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Websites, Wifi Speed is slow on my MBP compared to other devices.

Hey everyone,


I got an M1 MBP and the wifi speed is very slow on my mac. It's ~90 Mbps on other devices but always caps at 40-45 on MBP.

Even though the download speed is slow the sites I access (Github, Slack, Stackoverflow, etc) randomly becomes extremely slow. Sometimes they'd load instantly and sometimes take ~40 seconds to show anything.

I tested with a different router, re-installed MacOs, and tested multiple (non-apple) devices and the sites and everything works just fine on them, it's just this device that randomly goes to ****.


I contacted apple support and have been calling them since 30-October-2021 and they just keep giving me random BS reasons (like my Router doesn't support WPA3 - even though apple's own website says WPA2-PSK is good enough). They keep asking me to visit the service center –which I did– but they found no fault in the device.


So, I'm finally looking here. Apple support geniuses are of no help at all, they keep asking me to repeat the same thing again and again.


If anyone has any idea/suggestion that could help me, I'd really appreciate it.


(SS showing my 100$ phone performing better than my MBP)

Posted on Dec 5, 2021 10:14 AM

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Posted on Dec 5, 2021 4:48 PM

The reason we see (and sometimes solve) these kinds of problem here is that your Mac is not used in isolation, it is used in Network Neighborhood, and the stuff around you interacts to possibly change your results.


First step is to Restart in Safe mode, test again, and see if you get strongly different results.


"Works in Safe Mode, fails in Regular Mode" implies, "It's something you added"


I know you said you had a very short list that included no known offenders, but this is a step that you do anyway, just to rule it out.


Next, Hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi icon on the menubar. You get a snapshot of Wi-Fi performance at this moment. Screenshot or transcribe the values. Looks like this older one:



also, How many Networks do you see?


While you have that menu open, allow Wireless diagnostics to analyze your environment and setting for obvious problems. And note that there are some other tools in there that may prove useful.






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15 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 5, 2021 4:48 PM in response to mahaveer0496

The reason we see (and sometimes solve) these kinds of problem here is that your Mac is not used in isolation, it is used in Network Neighborhood, and the stuff around you interacts to possibly change your results.


First step is to Restart in Safe mode, test again, and see if you get strongly different results.


"Works in Safe Mode, fails in Regular Mode" implies, "It's something you added"


I know you said you had a very short list that included no known offenders, but this is a step that you do anyway, just to rule it out.


Next, Hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi icon on the menubar. You get a snapshot of Wi-Fi performance at this moment. Screenshot or transcribe the values. Looks like this older one:



also, How many Networks do you see?


While you have that menu open, allow Wireless diagnostics to analyze your environment and setting for obvious problems. And note that there are some other tools in there that may prove useful.






Dec 5, 2021 10:57 AM in response to mahaveer0496

Do you have any non Apple security apps installed: AV, any type cleaner, any type app that's supposed fix your Mac's problems? Apps like Norton and CleanMyMac come to mind. There are others of the same ilk that do more harm than good.


I'm using WPA2/WPA3 Personal and I get full speed and for me and that's 300+ Mbps. But I specifically built my LAN to fully utilize the 802.11ac protocol. Being "good enough" may mean it works but no optimally. Why are you insisting on not using WPA3?



Dec 12, 2021 11:27 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

First of all, I wanna thank you for your time :D I'm definitely learning new stuff.


So, I borrowed a friend's router which supports 5G and I'm getting the speed I expected over the 5Ghz network. But turns out that is not the issue but this is https://www.reddit.com/r/chrome/comments/q60gxe/some_request_stall_for_exactly_10_seconds/hn8o5df/

I use chrome and in the network panel, I noticed that whenever sites take a long time to load requests are getting stalled for ~10 seconds. Now as per https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/network/reference/?utm_source=devtools#timing-explanation requests get stalled if: there's a higher priority request, a lot of parallel requests _or_ chrome is allocating memory.

Now I noticed that even the very first request gets stalled.


Yup, I tried with a clean installation of chrome, edge, brave and all three (more like all Chromium/Electron softwares; including slack, linear, discord) have that issue, and just like that Reddit thread, firefox is working fine for now 🤞

I'm currently testing with a VPN to see if that manages to fix the issue


SS of "other networks"


SS of network stalled requests for Slack


I dont know what exactly triggers this thats why i can’t reproduce this behavior reliably. Currently, it seems like it’s random cuz i also tried with clean OS and just chrome.

Dec 5, 2021 11:11 AM in response to mahaveer0496

You get what you pay for.. My modem (Arris Surfboard) supports something like 600 Mbps and the router (Linksys EA7300) has similar capability. I forget the exact specs but there's plenty of room for future greater speeds with both.


EDIT: Here's the router: https://www.linksys.com/us/support-product?pid=01t340000046qvvAAA


This is my modem: https://www.surfboard.com/products/cable-modems/sb6190/

Dec 5, 2021 11:22 AM in response to mahaveer0496

Of course you get what you pay for. If you buy a 90Mbps line that's the most you'll get. Same goes for capability of modems and routers. You have to buy, or rent monthly, the capability you want.


As to the differences between devices, they should be similar but also may not be in actual application. Many things affect your signal strength: walls, closeness of large metal objects, your body and so on and so forth. The antennas of the devices are important too.


The router I have is designed to learn where the signals are needed and concentrate in that direction. My experience is that works fairly well once given the chance to learn. That and finding the optimum orientation of its three antennas.

Dec 5, 2021 11:43 AM in response to ku4hx

While I do agree with renting capabilities, possible interference, closeness, and whatnot, that, again, is not the case here cuz the router is on the wall ~0.5m away from the laptop, and I'm not complaining about just the phone, I also tested 2 windows laptops they also work just fine. If there was some hypothetical interference I definitely believe I'd notice it in other devices.

So to me, the only logical explanation is this device has some issues, but the bigger issue is those apple people aren't ready to accept they just keep deflecting to anything random.

Dec 10, 2021 2:53 PM in response to mahaveer0496

Internet speed tests test the entire connection, all the way from your ISP through all your software and all your hardware to the end. When you get anything other than "crazy fast" all you know is that it is not what you expected. There is none of the required information to make progress and improve the situation.


If you could post a screenshot of the Option-WiFi screen, we can take a better look at what you are experiencing, and might be able to make it better. You can use the "image Insertion" tool in the reply footer on the forums to include the screenshot file in your reply.



Dec 11, 2021 7:51 AM in response to mahaveer0496

You have connected in the very interference-prone and often very crowded 2.4GHz band, establishing a 20MHz wide data pathway around channel 1, often the busiest channel in crowded areas. Your Router is using Wi-Fi-4, or 802.11n.


Your signal is an amazingly strong -31dB, which suggests you are within inches of your Router. With noise at -95, your signal-to-noise is an amazing 64. It is possible that this is too high, so one quick experiment would be to move your computer a few feet away and see if you get a higher Transmit Rate.


The transmit rate achieved, 65 Mbits/sec, is the fastest you can go on the 2.4GHz band with a 20MHz data pathway with ONE antenna. if yours were the only network you could see, a speed this slow suggests Hardware issues such as a disconnected antenna.


How many Networks do you see under "Other networks" ??


A More modern Router supporting the 5GHz band would likely give better results. In addition, wider data pathways can be set up on 5GHz, and more antennas can be used to get faster speeds.

Websites, Wifi Speed is slow on my MBP compared to other devices.

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