iPhone faster than MacBook Pro over WiFi

Hi - wondering if anyone can help me, thanks in advance


I have a MacBook Pro (Big Sur 11.5.2) and an iPhone 12 Pro iOS 14.7.1. In the same location accessing the same WiFi router my iPhone outperforms the MacBook by a factor of 10.


Why would this happen? Thanks again


Pete

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Sep 1, 2021 2:48 AM

Reply
13 replies

Sep 1, 2021 6:14 AM in response to meribelman

On the macOS side, Use Wireless Diagnostics on your Mac - Apple Support can help you analyze specific issues. If your Mac doesn't connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi - Apple Support has a section where there are various functions - Scan, Performance, Monitor, Logs, etc.,. which can also help. Check the Performance section. Does the throughput/speed decrease over 5G or 2.4G, or both?


Are you concerned about steady connectivity or overall throughput? Your Mac will switch between 2.4/5GHz bands automatically and manage the connection. 2.4 GHz bands have only three primary channels - 2, 6 and 11. If you have more than one access point, you should check channel assignments. You can set up your gateway to automatically pick a channel, instead of setting one up manually.

Sep 1, 2021 7:50 AM in response to meribelman

Wireless extenders use 5 GHz spectrum typically, which can cause issues with connections in this band. This is true of most 'mesh' extenders. These provide larger coverage, but compromise throughput. Unless you use very bandwidth intensive applications, you may not see a significant behavioral change.


A wired 'extender' is an Access Point primarily.

Sep 1, 2021 5:50 AM in response to Loner T

Thanks for your help. The MBP is on auto update but hasn't updated in the last few days. Bizarrely I have, just before sending this reply, carried out another speed check. Its back to previous performance which is great. However I use this machine and location for work and frequent video meetings so reliability is important.


If you have any advice on what this may have been or is (if its intermittent), any comments, suggestions, or thoughts will be gratefully received. Thanks again

Sep 1, 2021 6:34 AM in response to Loner T

Thanks - thats very helpful. I need the speed and reliability to be predictable, which it has been solidly for well over a year since I set this room up as my home office. I am accessing a Nighthawk X6S Tri-Band Mesh Extender which I thought at first was the offending component so did a factory rest and did a complete new set up. That is working fine across various apple and other devices

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iPhone faster than MacBook Pro over WiFi

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