Mac Mini is performing very slow download speeds

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Level 1

8 points

Mac Mini is performing very slow download speeds

I have a 1 year old Mac Mini that I did not get set up until just a couple of months ago. The speedtests show that it is inconsistent with download speeds ranging as slow as 0.06 Mbps and maximum is about 25 Mbps with an average of about 9 Mbps. This is horrible compared to every other device in the house which gets over 600 Mbps and up to 800-900 Mbps. I'm not sure why the Mac Mini is performing so terribly and what really upsets me is that I just got rid of my 10 year old iMac for this device, which did not have this problem with download speeds. And the real irony is that upload speeds on the Mac Mini are over 65 Mbps. This is not right! I feel like I got a lemon and I cannot do anything about it because it is well after the return period. What can I do about it? I've already tried trouble shooting with every answer I could find.

Mac mini

Posted on May 30, 2024 1:08 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

92,638 points

May 30, 2024 6:48 PM in response to Trambusto

The Mac mini's are know to have weaker Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signal strength than other systems and iOS devices because the wireless antenna is built into the bottom cover.

With that in mind, distance from the Router, line of sight and other factors, like poorly shielded high speed USB Cables, Displays, External Hard Drives and other devices can cause poor or intermittent reception.

see > Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference - Apple Support

To prove or disprove signal strength as the issue, try standing the Mac mini on its side with the bottom facing the router and/or move the Mac mini closer to the router. Another test, is to drop back from 5GHz to 2.4GHz if there is a lot of distance, walls or other things in-between the Mac mini and Router.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 30, 2024 6:39 PM in response to Trambusto

Are you running any VPN, Anti-Virus, or Cleaning apps?

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Network in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click the Action pop-up menu on the right, then choose Set Service Order.
Drag services into the order you want.
Click OK.

The interface that connects to the Internet should be dragged to the top of the list.

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