Apple TV Special Report: Does not appear in/disappears from devices list in iTunes

The Apple TV may disappear from the devices list in iTunes -- particularly when connected wirelessly -- or not appear at all.

CNET staff

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CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 1:16 a.m. PT

3 min read

The Apple TV may disappear from the devices list in iTunes -- particularly when connected wirelessly -- or not appear at all. In some cases, the unit appears in the list only intermittently. If you are experiencing this behavior, try the following:

Check for device interference In at least some cases, device interference is at play. Check for RF antennas and other hardware near your Apple TV that could be generating interference. Shield or move these devices then check for persistence of the issue.

Check firewall If you are using the Apple TV on a network protected by a firewall, you will need to open specific port(s) and possibly perform other configuration.

On page 42 of the Apple TV manual, Apple states "if the firewall is on (in the Sharing pane of System Preferences), make sure 'Apple TV Sharing' is selected to allow content to pass through the Firewall." However, this option does not exist in the Sharing pane of System Preferences on systems running Mac OS X 10.4.9.

Instead, go to the "Sharing" pane of System Preferences and select the "Firewall" tab. Make sure that the "iTunes Music Sharing" check box is checked.

If you are using third-party firewall software, TCP connections on port 3689 must be enabled. Also, per Apple Knowledge Base document #305115, you should also make sure UDP port 5353 (Bonjour) is open so that the Apple TV can automatically find computers with iTunes on your network.

Failing the above, you may need to turn off your firewall altogether. In order to turn off the Mac OS X firewall, go the "Sharing" pane of System Preferences on your Mac, and click on the "Firewall" tab, then make sure the Firewall is turned off.

Reset Apple TV, Mac and router One consistently successful solution -- albeit inconvenient -- is to power down the Apple TV for at least five seconds (causing a reset), the wireless router (if present), and host Mac, waiting up to a minute, then turn all the devices back on.

Go wired Another inconvenient solution to this problem is to simply ditch your wireless network and connect the Apple TV via Ethernet. The Apple TV should appear in the iTunes Devices list automatically shortly after being connected to the Ethernet cable.

Do some wireless troubleshooting Read through our tutorial "Fixing Wireless connectivity (including AirPort) problems," and try some of the listed suggestions, particularly toggling your AirPort Base stations firmware, turning off wireless encryption or switching the security protocol, or switching channels. Please let us know if any of these workarounds yield success.

Apple's suggestions Apple has a number of suggested fixes for this issue in Knowledge Base article #305003, including verifying that you are using iTunes 7.1.1 or later, restarting iTunes, and reinstalling iTunes.

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