kalel2882

Q: Web pages loading slowly on macbook air with xfinity wireless gateway

Can anyone help me with this issue?

 

I upgrade to a wireless gateway from Comcast/Xfinity and now all my web pages on my macbook air load extremely slow if at all.  I have full signal and speed tests show up fine.  Also, none of these problems are present on other pc laptops or desktops in the house nor with any other iOS devices (iphone, ipad, etc.).

 

I've tried all of the basic trouble shooting so far.  Is it possible something on my macbook is blocking or filtering something coming from the wireless gateway?  I'm pretty sure it's got to be a setting here on the macbook since there's no other problems with any of the other devices in the house.

 

Any steps and help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)

Posted on Jul 21, 2014 8:16 AM

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Q: Web pages loading slowly on macbook air with xfinity wireless gateway

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2014 10:01 AM in response to kalel2882
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2014 10:01 AM in response to kalel2882

    Please answer as many of the following questions as you can. You may already have answered some of them. In that case, there's no need to repeat the answers.

    Have you restarted your router and your broadband device (if they're separate) since you first noticed the problem? If not, do that now and see whether there's any change.

    If your browser is Safari, then from the Safari menu bar, select

              Safari â–¹ Preferences... â–¹ Privacy â–¹ Remove All Website Data

    and confirm. Any change?

    If you're running OS X 10.9 or later, select the Advanced tab in the Preferences window and uncheck the box marked

              Stop plug-ins to save power

    Any change?

    Quit and relaunch the browser. Any change?

    Log out and log back in. Any change?

    Enable Private Browsing in the Safari menu. Any change?

    Are any other web browsers installed, and are they the same? What about other Internet applications, such as iTunes and the App Store?

    If other browsers and Internet applications are also affected, follow these instructions and test. Any change?

    If Parental Controls is active for any user, please turn it off and test. Any change?

    If only Safari is affected, launch the Activity Monitor application and enter "web" (without the quotes) in the search box. If a process named "Safari Web Content" is shown in red or is using more than about 5% of a CPU, select it and force it to quit by clicking the X or Quit Process button in the toolbar of the window. There may be more than one such process. Any improvement?

    Again, if only Safari is involved, open the iCloud preference pane and uncheck the box marked Safari, if it's checked. Any change?

    Are there any other devices on the same network that can browse the Web, and are they affected?

    If you can test Safari on another network, is it the same there?

    If you connect to your router with Wi-Fi and you can also connect with Ethernet, do that and turn off Wi-Fi. Any difference?

  • by kalel2882,

    kalel2882 kalel2882 Jul 21, 2014 11:27 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 11:27 AM in response to Linc Davis

    To answer your suggestions:

    No change in speed when router is reset and macbook air is restarted

    Slow speed is common across Safari, Firefox, and Chrome

    Connection speed to iTunes store and App store is also slow.

    No parental controls are active.

    All other devices work fine:

         Wifi connected pc laptops

         Hard wired ethernet connection to desktop

         iOS mobile devices - iPhones, iPad

         Internet enabled media devices - Xbox 360, Xbox One

    Can not connect macbook air to ethernet due to a lack of an ethernet port on macbook air.

    Unable to test connection on another network at this time.

    Numeric IP address input for websites sometimes works.  Network preferences is only on wi-fi and location: automatic.  Never manually entered any DNS information.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2014 11:50 AM in response to kalel2882
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2014 11:50 AM in response to kalel2882

    Please click the link below, which leads to Apple's home page. Does it load slowly or at normal speed?

     

    http://17.149.160.49

  • by kalel2882,

    kalel2882 kalel2882 Jul 21, 2014 12:05 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 12:05 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Page still loads slowly unless I'm in the same room as the modem then it is fast.  All other devices work fine no matter where in the house.  Macbook air has to be very close to the modem in order for normal page loading.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2014 12:46 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2014 12:46 PM in response to kalel2882

    Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

    Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional—ask if you need guidance.

    If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.

    Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair

    Apple also recommends that you deauthorize a device in the iTunes Store before having it serviced.

    *An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

  • by kalel2882,

    kalel2882 kalel2882 Jul 21, 2014 1:38 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 1:38 PM in response to Linc Davis

    What was the option if it did load right away?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2014 2:13 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2014 2:13 PM in response to kalel2882

    I don't understand your question.

  • by kalel2882,

    kalel2882 kalel2882 Jul 21, 2014 2:23 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 2:23 PM in response to Linc Davis

    If I would have said yes the web pages load much better when typing an IP address would there have been another course of action? I just don't think the Genius Bar will be able to help since they can't replicate the conditions and the only variable that changed between working and not working was the upgrade installation of the new xfinity gateway.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2014 2:31 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2014 2:31 PM in response to kalel2882

    The course of action would have been to try another DNS server. But I have to rely on the information you've provided. If you get normal Wi-Fi performance when you're close to the router, but not otherwise, then you've ruled out everything as the cause except interference or a hardware problem in the router or the computer. The router works with other devices, so it's also ruled out.

     

    The Apple Store doesn't need to reproduce the problem in order to check for a bad Wi-Fi card or a loose antenna cable (which is common.)

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Jul 21, 2014 2:39 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 7 (24,202 points)
    Safari
    Jul 21, 2014 2:39 PM in response to kalel2882

    1. What is the version/model of MB Air?

    2. What does Alt+WiFi icon show you as  RSSI, PHY Mode, Transmit Rate, etc.?

    3. Can you run a Speed Test.net test from MB Air?

    4. Have you run Wireless Diagnostics on the MB Air? Is 10.9.4 the OSX version on MB Air?

  • by kalel2882,

    kalel2882 kalel2882 Jul 21, 2014 4:38 PM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 4:38 PM in response to Loner T

    Macbook Air 13" Mid 2013

    OSX 10.9.4

     

    PHY MODE: 802.11n

    RSSI: -72

    Transmit Rate: 130

    MCS Index: 15

     

    speedtest: 11 Mbps down

                      7 Mbs up

     

    Wifi diagnostics indicate that everything is working as expected.

     

    I moved the modem to another room and it seems to get a little better coverage when on another floor.  I'm just surprised that a brand new wifi router can't go straight up to one floor above if that's actually the problem.

  • by Gnarlodious,

    Gnarlodious Gnarlodious Jul 21, 2014 4:42 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 4 (3,243 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 21, 2014 4:42 PM in response to kalel2882

    My 3 week old Macbook Pro is unable to use Comcast/Xfinity WiFi with any reliability. Comcast has had a truck out here 4 times trying to fix the wires and failed. The last time they came out they installed a dedicated Comcast Arris modem-router and it still didn’t fix it. Plus they charged me a $50 service call because they are sure there is nothing wrong with their system.

     

    I have tried everything, fiddled with every security setting on my router and every network setting on my Macbook. It is especially frustrating because the modem reports everything is fine with the connection, the browser thinks it is connected to the internet, and yet no pages ever load.

     

    I did find a temporary fix that allows me to load a few pages. I turn off WiFi, turn it back on and it will usually work long enough to load a few pages. That is how I am writing this post.

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Jul 21, 2014 5:24 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 7 (24,202 points)
    Safari
    Jul 21, 2014 5:24 PM in response to kalel2882

    The speediest you are getting is 802.11b (not even a g or n) rate.

     

    1. Can you provide the first 6-characters of your BSSID (without the ':' characters)? This would help establish the RF vendor.

    2. It seems to be a 2.4G radio (you can see the frequency in the Channel(Frequency) format string when you press ALT+ WiFi)? It would be helpful to know what it is. 2.4G has about 11 channels and if your neighborhood has many of these, RF interference can cause problems. Using option 4, some manipulation is possible, but it depends on the environment.

    3. As a test, what are the speedtest numbers for a wired computer (windows or mac does not matter, as longs the same test is used). I would also suggest some tracking against time-of-day to get a better understanding.

    4. You can either use iStumbler or use the Native Wireless Diagnostics. If you use the native application, on main window press Command-2 and in the Utilities window you can run Info, WiFi-Scanner and Performance to analyze.

     

    @Gnarlodious ... For a USD50 investment (perhaps a bit more), you can buy an Airport express (2nd gen), connect via ethernet and create your own wifi network and run speed-test. The Comcast ads talk about fastest in-home wifi, but the anecdotal evidence does not support it so far.

  • by Gnarlodious,

    Gnarlodious Gnarlodious Jul 21, 2014 8:37 PM in response to kalel2882
    Level 4 (3,243 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 21, 2014 8:37 PM in response to kalel2882

    I finally hit on the solution to my Comcast Xfinity modem-router which was to reduce the transmit power to 25%. I believe the WiFi radios today are overmodulating in an attempt to outgun the neighbors but the result is signal distortion and increased interference from increasingly overpowering neighbors. I saw my noise level drop from 20% to 13% and the dropouts have gone away.

     

    — K5ZN

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