I know there were some emails that bounced around on the DDMC mailing list some time ago about folks having issues getting Apple’s Airplay Mirroring to work on Duke’s network. I recently reached out to OIT Networking to see if and how this could work. They had already received some requests for it and started configuring Duke’s wireless network to allow traffic for Apple’s Bonjour protocol. This will not work if any device is connected to the Duke network via ethernet. All Airplay Mirroring devices trying to communicate with an Apple TV will need to be on the same wireless subnet. Most buildings across campus are on their own wireless subnets so this should not be a problem. Also, having devices only seeable on the same subnet will reduce the number of Apple TVs seen in the share list.
I would recommend a naming convention that makes sense for your Apple TVs. Protecting them with a simple password may not be a bad idea either. I know some schools have their own networks and/or firewalls in place so you may need to work directly with your school’s networking team to get this up and running. If you have any issues getting this to work, OIT Networking has asked that you submit an OIT Help Desk ticket for support.
Please share your experiences using Airplay Mirroring to an Apple TV with the DDMC mailing list. I think this has great potential for specific classroom and portable applications. And because it’s free and built-in to Apple’s soon to be released Mountain Lion, it will be that much more accessible and handy.