Sharing an external harddrive through AirPort Extreme

ClausTheDane · #1 10-13-2007, 06:27 AM

I've got about 200Gb of music files in my iTunes Music library and I would like to share them with my partner in our flat. We both have MacBooks plus an AirPort Extreme for wireless Internet connection. I would like to buy an external wireless harddrive, copy all my music files onto this and hopefully we could then both setup up this central iTunes Music folder in our respective iTunes. My questions are:

1) Any recommendations as to what external wireless harddrive to choose?
2) Is it possible for two MacBooks to share the same iTunes Music folder?
3) What about playlists? Are they stored locally or will my playlists be installed on my partners iTunes when accessing the shared harddrive and vice versa?
4) What about speed? Will the wireless transfer of music files when syncronizing the iPod be a nightmare due to speed?
5) Is it easy to set up the connection to the external harddrive - I have browsed through the editorials but sometimes real life experience tell a different story :-)

**mmkerc** · #2 10-13-2007, 07:51 AM

Quote:

1) Any recommendations as to what external wireless harddrive to choose?
2) Is it possible for two MacBooks to share the same iTunes Music folder?
3) What about playlists? Are they stored locally or will my playlists be installed on my partners iTunes when accessing the shared harddrive and vice versa?
4) What about speed? Will the wireless transfer of music files when syncronizing the iPod be a nightmare due to speed?
5) Is it easy to set up the connection to the external harddrive - I have browsed through the editorials but sometimes real life experience tell a different story :-)

I have plans to do the exact same thing so I have been doing some research as well. My findings so for are:

1. LaCie Ethernet Hard drive
2 & 3. Yes / No The issue as I can understand is user accounts, if you have two computer with the same user accounts you will be able to access the iTunes Music folder, playlist, etc. If you two different accounts you can share everything as well BUT ONLY IF the owners iTunes is open. The work around is to setup a 3rd spare computer just to run itunes does not matter mac or PC just that it can run itunes.
4. Speed will be an issue unless you are running 802.11n. 802.11g is 54mbits/s, usb 2 is 400mbits/s so you are looking at about being six times slower.
5. I have done it twice with no problems.