Can't Stream Video With New MacBook Air

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I recently bought a MacBook Air and to date, I have not been able to stream videos properly. Whether HTML5 or YouTube or whatever, it plays a few seconds, stops to buffer for a few seconds starts again for a few seconds, etc. etc. Is this an issue with the MBA? My home network is ATT Uverse. My MBA is an 11-in.
MacBookAir6,1
OS X
Version 10.9.2 (13C64)
Processor 1.3 GHz 1600 MHz DDR3 Core i5
Startup Disk: Macintosh HD
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5000 1024 MB

It seems crazy that this new computer is SLOWER than my previous netbook, ca. 2008. Is there something I can do?

Thanks!

Ken
 

chscag

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What kind of speeds are you getting with AT&T U-Verse? And have you checked them? Also are you up to date on Flash? Latest version of Flash is 13.0.0.201
 
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What kind of speeds are you getting with AT&T U-Verse? And have you checked them? Also are you up to date on Flash? Latest version of Flash is 13.0.0.201

Thanks chscag. Flash is that latest version. I'm not really sure how to check the speed of my home network/wifi. But I can tell you that the "other" laptop (Windows 7), which is about 15 feet further away from the router than my MBA, does not have this problem. Both connect wirelessly. Not sure if that helps.

I did find some info on the MBA System Info (Wi-Fi) about my 2WIRE (ATT) network that said:

Signal / Noise: -46 dBm / -92 dBm
Transmit Rate: 54

Does that tell us anything relevant?

Thanks!

Ken
 

chscag

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Yes, that does help. Also considering that your Win 7 notebook does not have a problem, that pretty much confines it to the MBA. The only other thing I can think of is limited space on your flash drive. How much free space do you have on the drive?

Also, if you need to measure your up and down speeds that you're getting with U-Verse, go to this link. Speakeasy Speed Test
 
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Thanks. I spent a long time on the phone with ATT today. Download speeds were atrocious - 2 Mbps or less. I'm supposed to be getting between 10 and 12. Why the Win 7 laptop can play video with no problem, I don't know. But we eventually removed things from the network and suddenly things got better - much better. Download speed now is between 11 and 12. And the best part? Videos don't skip and stall anymore!

So now I just have to figure out exactly what was eating up all the NAT sessions. Either way, I guess it was NOT the MBA causing the trouble.

Thanks again!

Ken
 

Slydude

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Do you have any older devices that are usually on the network but were disconnected for testing? If so, start with the oldest one and add things back one at a time till the problem reappears. The last device added will likely be part of the problem.

I suspect there is an older device that does not support the wireless n standard. When that older device is active things are going to slow down to the slower speed in most cases.
 
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Do you have any older devices that are usually on the network but were disconnected for testing? If so, start with the oldest one and add things back one at a time till the problem reappears. The last device added will likely be part of the problem.

I suspect there is an older device that does not support the wireless n standard. When that older device is active things are going to slow down to the slower speed in most cases.

That's really interesting! My wife's old computer is pretty old. I think the last mobo we put into it was ca. 2005. And it's one of 3 devices I haven't restored to the network. The other two are a network printer (connects as its own device) and the thing I thought might be the culprit - a MyCloud home network hard drive/personal cloud. But I'll let you know. When I find out.

Ken
 

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Here's a brief explanation of what I think is happening
If there are multiple wireless clients, most APs will detect the device with the oldest standard and throttle back all connections to that slower speed. Newer APs may detect both the 802.1g and 802.1n connections and communicate with each device at its best speed. See the documentation that came with your AP for instructions on how to determine its throughput, and its configuration options.
Remember: The slowest link in the network chain sets the limit on your client's maximum throughput.
Link

In tat quote the abbreviation AP (access point) refers to the router/wireless access point sending the network signal.

There seems to be some confusion over whether the slowdown occurs the entire time an older device is connected to the network or only occurs when it is actively using the network. The answer seems to be that it depends upon the router involved.

I've resolved things for the most part by using a "dual band" router. Such devices are capable of sending signals for two separate networks simultaneously. Older devices get assigned to one network and newer devices get the other.

BTW I suspect the older laptop to be the culprit. With the printer being a close second for problem device.
 

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