Air(not)Play

March 20, 2015 4:27 PM

I have a really vexing AirPlay/MacBook issue that just started happening today for no reason I can discern...

I have a 2007ish MacBook (10.6.8) that I use only to play iTunes (11.4) using AirPlay to my AirPort Express. The AirPlay also acts as my router, and is thus plugged in to one of the ethernet ports on my Xfinity-supplied Arris TC682 cable modem. Also plugged into ethernet ports on this same modem is a Windows 7 laptop. Starting today, when I Ctrl-Alt-Del to lock the Win7 machine, or if the screen locks due to inactivity, my iTunes audio (which is playing on the MacBook, not the Win7 machine) stops. The song keeps playing, but I hear nothing through my stereo. When I unlock the Win7 machine, audio starts again. If I try to start iTunes with the Win7 machine locked or running the screensaver, it doesn't work. This only happens with this MacBook. iPhones, iPads play uninterrupted through the AirPort using AirPlay whether the Win7 laptop is locked or not. Things I have tried:
-Restarting the AirPort Express.
-Updating the firmware on the AirPort Express.
-Restarting the cable modem.
-Rebooting both the MacBook and the Win7 machine.
-Playing iTunes using Airfoil rather than the native AirPlay.
-Unplugging the Win7 machine's ethernet cable and using WiFi instead.

WTF? Neither the MacBook nor the Win7 machine received any auto-updates between no-problem and problem. Nor did the AirPort. Ideas? Thanks!

posted by outfielder to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

You said your Airport Express is acting as the router but you also said both the Windows laptop and the Airport Express are plugged into your modem via ethernet, so the modem must be a modem+router combo, yes?

I'm just wondering if the modem+router has been put in bridge mode? Or if possibly the wireless function of the modem+router is still active despite you using the wifi of the airport express? (It's hard to find on the TC682 online, but I did find TC682G, and I think the G stands for wireless-G). Maybe having the router active could be creating a double NAT situation or the wireless-G of the Arris is messing with the Airport Express?

I'd try logging into the Arris to see what's going on there. (In case you need it: 192.168.0.1 / default login = "admin" / default password = "password")

Then I'd try temporarily connecting the Windows 7 laptop via wifi to the Airport Express instead of ethernet to the modem+router just to see if the problem persists.

As a final drastic solution you could always do the free upgrade to Yosemite to see if the implementation of Airplay in 10.6 was fixed in some way.
posted by bluecore at 5:24 PM on March 20, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks, bluecore! I already tried connecting the Win7 by WiFi, no help. The MacBook is way too old to update any further, unfortunately. And the Arris router already has the WiFi disabled, it was interfering with the AirPort, and I didn't want that Xfinity wireless broadcast around the neighborhood. I'll keep banging away and see if I can figure anything else out...
posted by outfielder at 8:43 PM on March 20, 2015