Mac mini M1 internet speed variance

[Sheridan]

Ok this is a bit weird and I'm not sure what's going on. In my test room I have three devices connected to the same wifi router. A Windows 11 laptop, a Windows 11 mini-pc and a Mac mini M1 - all connecting at about the same wireless speed of approx 800mbps. No problems there and stable wifi connection all the time

 

However - baring in mind these sit next to each other on the same desk, so the same distance away from the router, the internet speed achieved (measured by both fast.com and speedtest.net) is quite different. The three devices get consistent readings from both sites in these areas: (55mbps is the max speed on the connection)

 

Laptop - 48-55mbps

Mini-pc - 45-55 Mbps

Mac mini - 24-29Mbps

 

And its noticeable on the Mac - it definitely takes longer loading pages etc - its fully up to date as well (as are both Windows devices) and it can't be a distance issue as they are on the same desk (issue is the same even if just one of the three is running)

 

So, do these sites always read lower on macOS, or is there something on the Mac I can change to get this in line with the others? They all show as connected on the router as AC/Wifi5 so all using the same channel

[Steve21]

Is it only on Safari you're getting it, or even in Chrome etc?

 

There were a number of problems with Bluetooth interference after updates (something to do with the way it hotspots for airdrop etc), might be worth temporarily disabling it (properly in system config etc rather than control centre), and seeing if it magically pops back to life. I know long time wise won't help, but just to test it

 

Steve

[Sheridan]

It’s both safari and chrome and chrome on the windows machines

 

It seems to be an m1 Mac specific issue as I’ve managed to borrow on a MacBook Air m1, and iPad Pro m1 and also a non m1 Mac mini 2014 to test and the results are the same, the m1 devices are slower than the older 2014 device!

 

I’ve also tried with Bluetooth off and that doesn’t seem to have any impact. Maybe something in the m1 WiFi chipset is the culprit

[Sheridan]

Just in case anyone else has this sort of issue, it was to do with the channel my 5ghz Wi-Fi was on. It was set to channel 36 and I moved it channel by channel up to 44, and at this point all devices were fine and got the same speed!

 

 

According to my router nothing else around me was on channel 36 so not interference, but maybe the m1 range of apple gear doesn’t like that frequency, been on channel 44 for a while now and consistent speeds across all apple and non apple devices.

[NeoNebula]

I stumbled upon your post and couldn't but notice an interesting observation. While it's true that macOS and Windows handle network traffic differently, which can sometimes result in varied speed test results, the issue with your Mac mini seems more pronounced.You mentioned your Mac is fully updated, but it's worth checking if Safari is also up to date. Here's a helpful link that guides you through updating Safari on your Mac: https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-update-safari-on-mac. An outdated browser can sometimes affect browsing speeds and overall performance.

[Davit2005]

I'd be inclined to run an iPerf test or set up your own speedtest server :-)

 

Never been a fan of Speedtest.net too many adverts.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Davit2005

[Sheridan]

I used fast.com for my speed tests - changing the wifi channel range was the solution but I never found out why

 

For info, it was bang up to date in terms of OS/Apps. I've now got a mesh wifi setup but still have the same channels and speeds are similar across all devices (including Windows/M1 mac and a newer M2 mac now as well)

[NeoNebula]

iPerf seems more doable. But again, you need to compare several devices.

[SanchoPe]

I used it too