Hi @all

 

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience using unRAID hooked up to a wireless n router and streaming hd mkv files to a mac mini? Streaming would occur over a 5GHz. network and currently connection status is excellent. Connection between router and unRAID is gig. network. On the mac mini use Plex9 as my player.

 

Any comments about performance and also if the rest of the network is totally bogged down during streaming would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks and regards

David

No experience with a mac mini, but I had it streaming to a Windows 7 machine on 2.4GHz without any issues in performance. I was also using a cheap USB adapter. I doubt you would have any issues.

thanks for the encouraging words! Now I cant wait to get my system set up.

a wireless n router and streaming hd mkv files

 

First of all "hd mkv files" is a meaningless phrase to be pedantic. It all depends on the bitrate, video and audio, of your files. It's possible to have SD files with higher bit rates than HD files due to different audio encodings and different video encodings. So the best anyone can indicate is along the lines of "as long as your wireless network provides more bandwidth than the bitrates of your movies (audio and video combined), it's possible to work perfectly fine".

 

Now depending on the codecs and bitrates used the mac mini may or may not have issues.

There was this exact discussion in the Plex forums a month or two ago. One of the members needed to connect up/bridge separate upstairs and downstairs networks, but for various reasons could not run a cable (fancy architectural house ). So was using N wireless setup to connect/bridge up.

 

This is going to depend on environmental factors, but in this member's case raw blu-ray rips (i.e. no compression) were not streaming. He ended up mirroring two storage servers (one upstairs and one downstairs) overnight by the wireless network.

 

But, if you have the equipment give it a go. As BRiT says its going to depend on the actual bitrate of the media your trying to stream, not the "label" of the media.

 

Personally, my wireless network is G and I can do 720p compressed rips and some lower rated 1080p compressed rips with Plex. Again, I have a small apartment with plaster walls so wireless coverage is excellent.

Also keep in mind all it takes is some smart arse with an ebay account and a desire to buy a whopping great omni in your neighbourhood and your previously working setup will break.

 

This is actually very common.

I have had good success with streaming Bluray Rips (full quality, no encoding) over 802.11n (2.4GHz).  I use MakeMKV to rip the blurays, the unraid server is connected to my Airport Extreme Base Station (not the dual band one), and my Mac Mini is connected to an Airport Express (PCI-e Airport Card was replaced with a Crystal HD card for 1080p playback).  The Base Station signal is extended to the Express.

 

I say good success, because I occasionally have re-buffering problems that probably stem from me using the overcrowded 2.4 spectrum.  A quick reboot of the base station usually solves the problem by re-broadcasting the signal on new channels.

Thanks all for your replies. I use MakeMKV to make my mkvs . I didnt really make any adjustments so I dont know what bitrate etc. Guess I will just have to wait and see. If need be I can run a cable, but would prefer not to. Blueray mkvs (Avatar) on the Mac mini hd play just fine and the pic appears to be the same. Cant say much about the sound since I dont have a surround system yet. I will let you all know once I get my system set up.