why only 1 out of 3 Macs is reaching 54Mbps 802.11g?

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why only 1 out of 3 Macs is reaching 54Mbps 802.11g?

I have a new IMAC 20" Intel Core 2 duo (november 2009) which is through a 802.11n enabled router.

My IMAC is currently 802.11n already enabled based on the instructions about.

There are two other Macs. An IMAC Intel code 2 duo 24" (august 2008) and an IBOOK (november 2009). BOTH of those two are reaching 130 Mbps and have THE SAME EXACT settings as my own MAC yet my D-Link DIR-615 shows that I am only getting 54MBps and only 802.11g?

I have just discovered this issue since the last month and thank god now my 3 months of free support from Apple are now expired.

I spent days searching sites for this issue and found nothing at all. Can anyone please give me some hints?

3,06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.6.3), 4 Gb RAM

Posted on Apr 14, 2010 2:02 PM

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Answer 1

Duane

Level 10

124,293 points

Apr 15, 2010 8:16 PM in response to Charlyco

Charlyco, Welcome to the discussion area!

...IBOOK (november 2009)...

This is either a MacBook or MacBook Pro. The last iBook was discontinued in May 2006.

...yet my D-Link DIR-615 shows that I am only getting 54MBps and only 802.11g?

The D-Link DIR-615 is an 802.11n router.

It is unclear from your post above which Mac is not performing the way that you think it should.

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Answer 2

Charlyco Author

Level 1

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Apr 16, 2010 9:29 AM in response to Duane

The Macbook (November 2009) is reaching 130Mbps
The Imac 24" (August 2008) is reaching 130Mbps
The Imac 20" (November 2009) is only reaching 54Mbps

All of them have the same exact configuration and the specs.

Now focussing only on the Imac 20"

I already checked "about this mac", the "airport" specs and it shows:

"Supported PHY Modes: 802.11 a/b/g/n", it has all the same configuration in the network preferences.

Therefore, technicially, that Imac should also reach 130Mbps. Or did I forgot to check something else?

-------------
How am I able to know what transfer speed I am getting? by going through 192.168.0.1 (DIR-615 router interface) and check the wireless status

It shows

IP Address Mode Rate Signal
192.168.0.102 802.11g 54M 48
192.168.0.100 802.11n 130M 64

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Answer 3

Bob Timmons

Level 10

187,322 points

Apr 16, 2010 10:32 AM in response to Charlyco

What can you tell us about the location of the iMac 20"? Is it further or closer to the router than the other computers?

Does the signal pass through the same number of walls for each computer? "n" level signals are not as strong as "g" signals and therefore are absorbed by any walls, ceilings or other obstructions more quickly than "g" signals.

How about signal strength and noise readings? Have you downloaded a utility like iStumbler to get look at these factors?

Many users are surprised to learn that the actual signal level they are receiving is less than they thought, especially if they are looking at the "bars" at the top of the screen. Noise can limit wi-fi performance as well. Is it less than 10% on your iMac 20"?

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

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Answer 4

Charlyco Author

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Apr 17, 2010 1:19 PM in response to Bob Timmons

It is located at least 30 feet from the wireless router.

Please note that I have place the Macbook at the SAME distance as the 20" and it was still getting 130Mbps.

Now I followed your advice by using Istumbler(for the IMAC 20" only) and strangely it tells me that I am getting 802.11n at 52% signal strength and 9% noise. Unfortunately the Dlink router still shows that I am only getting 54Mbps. Thanks for the tip.

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Answer 5

Apr 17, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Charlyco

Charlyco wrote:
It shows

IP Address Mode Rate Signal
192.168.0.102 802.11g 54M 48
192.168.0.100 802.11n 130M 64

Which computer has the IP address of 192.168.0.102 ??

That computer is only connected using "g" and not the "n"
That is why that computer is showing only 54M

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Answer 6

Charlyco Author

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Apr 18, 2010 8:23 AM in response to Joseph Kriz

192.168.0.102 is the IMAC 20".

Please note that as I am writing this reply the IMAC 20" is physically right besides the D-Link router and still does not get 802.11n connection. That is exactly the issue. Why cant I obtain a better signal even though I am right near its source?

Thank you for helping.

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Answer 7

Charlyco Author

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Apr 24, 2010 9:13 AM in response to Charlyco

So that's it? That is all the help I can obtain? Any other suggestion or advice would really be appreciated. I cannot believe to be stuck with this issue permanently.

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Answer 8

Bob Timmons

Level 10

187,322 points

Apr 24, 2010 9:36 AM in response to Charlyco

There are several possibilities here:

1) A user who has experienced the same type of problem and has solved it has not seen your post.

2) The wireless card or antenna in your iMac is not operating correctly. Have you had this checked out?

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Answer 9

Apr 24, 2010 1:03 PM in response to Charlyco

I can think of a couple more ideas.

The Airport Card in the iMac may be slightly different from your other computers.
Maybe a different version of the card or different version of the firmware.
This card may not want to connect to your D-Link like the other computers.

Do you have the newest firmware for your D-Link?
Can you borrow a different type of router for testing? Like an Airport Base Station?
Airport Express, Airport Extreme or Time Capsule.
If you lived near me, I would certainly loan you an Airport Express for you to try.

That's all I can think of at this time.
Let us know what you find.

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