PC Internet 30X faster then Mac???

[ermadd]

I usually work on my Mac... who wouldn't? I noticed my internet speeds were a little slow so I started testing my system....

My Results....
~~~~~~~~~~~~
PC Hooked Directly into Modem 60 Mbps
PC Wireless into Router 30 Mbps
Mac Wireless into Router 1 Mbps

My Specs
~~~~~~~~~
Mac Book Pro 2012 w/ Retina Display Mountain Lion
Linksys Wireless E1200 Router (Wireless-N)
PC i7 running Win8 Preview Edition

Attempted Solutions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Ran Firmware update so Linksys is running latest and greatest. No significant improvement gains...
2. Updated Mac to latest and greatest
3. Restarted all equipment... a bunch of times..


Plz help! So confused! why mac.. why?!?!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

First and foremost, how are you running the test to determine these speeds?

 

[ermadd]

Two methods... First speedtest.net. Second method provided by my ISP is speedtest.charter.com.

Results are the same..

 

[Raz0rEdge]

OK, and have you tried the 4th iteration, that is to connect the MBP directly to the router/modem to take the wireless out of the picture and test?

 

[ermadd]

I wanted too but couldn't since the MBP with Retina is short a LAN port. I'd have to buy the adaptor for it. Good call though, I really would like to see if its caused by the Router.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Ahh, sorry forgot that your MBP doesn't have the LAN port..something definitely seems to be off since getting 30x slower isn't normal.

On my iMac with the N network connected to my Airport Extreme Base Station in the basement I usually get about 25-30 Mbps depending on the time of the day and which server I'm hitting. My wife's Windows laptop gets pretty much the same thing..

Since you bought it brand new, I would take it to the Apple Store and do a test on their connection and compare it perhaps to other MBP's and iMac's in the store to get a comparison point.

You might have faulty wireless hardware or a faulty antenna..

It might be interesting to chart out your signal strength and packet loss/drops as compared to your Windows machine to see what you get..

 

[ermadd]

No Mac Store in town, gotta solve this solo.

I'll test my MBP against someone elses router. I expect an improvement...

Check this out,
iPhone tests 1.5 Mbps
iPad tests 1.5 Mbps
Apple TV shows low quality video on Netflix (lol couldn't think of a better test)
Macbook Pro tests 1.0 Mbps
Sony Vaio tests 25.9 Mbps <-- ***? this is what I'd expect from everything...

I wonder if my Linksys is going bad... I think this problem started a couple days ago.

How do you all like your Airport Extremes?

 

[ermadd]

It might be interesting to chart out your signal strength and packet loss/drops as compared to your Windows machine to see what you get..

How could I do this if I find no other solution?

 

[MrBobb]

I think this problem started a couple days ago.

So are u saying everything worked normally before including the Mac?

Dumb question: You have executed troubleshooting commandment#1 correct? REBOOT everything. You did? Alright then.

 

[dtravis7]

Just for the fun of it, what Linksys router you using? Is the firmware up to date on the router?

I guess we have to get used to the fact that the Retina has no more Port unless one purchases a dongle, as that is a test we have recommended for many years now.

I wonder what your connect rate is to the router? How close is the Retina to the Linksys when you are doing the tests?

Open Network Utility in Applications, Utilities and on the first tab info, select Wifi. What Connect rate is it displaying? On my iMac install of ML it's in Applications Other using Launchpad.

The Airport Extreme is a VERY FAST and excellent router.

 

[ermadd]

So are u saying everything worked normally before including the Mac?

Yep, it had to have. The speed is noticeable and I refuse to believe I've been living with it for months now.

Dumb question: You have executed troubleshooting commandment#1 correct? REBOOT everything. You did? Alright then.

haha yes I always follow the first commandment. It scares me the MBP can reopen all my documents, I'm not used to that being windows user, makes me think it may reinitialize the problem.

In fact I can 1 up that commandment by saying I de-energized all my equipment long enough for the capacitors to discharge.

 

[ermadd]

Thank you all for your support so far. I'm ready to throw money at it and upgrade into a Airport Extreme although I'd really like to come out of this problem a little bit smarter and understand whats at fault.

Too many devices connected? Maybe? No? Secure channel with 6 devices? Sounds like it should handle that easily...

Just for the fun of it, what Linksys router you using? Is the firmware up to date on the router?

E1200

I wonder what your connect rate is to the router? How close is the Retina to the Linksys when you are doing the tests?

Very close, just a 20 foot distance away in another room. I've always had full strength on Wireless-N.

Open Network Utility in Applications, Utilities and on the first tab info, select Wifi. What Connect rate is it displaying? On my iMac install of ML it's in Applications Other using Launchpad.

It shows a Link Speed: 144 Mbit/s. Thanks for that tidbit this is a nice bit of info.

 

[dtravis7]

144Mb is 150Mbps N. That should be more than fast enough to let any Internet you are using go flat out.

I have a friend with the more expensive E3000 Linksys and when I take my Macbook over to his place I get full speed just like I am plugged in. Not sure what is going on there. will search a bit and get back to you.

It's really too bad that the Retina does not just include that dongle. I guess Apple feels people don't use Wired Internet. Well I have news for them, many do when they want maximum speeds!

 

[dtravis7]

List of common issues with Linksys wireless-N routers

Read point #3. What is your WiFi encryption? Are you using WPA2?

 

[ermadd]

Thank you very much for your search. Yes, I'm using WPA2. Also the code contains no special characters. I'll go through this list of recommendations and see if it may help.

Yeah I agree a LAN Connection would be nice, I think the case thickness would be effected if it had the LAN port so I can live with a dongle. I sure wish I could utilize all the bandwidth my ISP provides. I can't believe that my router serving wireless reduces my bandwidth by 50%. Its disgusting!



Edit: After going through the list of recommended fixes I haven't seen any improvement.

 

[ermadd]

Steps taken, I followed the guide on how to hook up my Linksys Router to a Cable modem...

Linksys with Cable

I recommended I clone my Mac ID so that the Cable company will autorize that MAC ID and the router would split it for all my devices. Sounded legit. Made the changes but didn't increase performance on anything...

Still testing 1.0 Mbps on MBP

Out of ideas!

Whatchu all think?

 

[Ramimac1]

Try it at a Starbucks with free wifi and see what you get there or any other free wifi. worth a try

 

[ermadd]

I think your right. My next post will be from there!

 

[ermadd]

I'm at starbucks... I wonder if they Throttle.... 1.4 Mbps as tested from here. I think I'll try someplace else too.

 

[TattooedMac]

I just like to say you are doing some very good fault finding and wish a few more people to the forum could take a leaf out of your book Well done. Sorry cant help on this though as im not a Router/Wireless Guru