Wireless content streaming

[twist]

Hi All,

Looking for a device that will stream content wirelessly to all my devices, photos, music, movies (720p, maybe 1080p compressed) via XBMC software.

The more I read up the more confused Im getting about which option to go for. I have to many devices that need to be connected for a wired option to be considered.

Would something like a WD my cloud drive be okay considering transfer rates or should I invest in a NAS? Regarding storage, 2TB is a minimum.

Thanks in advance

 

[mickevh]

I think you should reconsider using a wi-fi storage device: In a journey from storage to playback device, if both are wi-fi, the data has to hop across the wireless airwaves twice - once from storage device to wi-fi AP and once from wi-fi AP to playback device. Wi-fi is an "only-one-thing-at-a-time-can-transmit" technology so these transmissions cannot occur at the same time. With the wolution you propose, this will have the effect of halving your wi-fi throughput.

Whether this is a problem or not depends much on your number of devices, transmission rates, traffic patterns, signalling conditions, etc. Basically the more devices you have contending for "air time," the more data you want to move, the slower the throughput for any given device. By using a wi-fi data store you've effectively doubled the amount of contention for air time.

It would be much more desirable to have your data store (NAS) which doesn't "move" connected by cables removing it from contention for wi-fi air time and leave wi-fi available for the devices that really benefit from being wireless, ie you laptops/iSomethings/etc. which do move around.

 

[twist]

I think you should reconsider using a wi-fi storage device: In a journey from storage to playback device, if both are wi-fi, the data has to hop across the wireless airwaves twice - once from storage device to wi-fi AP and once from wi-fi AP to playback device. Wi-fi is an "only-one-thing-at-a-time-can-transmit" technology so these transmissions cannot occur at the same time. With the wolution you propose, this will have the effect of halving your wi-fi throughput.

Whether this is a problem or not depends much on your number of devices, transmission rates, traffic patterns, signalling conditions, etc. Basically the more devices you have contending for "air time," the more data you want to move, the slower the throughput for any given device. By using a wi-fi data store you've effectively doubled the amount of contention for air time.

It would be much more desirable to have your data store (NAS) which doesn't "move" connected by cables removing it from contention for wi-fi air time and leave wi-fi available for the devices that really benefit from being wireless, ie you laptops/iSomethings/etc. which do move around.

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to post such an informative post! Its highly likely that only 1-2 devices would actually access the storage device at the same time wirelessly. So basically hard wire as many devices as possible then just use the mobile devices to access the data I need when I need it?

Scenario: Me accessing the storage using a tablet upstairs to watch a movie while wife surfs the web.

Thanks