FaceTime and Zoom video quality issues on MacBook Pro

Everything is updated to the latest software. My internet speeds are 300+ Mbps and upload 300+ Mbps. My crappy work computer uses the exact wifi as my macbook (which is a far superior machine) and I have zero connectivity issues with zoom or teams video calls. My son can play very bandwith-intensive video games with me watching TV, someone streaming music and and two others on facetime videos on their tablets and there are ZERO issues. But if I attempt a single video call on my macbook, with no apps open, with no one home, no tv on, no music streaming, and time of day, any day...it is so choppy, I miss half of what they are saying and I have to hang up and call on my phone, which is also using internet, and the phone has no issues. WHAT IS GOING ON? It can't be the internet. It's not the software, it's all updated. I am losing my mind that I have such a fancy macbook pro and yet can't do a facetime call on it. Can anyone suggest something?



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MacBook Pro 14″

Posted on Feb 7, 2025 7:17 PM

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Feb 12, 2025 6:39 PM in response to happyatheist

It would be good to check two points in this scenario.


A. The connection from your MacBook to the Wifi access point

B. The connection from your Wifi access point to the Internet.


You've already confirmed you have 300+ Mbps to the Internet, which is great. If you indeed have this bandwidth available, then the issue lies in A., your Wifi access point. Here are a couple of things you can do:


  1. Connect with your MacBook to your Wifi access point.
  2. In the top right corner (menu bar) you should see the Wifi icon (that looks like an umbrella-ish)
  3. While holding down the "Option" key on your keyboard, click on the Wifi icon in the top right corner of your screen.
  4. Under TX Rate, you should have something higher than 30, ideally 100+ Mbps. If this number is smaller and/or changing in front of you eyes as you look at it, it might be a sign of an unstable Wifi connection.


Next, let's check your internet connection. Run a speed test to find out how much bandwidth you'll have from your MacBook to the Internet. This should be something smaller or equal to the 300Mbps you've mentioned before.


I always use the Speedtest.net under this URL: https://www.speedtest.net/

Run this and check what the speed is. It should be close to your 300Mbps. If it's not, then your Wifi access point is limiting the bandwidth you'll get on your MacBook, which results into choppy FaceTime quality.


Also, the use of VPNs could impact this as well, so be aware of that and possibly switch off any VPNs you might have running.


Hope this helps!


Feb 12, 2025 8:39 PM in response to r4lf

Hi R4lf

The speed test I did on my mac was 800 Mbps download and 600 Mbps upload. Wifi is fine to the Macbook, I can stream 4k videos with no issue. My windows laptop has no issue, same wifi. There is no special setting throttling the wifi only to my macbook. The TX rate is 1,200 Mbps. No VPN.


Someone pointed out that Avast has some weird DNS proxy filters on my network, I turned those off and am hoping it has helped, but of course, the people I tried to test it with today were themselves on bad networks so I couldn't tell!

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FaceTime and Zoom video quality issues on MacBook Pro

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