[ipad] Apple TV's have names with brackets after - why?

[Moos3h]

I got ' (5)' today. What do I win?

[Quackers]

Renamed them to something else - or renamed them to something random - then renamed them back to what they need to be?

 

Just went to where you set the name and just pressed Submit (so not actually changing anything) but it makes it go away for us.

 

For us this happened after the iOS 6 to 7 upgrade last year with Apple TV.

[kennysarmy]

Been through this before, I was told it was to do with Bonjour. Happens at home too. Gave up looking, static, wired, wifi single band etc didn't fix it. If you put a space at the end of the name it stops it happening for some reason.

 

If I have an apple TV - let's call it 4A3 - but it shows in airplay as 4A3 (3) and I rename it to 4A3 with a space after the 3 - and we've set our airplay security to password - will I need to re-enter the password in to the iPad that mirrors to it - or will it still recognise it as the same device...

 

hmmmm

[kennysarmy]

If I have an apple TV - let's call it 4A3 - but it shows in airplay as 4A3 (3) and I rename it to 4A3 with a space after the 3 - and we've set our airplay security to password - will I need to re-enter the password in to the iPad that mirrors to it - or will it still recognise it as the same device...

 

hmmmm

 

The answer is yes - you would have to re-enter the password to the iPad.

 

Renaming it does get rid of the brackets though - and once they were gone I renamed it back to 4A3 without the space - I presume it won't come back - UNTIL I perhaps have to restore or reset the apple TV.

[Andie]

Just tried the rename solution on the Apple TVs. On the two stable Apple TVs, I now have names with no brackets after. The unstable TV now just doesn't show up at all. Interesting. It has a valid IP address and is on the same network etc. I'll have to try the refresh with Configurator. But thanks to @Quackers for the rename solution! Edited June 4, 2015 by Andie

[kennysarmy]

Just fired this off to APPLE to add to my call:

 

According to my testing it does n't matter if the device is on a static IP or a reserved DHCP one.

 

If I rename the device the brackets go - this is hardly rocket science though!

 

The device was called 4A3 - yet was showing as 4A3 (3) on airplay.

 

By renaming the device to 4A3~ [where ~ represents a SPACE] it's then a completely different name - and I'll have to have all the iPads returned to my office to input all the airplay passwords again.

 

I agree that adding the SPACE does then show the device on airplay without the brackets - but I am not sure it's the space that's doing this or just the face that I'm calling it something new, I could equally have called it "milk"! and there would have been no (3) after "milk"

 

If I rename it to 4A3~ and the brackets go, then I rename it back to 4A3 - the brackets re-appear - so nothing has been fixed.

 

It MUST still be a bug (or is it by design) that if you RESTORE or FACTORY RESET an Apple TV and give it the same name as before, when it broadcasts itself across the network on the wireless it does so with the same name but with added brackets.

 

On the EDUGEEK forum there is a current discussion about this issue and someone has now had a (5) !!

 

The thread if you wish to read it is here:

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/netbooks-pda-phones/149831-apple-tvs-have-names-brackets-after-why.html

 

As you can see this is affecting users on differing wireless networks, not just MERU, and I'm guessing with differing network setups, the only common thing is Apple TV.

 

Please can you forward this on again and ask for a resolution - something that can be done to the devices themselves that will stop them adding the brackets if they are RESET.

 

Many thanks.

[Andie]

I have sent a link to this thread to the guy from KRCS who is coming out to us in a few weeks time, to give him a heads up on what is happening. If you look at the "discoveryd" article, it seems to point to the fact that the problems are worse with the more devices you have.

 

I named the TVs back without the space after, and the bracket was still missing. But I'll check again on Monday to see if that has changed.

 

@kennysarmy: when you say "reset" the Apple TVs, do you mean the manual reset you can do using the remote control or do you mean that they reset themselves after an update? I've only done one manual reset with the remot, by accident (!), and on the one that has now disappeared from our network....

 

I guess the heart of the issue is that Apple products are devices designed for use in the home, and Apple are running to catch up with corporate and educational use now that they are marketing them to these environments. It's a reason, not an excuse.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Andie

[psydii]

On the topic of Meru, I suspect that it's bonjour gateway functionality is caching the problem records. Totally impractical advice, but I suggest that anytime you seriously try to clear the problem, you will need stop all bonjour services in your LAN including the bonjour Gateway on the Meru Controller, then begin bring them on one at a time, starting with the controller.

[Quackers]

Im not sure if this is linked, but Apple are backtracking from discoveryd back to mDNSresponder that they use to have in the latest Mac OS Beta, Apple Replaces Problematic 'Discoveryd' Process With mDNSresponder in 10.10.4 Beta 4 - Mac Rumors

 

I don't know if it was changed in iOS too , which could be the cause?

 

It only started happening to us when the Apple TV's updated from iOS 6 to 7.

[Andie]

Quick update: have connected the unstable Apple TV to Configurator and resent the profile. It is now showing up on AirPlay consistently and with no brackets after the name. The other Apple TVs, which I named with a space after and then back to name without a space last week, still don't have brackets.

 

The iPads updated to iOS 8.3 (which had lost AirPlay) pick AirPlay up again if they are turned off and on again. However, they only seem to pick up one of the Apple TVs (and not the one I connected to Configurator).

 

We have two wireless SSIDs set up on the wireless. One has the settings needed for AirPlay, and the other not. Due to issues with the learning curve (!), all iPads and Apple TVs have both SSIDs in their Wi-Fi payload in Configurator. When I connected the Apple TV up to Configurator today, I removed the non-AirPlay SSID payload from the Apple TV profile. The plan is to remove this from the other Apple TVs and the iPads over time. This isn't the cause of the issues we've been having, but it helps with consistency of testing.

[Andie]

KRCS have come out and seen some of our Apple issues. They are going to talk to our network and internet providers to see if there are any setting or ports that still need sorting.

 

My staff iPad on iOS 8.3 that was getting AirPlay last week now doesn't have AirPlay. The iOS 8.3 pupil iPads now have AirPlay and all three TVs show up. However, one TV won't mirror - you turn mirroring on and it just kicks mirroring off again after a few seconds. The older iOS iPads are now either not getting AirPlay or getting AirPlay with only one TV. The brackets after the names haven't come back. I haven't done anything to any of these iPads and TVs since the last posting. I am now going to update the remaining iPads to 8.3 at KRCS' request.

[kennysarmy]

KRCS have come out and seen some of our Apple issues. They are going to talk to our network and internet providers to see if there are any setting or ports that still need sorting.

 

My staff iPad on iOS 8.3 that was getting AirPlay last week now doesn't have AirPlay. The iOS 8.3 pupil iPads now have AirPlay and all three TVs show up. However, one TV won't mirror - you turn mirroring on and it just kicks mirroring off again after a few seconds. The older iOS iPads are now either not getting AirPlay or getting AirPlay with only one TV. The brackets after the names haven't come back. I haven't done anything to any of these iPads and TVs since the last posting. I am now going to update the remaining iPads to 8.3 at KRCS' request.

 

I feel your pain.....

[Garacesh]

I got ' (5)' today. What do I win?

 

Absolutely nothing. Most of ours are at (3) now but one of ours is, I kid you not, over 500,000!!! Another is over 34,000.

 

We have a lot of them here, it would be interesting to see if any of them on older OS editions (as we didn't buy them all at once..) experience the issue.

[kennysarmy]

Absolutely nothing. Most of ours are at (3) now but one of ours is, I kid you not, over 500,000!!! Another is over 34,000.

 

We have a lot of them here, it would be interesting to see if any of them on older OS editions (as we didn't buy them all at once..) experience the issue.

 

haha - it's not a competition.....

[Garacesh]

I know I was only having a joke.

 

Going to try and pin down old vs new AppleTV's at some point today if I get free time. See if any of ours don't have the brackets.

[Marshall_IT]

Just to add to this, I use have 3 apple TVs all on the same firmware but different models that do it. I also have 80 windows desktops with AirServer installed that don't do it. Although it doesn't launch the service by default, I get staff to turn it on and off to save on broadcasts.

[Andie]

I've updated all of the iPads to iOS9 (not the frequent subsequent updates since). Randomly tested four on the ground floor. Some pick up one TV, some two, but none picked up all three. No brackets after names though... We just aren't using the Apple TVs which is a big waste of money, but we need them to be consistent if we are going to use them in teaching and every time we go to set up training for staff there is another problem to deal with which makes them unusable.

 

Anyone heard from Apple support? KRCS haven't been back in touch, but in fairness to them I haven't had time until recently to update the iOS as requested. Guess I need to feed back to them now.

[psydii]

Have you updated the Apple TVs? Also are there any 10.10.0- 10.10.3 or earlier macs kicking around? (You don't want them)

 

 

Also is it possible they are being detected via Bluetooth rather than wlan? This is the 'new' best way of having devices connect to AirPlay receivers.. The iPads/laptop sees advertisement for the device over Bluetooth, and then they check whether they can get IP connectivity over W/LAN or (I believe) direct wifi to the Apple TV bypassing the institutional network altogether.

[Alis_Klar]

shoot me down if you want but why not use the Apple TV's exclusively in peer to peer (bluetooth mode) and avoid putting the apple TV on your SSID at all. I know you will still get RF spectrum used but think this is lesser evil.