal though. May or may not work.

I know the coatings on the windows where I work block it so well that we can put a router directly against the glass and it barely works outside 20ft away.
 

bbranckaerts

Honorable
Apr 19, 2013
2
0
10,510
Thx for the reply and input. I need to go wireless, Ethernet cable is technically impossible.
Any recommendations for an AP that I install in the house to stream outside, and that is compatible with my apple-based network? And how to configure it? How to connect it to my Apple base station and do I need to reconfigure my outside airport express?

BartMan
 
My knowledge of the apple product line is somewhat limited but I think you can use a airport express as a AP so you could try one of the ones you have first. You would run a cable from the main router to the location you wish to place the AP. You would then hope that you get more signal on your other airport express which is running in bridge mode.

You should be able to use any brand of AP. At least apple decided to follow everyone else rather than invent their own when it comes to wireless. The express should connect to any AP.

Now if you cannot run a wire you can use a repeater but you now have 2 wireless signals one from the main router to the repeater and a second to the unit outside. Hard to say how well it will work. These tend to be finicky devices and they cut the speed by half which likely isn't a problem in this case. I would only use a repeater as a last choice.

Still to test before you buy something I would run a cable over the floor and use your existing equipment to see if you can even force a signal though the wall.