Ethernet speed much slower than wifi and both slower than my iphone

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DrNancyP Author

Level 1

6 points

Ethernet speed much slower than wifi and both slower than my iphone

Hi

I've recently bought a second hand MacBook pro A1278

I've also upgraded my broadband at home which should give me 350 mbps.

Using a standard speed test on my phone I'm getting speeds of 200 and above via wifi (Iphone 8s)

ON the MacBook pro I'm getting speeds of around 100 - 126 on wifi and with the ethernet cable only 90 or so.

I've bought the best ethernet cable I could find and it's still the same.

Any ideas why this might be?

Is it a limitation of the mac itself? As an aside the speeds on my more recent MacBook air are similar to the MacBook pro.

thanks

Nancy :)

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jun 17, 2020 7:12 AM

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Answer 1

DrNancyP Author

Level 1

6 points

Jun 21, 2020 8:42 AM in response to raina_b22

Hi

i don’t think it’s the router as that was sold as giving 350 mbps and it’s odd the the WiFi speeds are half that off the iphone too..,

i’m using a cat5e cable and it’s less then a metre in length. I was specifically advised by Apple support to use Ethernet as it would be a faster connection yet it isn’t?

i’m rather confused tbh

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Answer 2

raina_b22

Community Specialist

Jun 20, 2020 3:57 PM in response to DrNancyP

Hello DrNancyP,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you're wondering if there is a hardware limitation with either your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air that would cause you to get slower network speeds when either Mac is connected to Ethernet versus Wi-Fi. You're in the right place to find a resolution.

Some router's can limit the output of an Ethernet port so it's a good idea to check if that may be the case with your router manufacturer. If your modem is separate from your router, check the speeds when you're connected directly to the modem instead of router via Ethernet. You can also Check your network connection using Network Utility on Mac. Select Ethernet as the network interface under the Info tab, then take a look at what the Link Speed is that your Mac supports.

The length and type of Ethernet cable that you're using can also play a part in the speed of the internet connection. Using a Category 5e cable or higher will help ensure that you're getting the fastest speeds possible:

About the 10 Gigabit Ethernet port on Mac - Apple Support

Cheers!

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Ethernet speed much slower than wifi and both slower than my iphone

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