My question concerns speed of internet connection.

Question

My question concerns speed of internet connection.

On my iMac (5K retina 2015) my internet connection is too slow for one particular web site whose videos I want to watch. If I try the same site with my iPhone XR it's fine (except that the subtitles don't keep pace with the audio). Both machines are connected to the home router using WiFi. So I use Ookla to measure the speed, and it reports somewhere around 7Mbps for the iMac, and between 20 and 35 Mbps for the iPhone. The iMac is situated in a room separated from the router by concrete walls and floors, but the iPhone in that room is still much faster. Indeed using the iPhone to provide a hotspot for the iMac, the iMac performs as fast as the iPhone. I have also tested other devices, all in the same room as the router. These include an iPhone SE2, an iPad Pro (2020), and a MacBook Air M1. All of these report a similar speed to the iMac, ie around 7Mbps. Not that I'm complaining, but how come the iPhone is so much faster than the rest? And can anything be done to improve the speed on the other devices?

iMac 27″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Oct 13, 2021 6:00 AM

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Answer 1

Owl-53

Level 10

102,601 points

Oct 13, 2021 6:57 AM in response to grahamfromforres

From my experience Concrete Walls between Router and computer is going to affect the signal not matter if in the 2.4 GHz band and even more so if in the 5 GHz band.

What about an Extender in the remote room.

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Answer 2

Oct 14, 2021 8:45 AM in response to Owl-53

Yes in general I agree. But how come the iPhone XR, when it's right next to the iMac, has a transfer rate 4 to 6 times faster? Plus the other devices have a similar rate to the iMac, even when they are used in the same room as the router.

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Answer 3

Owl-53

Level 10

102,601 points

Oct 14, 2021 1:44 PM in response to grahamfromforres

exactly how is each device connected to the same Router. All Test Devices connect on the 5 GhZ band, all running same software. Computer running any AV Software, VPNs and such.

Am not there to test so it falls to the user to explore all the variables involved.

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Answer 4

Oct 15, 2021 3:11 AM in response to Owl-53

As far as I can tell all devices use the 2.4 GHz band. I'm actually unsure that my router provides a %GHz band, and I don't know how to see what is being used on ios, but on the iMac it's clearly 2.4. As for software: obviously each device has a different OS, so there is a mixture of iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, each the latest public version. Ookla tests run through Firefox, or in the case of the iPhone SE, Safari. No active AV software running, and no VPN in use. I would prefer to have the iMac connected through Ethernet, and I have a Powerline system installed (Devolo), which I have been using for some years, but for a reason as yet undetermined that has ceased to function recently.

Thanks for your continuing interest.

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Answer 5

Owl-53

Level 10

102,601 points

Oct 15, 2021 4:12 AM in response to grahamfromforres

Suggest exploring the Makers of the Router for Tech details and how to log into the device to verify the Routers Settings.

If the unit is ancient or badly out dated >> consider contacting your ISP, if this is their unit, for something more recent and up-to-date.

The explore from Apple Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

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Answer 6

Oct 15, 2021 8:09 AM in response to Owl-53

Thank you for your suggestions.

My (self-imposed) problem with contacting the suppliers of the router (free, the telecomms provider we use) is that they communicate in French, which is reasonable since we're in France. While my French is plenty good enough for everyday use, I struggle when the language gets technical, particularly because I'm deaf. I've tried logging into the router, but I can't see anything that I can change which seems relevant. I think it's only about 4 years old.

You may be interested to know that I discovered why my iPhone XR was so muh faster than all the rest (and faster than the router ought to allow, according to what I saw when logged into to it). Without me noticing, the iPhone had become disconnected from WiFi, and was connecting via 4G, which seems to be much faster than ADSL! Maybe I should investigate fibre.

And now back to my original problem, which is why my Powerline system has stopped working after years of service. Devolo have not proved very helpful, or at least their suggestions have not cured the problem(s).

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My question concerns speed of internet connection.

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