iCloud Explained - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 19

video chip running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion — that limits you essentially to Macs released in 2011 or
later. (You can't mirror a Windows PC's display.) For mirroring, your devices need to be connected to
the Wi-Fi network via the 802.11a, 802.11g, or 802.11n protocols — not the old 802.11b protocol;
most routers from the last four years support at least one of the required protocols.
Set up an AirPlay network
The final, crucial piece of the AirPlay puzzle is a wireless network. AirPlay operates over Wi-Fi
and requires all your devices to be connected to the same network to function. Your iOS devices con-
nect to the network via Wi-Fi (make sure they're connected by going to the Wi-Fi pane in the Settings
app), while your Apple TV and Macs can use either Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet — as long as the Wi-Fi
network and Ethernet network are connected to each other, such as through a common router or
wireless routers connected to a wired router or broadband gateway. Chances are that your home net-
work is already set up in a way that works.
AirPlay speakers differ by model as to how they are set up. Some require a connection to a com-
puter via USB cable, others require an Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to a computer, and some
provide an iOS app that allows set up via Wi-Fi from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Consult your
device's instructions to connect it to your network. You connect an Apple TV to your Wi-Fi network
via its Settings menu.