I shared yesterday that I switched to using a cable so that I could get the best resolution on a 4k TV and refresh rate. Now I wanted to share the downside of using Airplay2 to stream to the TV but the same is true for any Airplay2 stream even with an Apple TV.
Airplay2 uses wifi and so using it there is sometimes some delay in cursor movement. This choppiness or skipping of the cursor is even worse in some situations like using a Beta Mac OS, when the machine is struggling with lots of programs, or when you try to move quickly with the mouse or don’t have your trackpad set to accelerate. I found it jarring to not have the smooth control of the trackpad which I am used to. It seemed to get worse the longer the Mac was on and not rebooted as well.
Now this happens to every Airiplay2 connection I have ever had. Using the trackpad isn’t the smooth experience that it is otherwise. However yesterday when I connected directly via USB-C to HDMI cable it was buttery smooth. It is a pleasure using a cable to have that kind of responsive performance.
Does this mean that I am not using the Ivanky now? Far from it. I still have it to charge my laptop and to connect my wireless headphones/charge them. It is also a great hub for power and I use that as well. It is still a great value and if the cord breaks, it is my backup to connect to the video on the TV.
Would I use Airplay2 on the TV in the future? Sure but for personal not work-related things. Personal things I don’t need the best resolution, and I can deal with some trackpad skittishness. Even though wireless is cool, nothing beats a real cable.