Is Wi Fi speed limited by old iMac and old Airport Express?

I got my sister an Apple TV for Christmas. Download times for movies or TV rentals is really slow.
She has Time Warner Road Runner Cable modem at their standard speed (not upgraded to "Turbo". My question is whether a new Airport Express or Extreme running at 802.11n would either speed up downloads or transfers from her newer MacBook to the Apple TV.
I guess my question is whether the desktop - an old Power PC and it's old Airport Card hinder the performance of either the rental or purchase downloads or connectivity between her MacBook, Apple TV & iPad. When I visit, I also get a pretty weak signal from the den in the back of the house to the family room up front. Could the "n" upgrade improve on any of these limitations? Not sure if the slow main computer is part of the problem.
Sorry I don't have more details on the internet speed or specifics on the system.

I guess my question is whether the desktop - an old Power PC and it's old Airport Card hinder the performance of either the rental or purchase downloads or connectivity between her MacBook, Apple TV & iPad.
Yes, the do. When you have non-"n" wireless clients on an "n" network, there will be bandwidth performance degradation anytime those non-"n" clients are active on the network. Typically, "n" clients only get around 70% of maximum bandwidth when non-"n" clients (computers, printers, Internet-ready TVs, or routers) are connected.
When I visit, I also get a pretty weak signal from the den in the back of the house to the family room up front. Could the "n" upgrade improve on any of these limitations?
Possibly. The newer "n" AirPorts do provide better range than the older models. Regardless, this will would only have minimum improvement over download speed. It should; however, improve streaming speed between the MacBook/iPad and the Apple TV.

Similar Messages

I bought a new iMac, and i have CC on my old iMac and my laptop. since i'm only authorized to use 2 computers, how do i transfer the license off of my old cdesktop ompuetr to my new one

how do i transfer a cc license from my old desktop iMac to my new one? i use cc on my laptop as well

Hi Rose,
You just have to run one of the CC applications on your old iMac and do a "sign out" (on windows this is in the e.g. Photoshop "Help" menu, can't remember for Mac)...which warns you that you can't use CC apps on that computer anymore.
Then install CC on your new iMac and log in to it. You will then have to use the CC app to install photoshop etc on your new iMac.
Kevin

I just bought a new IMac. I have photoshop elements installed on my old IMac and would like to move it to the new one. How can i do this?

I just bought a new IMac. I have photoshop elements installed on my old IMac and would like to move it to the new one. How can i do this?

Unfortunately, adobe doesn't have photoshop elements 6 available for download, as far as i know, so your best bet is to either get an usb dvd drive or use an computer with a dvd drive and copy the contents of the pse 6 dvd to somethiing like
a flash drive and then copy the contents from that drive to your new computer.
Do you still have your older mac and it has a dvd drive?
You can share files between the two using airdrop or an ethernet cable.
http://support.apple.com/en-is/HT203106
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18722
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14409

I have a one-year old iMac and Safari will NOT remember bookmarks I try to add. Any suggestions?

I have a one-year old iMac and Safari will NOT remember bookmarks I try to add. Any suggestions?

Launch the Terminal application by entering the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Copy or drag -- do not type -- the line below into the Terminal window, then press return:
ls -Oel Library/Safari
Copy any lines of output that appear below what you entered and paste them into a reply to this message.

Have a 2 year old imac and the email will not send as it is stuck on drafts file

have a 2 year old imac and the email will not send as it is stuck on the drafts file -- any ideas please?

As Stated... The iPad 2 does not offer this Feature.
iOS System Requirements > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3574
Understanding > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4517

My old iMac and OS 10.4 will not accept the New iTunes Version 10 application and I can't get past the screen offering to download iTunes 10. This is wrong and I need help getting past this situation. Help!

My old iMac and OS 10.4 will not accept the New iTunes Version 10 application and I can't get past the screen offering to download iTunes 10. This is wrong and I need help getting past this situation. Help!

Sure, you can get around it if you don't need the newest version of iTunes. I still use version 7.5 because the newer versions didn't strike me as offering anything I needed.
If you do need a version 10-something then you will have to upgrade your operating system to Leopard (fi your computer will support it) at least. If you need 10.5 for some reason then there's no getting around it, you will have to buy a new computer.

How do I remove my AddressBook folder from dropbox on my old imac and transfer it to my new imac with lion so I can use iCloud?

How do I remove my Address Book folder from dropbox on my old Imac and move it to my new mac so I can use icloud

Is there a reason that you don't want to use Migration Assistant to automatically transfer all your user files from one Mac to the other?
If you absolutely want to do it manually, copy the contents of the user/Library/Application Support/AddressBook folder from the old Mac to the new. Use Dropbox or a flash drive or whatever you prefer, but it must end up in the same location you copied it from. You must hold down the Option key and click the Go menu in Finder to see the Library folder, or use Go - Go to Folder and type in "~/Library".
Matt

I have a year old iMac and Macbook, both on 10.7.3. Every time the iMac goes to sleep I lose wi-fi. No problem with the Macbook and iPad. A lot of people seem to have the same problem. What's the solution?

I have a year-old iMac and Macbook, both on 10.7.3. Every time the iMac goes to sleep I lose wi-fi from Airport Express. No problem with the Macbook or my iPad. It seems a lot Mac users are having the same problem. Is there a solution? Does Apple have a solution?

Sometimes there are problems.
Somethings to try but probably won't help....
1. Repair Disk Permissions
2. Startup in Safe mode by holding down the "Shift" key....
3. Reset the P Ram by holding down the "Command/Option/P/R" keys at the same time...
The above are standard items to do on any Mac from time to time.
I repair permissions at least once a month....
The other 2 periodically as they do straighten things out when they get out of whack....
Thanks for the feedback.

I have an old iMac and am thinking about getting an iMac intel do I need a different kind of usb and firewire cord?

I have an old iMac and am thinking of getting an iMac intel. Do I need a different type of usb and firewire cords to work with the new one?

What type of Firewire cable do you have?
If our not sure then first look up your computer with the serial number here,
http://support.apple.com/specs/
Then take a look at the specs for the new iMac here and see if you have compatible cable,
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html

I have an old iMac and cannot launch new OSX software updates

i have an old iMac and cannot launch new OSX software updates

We need to narrow down "Old iMac." Please do "About this Mac" from your Apple menu and tell us what the resulting window reports for your Processor type, as in this image:
Please post exactly what your iMac reports at the second red arrow in my example.

Migrate to new iMac from old iMac and am getting 'incompatible software' message.

Im trying to migrate to new iMac from old iMac and am getting 'incompatible software' message. I'm not sure what to do- can I revert back to snow leopard from mavericks?

Hi Mark,
If you install Mavericks, or in your case migrate from an old computer running Snow Leopard (or an earlier version of Mac OS X) to one using Mavericks, some of your software that was designed to run on older computers may not function in the new OS. See this article -
OS X: About the incompatible software folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3258
In particular -
If you see a message indicating that you can't use "this version" of an app, contact the software's vendor or visit their website to see if a later, compatible version of the app is available. If you purchased the software from the Mac App Store, use Software Update to see if an updated version is available there.
and
During installation, OS X moves known-incompatible software to a folder named "Incompatible Software" at the top level of the startup drive. If this folder is present on your Mac, see what applications are in it, then check for available updates. To obtain a newer version of an Apple app, check the Mac App Store, or visit the Apple Store website.
Regarding installing an older operating system on your new iMac, Apple does not support doing this, as described in this article -
Don't install a version of Mac OS X earlier than what came with your Mac
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2186
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

I kept getting this upgrade prompt from the App Store to upgrade free to OS10 Yosemite. So I finally did on my 4 year old iMac and now it appears to be stuck just spinning on that stupid ball that means trouble and it is not progressing. Anybody got

I kept getting this upgrade prompt from the App Store to upgrade free to OS10 Yosemite. So I finally did on my 4 year old iMac and now it appears to be stuck just spinning on that stupid ball that means trouble and it is not progressing. Anybody got any idea what I do now? Thanks.

I don't think you would get a thing from the App Store running 10.3.x on a PowerBook. It would help if you told us what you really are using and what version of OS X you were running.
It would also help to tell us what the "stupid ball" is. In fact it would be a big help to give us a thorough and intelligible description of your situation so we don't have to guess.

I am planning on recycling an old iMac and Powerbook. However, the display on the iMac is so messed up I can't read anything and the Powerbook is unusable (no power) so what do I do about erasing the hardrives for security?

I've been reading up on how to clean your hard drive so personal information can't be accessed, but if you can't get to your hard drive to clean it up, what are you supposed to do? My town is offering an electronics recycling and I was hoping to drop off my old iMac and Powerbook. I can turn the iMac on, but the display is really bad and almost unreadable. The Powerbook is completely dead. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Since both computers have operational problems, I'd suggest removing the hard drives from them. That way, you'll have possession of the drives and their data. Considering their age, I doubt that the recycling program will attempt to repair these computers for donation to needy parties, but if you thought so, you could buy a $15 adapter that would let you connect the bare drive to a USB port on your functioning computer. Once connected, you could erase the drives and reinstall them. You didn't indicate which iMac you have, but if it's a G3 model, this Macworld article has illustrated directions for hardware upgrades, which would show you how to remove the hard drive. If your iMac is a G3 (400 MHz or faster) with the additional VGA port concealed under the plastic door on the rear of its underside, you could connect a VGA display and attempt setting up video mirroring. Once done, you could wipe the drive, while using the connected display to navigate through the procedure. This would eliminate the need to open the bottom of the housing, to access the hard drive for removal. As for the PowerBook, you could post a topic in its specific Forum (depending on the model) and request directions for hard drive removal. Post back as to your preferred option, if you have any questions regarding it.

I recently (Jan 2012) acquired a MacBook Pro (MBP) running 10.7.4 and an AirPort Express. I also have an old PPC G4 tower (Digital Audio model) running 10.4.11. The OS software on both machines is totally up to date. AirPort Utility on the G4 is 5.4.2

I recently (Jan 2012) acquired a MacBook Pro (MBP) running 10.7.4 and an AirPort Express. I also have an old PPC G4 tower (Digital Audio model) running 10.4.11. The OS software on both machines is totally up to date. AirPort Utility on the G4 is 5.4.2 and on 6.0 on the MBP. I bought a used AirPort card for the G4, I believe it is 802.11b compatible, and the wireless data rate is specified at 11 Mbps. Being a newbie to wireless, it took me many days to get these two machines to link up. This network is not connected to the internet, and there no other networks in the vicinity.
My last problem to solve is the very slow file transfer speeds between the two machines. The transfer time seems to vary depending on which machine I use to initiate the transfer, and which direction the transfer is going. For example: If I initiate the transfer from the G4 and send a 5.4MB file to the MBP it takes 1:32 (min:sec), while the same file going from the MBP to the G4 takes 27 seconds. On the other hand if the transfer is initiated on the MBP, going from the MBP to the G4 takes 2:56, while going from the G4 to the MBP takes 1:59. I realize that these times are not actual wireless transfer times but includes the entire transfer process.
Both machines and the AirPort Express are within a 4-foot radius. Both machines are set to radio channel 2. The AirPort Express is set for 802.11n(802.11b/g compatible) with WPA/WPA2 Personal wireless security.
Any help would be appreciated.
CEU2

BDAqua,
Thanks for the response.
Apple has used the term "Digital Audio" to identify this machine. System Profiler has the following information:
Machine Name:          Power Mac G4
Machine Model:          PowerMac3,5
CPU Type:          PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Number Of CPUs:          1
CPU Speed:          800 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU):          256 KB
Memory:          768 MB
Bus Speed:          133 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          4.3.3f2
Serial Number:          XBxxxxxMK9
Sales Order Number:
Yes, I could connect them by ethernet if all I wanted to do was transfer files, but I would like to network them so I could use wireless internet. The machines are not always so close together, I did that to simplify the testing. With the very slow transfer speeds I am reluctant to move ahead with the internet step.
<Edited By Host>

Poor network speed with 1st generation time capsule and multiple airport express 5Ghz. My network speed slows to a crawl when not close to the time capsule. I get the range that I need, but the speed is painfully slow.

Hello,
I have a first generation time capsule running 802.11n (b/g compatable) and the airport expresse's are the newer 5ghz models. I have 3 airport express's and I have the range that I need. I can run the time capsule using 802.11n 5ghz, but I loose the range and can't connect to all of the airport express's. My computers and mobile devices run 802.11n. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to increase the network speed. Would the new airport extreme fix the problem?
Thank you

Unfortunately, you are experiencing one of the downsides to 5 GHz. That's because the higher frequency 5 GHz signals are much weaker than 2.4 GHz signals.
After all, you always have to give up something to gain something else. In the case of 5 GHz, you gain potential speed but in return, you must give up penetration power and distance capability.
In order to work well, 5 GHz signals need to almost have a line-of-sight relationship between devices. Unless you can achieve this, you will do much better to leave the Time Capsule running at the 802.11n (b/g compatible) 2.4 GHz Radio Mode and allow the Express devices to "extend" that network.
As for the location of the AirPort Express devices in an exended network, that is critical for best performance. That's because the Express can only "extend" the quality and bandwidth of the signal that it receives. Post back if you need a few more tips on how to find the best location for the AirPort Express devices.
Would the new airport extreme fix the problem?
Unfortunately, no.

Is Wi Fi speed limited by old iMac and old Airport Express?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for