Link Speed vs. Transfer Rate

I have a TP-Link Deco 5 Mesh network that is 802.11AC coupled with a Comcast 1Gb connection. When doing a speed test on the Router I get the following speed.

When you check the speed on any individual device you never get more than 167 to 170 Mbs. Checking into the Mesh router under QOS it shows the bandwidth allotment to each client.

If I connect directly via ethernet to the modem it will show 500 to 650 Mbs.

As far as I can tell the Mesh router, at least on my system, is what is limiting the speed.

The reality is how that Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 (Mesh) device is broadcasting its Wi-Fi, and how the Apple wireless chip antennae are receiving that Mesh signal, and probably needing to negotiating down from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). The latter may be costing you the bandwidth that you expect.

Only someone in Apple engineering, using this model of Orbi, and with proper test equipement could likely shed factual details about what is happening in the negotiation between the Orbi and the Apple (broadcom) wireless chips.

Here is a 2016 Netgear article, using Windows as an example, that discusses Link Rate .vs. transfer speed.

What are the 802.11ac specs on your new WiFi 6 router, 2x2 MIMO or 4x4 MIMO? If 2x2 MIMO your speeds will probably be around 520 Mbps or if 4x4MIMO they’ll probably be around 1000 Mbps. Your real world performance will probably be lower do to activity on network, walls etc.

While it is a valid question about link rate, you still have to ascertain the arcane handshake that is occurring between your Orby and the Mac. The particular Broadcom chip product specs will not explain how Apple is supporting the chip in the hardware abstraction layer with the Mac, and the operating system. Only Apple knows that, and they are not known for documentation.

How is the Orby handling any handshake with an 802.11ac client chip (hopefully a wave 2 chip) when it was expecting a Wi-Fi 6 Mesh peer? Is the Orby configured to use 160Mhz 802.11ac channels for improved bandwidth? The Orby may be using 8 antennaes per the 802.11ax spec which may only serve to confuse the Mac's chip, and lower link layer throughput. There is nothing you can do on the Mac side, but there may be further tuning (depending upon the Orby administration tool, to better accommodate the Mac handshake.

WiFi is very finicky in the sense that you may be 6 feet away from your router,

but what other "noise" is in your environment. That noise can be anything

from other nearby routers, poorly shielded high speed peripheral devices,

pretty much anything electrical that can generate high frequency signals,

especially older devices that may not have had to adhere to newer stringent

specifications. Also, at these frequencies, sometimes even how your furniture

is arranged and what it is made of can affect things, even when close.

The tests most manufacturers do at close distance is done in what is

known as a "Faraday Cage", which suppresses all extraneous radio

signals and other electronic interference, with just the transmitting

device and the receiving device just because of all the factors

mentioned above.

So, real world, just like raw CPU testing in computers, results will vary.

WiFi-6 is also known as 802.11AX. This is currently not supported on any iPads (new 2020 iPad Pro does support it) or Macs. The iPhone 11 and 11 Pros do support 802.11AX.

Here is a good article that will explain the challenges you’re facing. Section 3 specifically deals with the clients (your Apple devices).

https://www.duckware.com/tech/wifi-in-the-us.html