M1 Mac Mini very slow file transfer to Freenas SMB

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M1 Mac Mini very slow file transfer to Freenas SMB

I have a new 2020 M1 Mac Mini. I use Freenas running on a separate server for Time Machine backups and media storage (pictures and videos only). The entire network in between is gigabit switches with CAT 5e cabling.

The problem I'm having is that transferring large files TO an SMB share on the Freenas server is EXTREMELY slow. I have a 40GB file to transfer (my wife's photo library) and it appears it will take ~2-3 days. It is running at well less than 100 Mbps, I would say more like 5-10 Mbps. I have the same issue when I try using Wifi instead of ethernet, and when I replace the Mini with my 2020 Mackbook Pro (Intel) using the same ethernet connection, the transfer speed is normal. So I don't think the problem is the network, it appears to be limited to my Mac Mini.

Also, when transferring files FROM the Freenas to the Mini the speed is normal. The problem seems limited to transferring files TO the Freenas SMB share from the Mac Mini. Any thoughts?

Posted on Jan 15, 2021 5:12 PM

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Answer 1

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breich241 Author

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Jan 16, 2021 3:00 PM in response to hcsitas

Ok, it seems to be resolved. hcsitas was correct - something wrong in the network. This time I swapped the existing ASUS RT-AC87U router (which is only being used in access point mode) with a Linksys gigabit switch, and write speeds returned to normal. But then the weird part is that when I replaced the AC87U (put everything back to the way it was) the speeds still remained normal. I can't understand why when I replaced all of the cables and power cycled everything the first few times it did not work, but swapping out the AC87U for the Linksys (then back again) did?

I'm chalking this one up to networking problems only people much smarter than me understand :) Thank you hcsitas for pushing me on this.

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Answer 2

Feb 17, 2021 2:14 AM in response to dciric

I’m having the exact same issue, definitely seems like an M1 problem!

I’ve been using the 2018 i7 as a home server, switched to the M1 for various reasons, two of them being the reduced power consumption and the fan noise from the i7

As soon as I switched I noticed a big drop in network performance on the M1 while doing the exact same things which to be honest aren’t very strenuous and any gigabit network should handle with ease, AFP transfer to a Synology NAS, transferring files over the internet and remote accessing it via VNC

The i7 was running Big Sur before the switch so I know it’s not that

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Answer 3

breich241 Author

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Jan 16, 2021 5:31 AM in response to hcsitas

Thank you. I did try all of that - replaced the cables, even replaced the switch. No luck. And as I mentioned, the MBP connected to the same infrastructure worked normally.

I also ran Tamosoft Throughput Test and found I was able to get consistent LAN transfer speeds between this Mini and another Mac connected near the Freenas server of about 500 Mbps.

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Answer 4

hcsitas

Level 6

12,722 points

Jan 16, 2021 7:55 AM in response to breich241

Must be the router then. Remove the switches and direct-connect the two to adjacent ports on the router and see if it happens? If it does, try different ports on the router, then replace the router. It’s your network buddy, keep lookin’

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Answer 5

Jan 16, 2021 8:50 AM in response to breich241

I feel your pain. I brought my M1 mini home and was getting 250MB/s to my windows machine. Ever since the moment I updated to OS X 11.1 I am stuck at 11MB/s. All my other hardware Mac and windows are still fast on network. Only mini has slowed. Probably a network security tweak in Big Sur. Let me know if you solve and I'll do the same.

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Answer 6

breich241 Author

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11 points

Jan 16, 2021 1:00 PM in response to flightgamer

Both the Mini and MBP are running Big Sur, and each are behaving differently using the same physical connection. The only thing I can think is that the Mini uses the M1 chip while the MBP uses Intel. Unless there is some OS setting that is different between the two that I haven’t found yet.

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Answer 7

dciric

Level 1

4 points

Feb 14, 2021 5:37 AM in response to breich241

I have the same problem. Mac Mini M1 AFP file transfer to my Synology NAS (all connected over wired GigabitEthernet, same router and same switches) is order of magnitude slower than my Mac Mini Intel I7, all other things being equal. It seems to be either a Big Sur problem (Mac Mini Intel I7 still runs on Catalina), or, more likely, Mac Mini M1 problem.

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Answer 8

hcsitas

Level 6

12,722 points

Jan 16, 2021 1:36 PM in response to breich241

They have different MACs. It’s a network issue with your router/switches.

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Answer 9

hcsitas

Level 6

12,722 points

Jan 15, 2021 11:01 PM in response to breich241

The network is suspect. Try another cable and if that won’t fix, connect the mini to another LAN port on the switch/router and power cycle everything - puters, switches, routers etc. Good luck.

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Answer 10

hcsitas

Level 6

12,722 points

Jan 16, 2021 9:03 PM in response to breich241

😀👍

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M1 Mac Mini very slow file transfer to Freenas SMB

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