Macbook slow speedtest vs iPhone

[rmathewson]

My 2020 Macbook pro (with WiFi card 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) consistently delivers slower speed test results than my iPhone XS from the same location. When tested separately using either Xfinity SpeedTest or Speedtest.net, the Macbook will consistently underperform by as much as 3-5 X.
Modem from Xfinity: ARRIS Group, Inc. TG3482G

Recent test results were as follows:
MacBook Pro - 120 Mps
iPhone XS- 439 Mps

Any suggestions for improving the MacBook performance?

 

[pigoo3]

To establish a baseline (best possible performance)...try connecting your 2020 MacBook Pro to the Xfinity modem with an ethernet cable (at least Cat 6 ethernet cable)...and see what you get.

Via WiFi you will probably never get as good a result as with the ethernet cable...but the ethernet cable test will give the best possible performance.

This will at least tell us what the best possible the 2020 MacBook Pro is capable of. Then we can did deeper into the WiFi performance.

Thanks,

Nick

p.s. Thread moved to better area (Internet, Networking, and Wireless).

 

[Rod]

Firstly, welcome to these forums mathewson.
So, just to be sure we are not comparing apples and pears here, when you say Mps do you mean Mbps (megabits/sec) or MB/s (megabytes/sec)?
One Megabit being 1/8th of a Megabyte. You would certainly see a big difference. SpeedTest by Ookla can express it's findings in either Mbps or MB/s but I always choose Mbps for my iPhone because that's the scale my MBP uses.
Apologies if you already knew all this.

 

[rmathewson]

Firstly, welcome to these forums mathewson.
So, just to be sure we are not comparing apples and pears here, when you say Mps do you mean Mbps (megabits/sec) or MB/s (megabytes/sec)?
One Megabit being 1/8th of a Megabyte. You would certainly see a big difference. SpeedTest by Ookla can express it's findings in either Mbps or MB/s but I always choose Mbps for my iPhone because that's the scale my MBP uses.
Apologies if you already knew all this.
View attachment 36862

Good catch. The unit is, in fact, Mbps. I transcribed it incorrectly.

 

[rmathewson]

To establish a baseline (best possible performance)...try connecting your 2020 MacBook Pro to the Xfinity modem with an ethernet cable (at least Cat 6 ethernet cable)...and see what you get.

Via WiFi you will probably never get as good a result as with the ethernet cable...but the ethernet cable test will give the best possible performance.

This will at least tell us what the best possible the 2020 MacBook Pro is capable of. Then we can did deeper into the WiFi performance.

Thanks,

Nick

p.s. Thread moved to better area (Internet, Networking, and Wireless).

Unfortunately, I lack the USB-C : Ethernet dongle necessary for the cable test with the 2020 MacBook Pro

Instead, I ran the comparison using an older 2014 MacBook Pro with the following results:

Ethernet: 213 Mbps
WiFi: 37 Mbps

Retesting the 2020 MacBook Pro via WiFi: 20 Mbps
Retesting it iPhone XS: 276 Mbps

 

[ferrarr]

Have you restarted the slower MBP?

 

[RadDave]

Hi Mathewson - if not already done, press the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar while holding the 'Option' key which creates the drop image below showing much more information on your network; I've blanked out some my my 'personal' data - but check the areas in the blue boxes - you can also create a 'Diagnostics Report' (which I've done once and was a little baffled - ) - good luck. Dave

 

[pigoo3]

Instead, I ran the comparison using an older 2014 MacBook Pro with the following results:

Ethernet: 213 Mbps
WiFi: 37 Mbps

Retesting the 2020 MacBook Pro via WiFi: 20 Mbps
Retesting it iPhone XS: 276 Mbps

Recent test results were as follows:
MacBook Pro - 120 Mps
iPhone XS- 439 Mps

Looks like:

* 2014 MacBook Pro is doing 37 Mbps (via WiFi)
* 2020 MacBook Pro is doing 120 Mbps (via WiFi)

Thus 2020 MacBook Pro is doing much better than the 2014...and both are much slower than the iPhone XS @439 Mbps.

Certainly seems both MacBook Pro's should be faster.

Nick

 

[krs]

Unfortunately, I lack the USB-C : Ethernet dongle necessary for the cable test with the 2020 MacBook Pro

You should also be able to log into your router from the Mac and do a speed test of just your internet connection that way and get a baseline.
If your internet connection itself is around 500 Mbps, the connection I get via WiFi is around 350 Mbps, anything much slower has been beause there is interference (poor S/N ratio) on the channel used.
You can check the channel being used by your Mac and the S/N ratio.

 

[rmathewson]

Update: Following the suggestions of @RadDave and @krs, I was able to determine that with a Tx rate of 525 Mbps and above, I was definitely experiencing a poor S/N ratio. I also noticed that the Mac was on a 5GHz channel, but my router was only offering a 2.4GHz option. Further digging revealed that the XFi Hotspots (WiFi range extenders) that I got from Xfinity, require that all devices connect only to a 2.4GHz channel, which is why my 5GHz channel has been disabled.
I'm now off to experiment with disabling the XFi Hotspots to see if I'm better off without them. It's likely a choice between slower speeds and WiFi dead spots around my house.

 

[MacInWin]

I don't know if you want to invest any $$ in a solution, but what I have done is to get an Eero Mesh network setup for my home, then had Xfinity set my modem from then into bridge mode and let the Eero be the WiFi hotspot. Great speed, full house coverage and both 2.4 and 5 Ghz bands available. Not cheap, but a great solution. I have no interest in Eero other than being a satisfied customer.

 

[krs]

I'm now off to experiment with disabling the XFi Hotspots to see if I'm better off without them. It's likely a choice between slower speeds and WiFi dead spots around my house.

Using the 2.4 GHz band should still give you 250 Mbps plus speeds, you don't need the 5 GHz band for that.
The problem I found using the 2.4 GHz band is that there are so many other devices in the home (at least mine) that use that band that there is a lot of interference, poor S/N ratio,that affects the WiFi speed you can get.
The 2.4 GHz band is actually better for distance and to pass throuh solid objects like walls etc.

 

[rmathewson]

Using the 2.4 GHz band should still give you 250 Mbps plus speeds, you don't need the 5 GHz band for that.
The problem I found using the 2.4 GHz band is that there are so many other devices in the home (at least mine) that use that band that there is a lot of interference, poor S/N ratio,that affects the WiFi speed you can get.
The 2.4 GHz band is actually better for distance and to pass throuh solid objects like walls etc.

Is the MacBook hardcoded to run on the 5GHz band?

 

[MacInWin]

No. It has both, senses both, switches to the strongest signal.

 

[pigoo3]

Is the MacBook hardcoded to run on the 5GHz band?

My router has both bands (as many newer routers do)...and I can connect to either at my pleasure.

Nick