Airplay to Homepod mini drops when using airport express as extender

[Jespertje93]

Hi all!

I (still) use an Airport Time Capsule in combination with two airport expresses as range-extenders. This works perfectly except for the following:

When I airplay something from my iPhone to my HomePod mini (which connects to my airport express extender) it cuts off or simply won’t work at all if I walk through my house, and my iPhone connects to the other extender. I cannot seem to fix this problem.

When I walk back to the extender to which my Homepod is connected, airplay instantly starts working again. Until I walk away and thus force my iPhone to connect to the other range-extender ofcourse.


Any suggestions? Apart from this, the network is totally stable.

 

[Bigwaff]

I (still) use an Airport Time Capsule in combination with two airport expresses as range-extenders

Are the AE set up to “extend a wireless network” (as repeaters) or connected using Ethernet and “create wireless network” using the same SSID as the ATC (WiFi roaming)?

 

[Jespertje93]

It’s configured as ‘extend a wireless network’. I know it would be better to use a cable but that’s not possible. The speed is 40/50mbits when connected, so that’s not the problem.

 

[Bigwaff]

Until I walk away and thus force my iPhone to connect to the other range-extender ofcourse.

Exactly how are you "forcing" your iPhone to connect to the one or the other AE repeaters?

 

[Jespertje93]

It does this by itself when I walk away far enough for it to realise it should connect to the other extender or the main airport-router.

 

[Jespertje93]

And the moment that happens, I lose the airplay connection to the HomePod until I walk back, then immediately it reconnects.

 

[Bigwaff]

It does this by itself when I walk away far enough for it to realise it should connect to the other extender or the main airport-router.

If your iPhone is connected to the AE unit furthest away from the HPm (the one the HPm is not connected to), can you establish a streaming AirPlay connection to the HPm at all?

 

[Jespertje93]

Yes that works. It stops working when I am connected to the base-station (the Time Capsule). When I walk to one of the AE’s, it automatically starts working again.

 

[Bigwaff]

If your iPhone is connected to the ATC unit, can you establish a streaming AirPlay connection to the HPm at all? When walking around, your iPhone is probably switching between 802.11n (the AE units) and 802.11ac (the ATC unit). This switch between protocols is most likely disrupting your stream.

 

[MapleBeercules]

I suspect your hitting the limitation of the Express N network speeds.
I recommend replacing it with an Airport Extreme, you can get them cheap on ebay, i bought 2 for 100$ and now have 3 total in my home. I have one in my office (next to my 2 homepod minis, and regularly use ipad plex airplay to the minis), I have one next to my home theatre which has 2 homepods and an AppleTV, tho the apple tv is wired (its my homekit hub) and one in my bedroom on the same floor as my office.

This ensure not all of my devices are on a single radio or a single 1GB backhaul, I distributed my wireless load cross 3 devices, almost certain if you expand your network with Airport Extreme alot of the issue will go away.

 

[Jespertje93]

i think it could be a bug in airplay 2? I read about problems with mesh-networks/extenders and airplay problems. Could that be the case? That something in the routing-proces is failing?

 

[Jespertje93]

If your iPhone is connected to the ATC unit, can you establish a streaming AirPlay connection to the HPm at all? When walking around, your iPhone is probably switching between 802.11n (the AE units) and 802.11ac (the ATC unit). This switch between protocols is most likely disrupting your stream.

So if I replace the AE units with ATC/AExtreme units, you would think the problem would go away? Because then everything uses ac (if I force the units to only use AC by only using 5g instead of 2.4g)?

 

[Reverend Benny]

Aren't all Airport gadgets "end of life" and haven't received updates for a looooooong time?

 

[Bigwaff]

If your iPhone is connected to the ATC unit, can you establish a streaming AirPlay connection to the HPm at all?

@Jespertje93 You never actually answered my question above. Can you start a streaming AirPlay session w/ the HPm at all when connected to the ATC unit?

 

[erihp]

So if I replace the AE units with ATC/AExtreme units, you would think the problem would go away? Because then everything uses ac (if I force the units to only use AC by only using 5g instead of 2.4g)?

you could try forcing the atc to only use n perhaps and test?

 

[Jespertje93]

@Jespertje93 You never actually answered my question above. Can you start a streaming AirPlay session w/ the HPm at all when connected to the ATC unit?

Yess I can, sorry for the late response. Only when I walk through the house, and then come back to the ATC, it most often hangs until I force my iPhone to reconnect. It also immediately starts working again when I restart my expresses.

 

[Jespertje93]

Is there any way to force my homepods mini’s to ONLY connect to the ATC?

 

[Bigwaff]

Yess I can, sorry for the late response. Only when I walk through the house, and then come back to the ATC, it most often hangs until I force my iPhone to reconnect. It also immediately starts working again when I restart my expresses.

You know, we never asked which iPhone model you have and what version of iOS is installed.

 

[Jespertje93]

You know, we never asked which iPhone model you have and what version of iOS is installed.

iPhone 15 pro, iOS 17.1.1