Mac Mini M2 Wi-Fi is slow and stutters

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AwfulQuiet Author

Level 1

75 points

Mac Mini M2 Wi-Fi is slow and stutters

Why is my Mac Mini M2 Wifi so slow ?

I have two Mac Minis, one is a M2, the other a 2018 Intel i5.

Both have 8GB of RAM.

Both are running OS 15.7.3.

M2 has a 250GB SDD with 150GB of space left (I store 3GB of data on an external disc)

The 2018 has a 500GB HDD with 250GB of space left.

I am not running a VPN on either machine.

It takes the 2018 a little while to start apps, but once running it is very fast and stable. Wifi is extremely fast.

The M2, on the other hand, will open apps quickly, but when it comes to Wifi it stutters. Sometimes it works well, other times it is so slow at loading webpages (reddit being an example) that it just hangs. If I turn off the Wifi and then turn it back on, it will work better for a few minutes, but then goes back to being extremely slow. No amount of rebooting or turning the wifi router on/off solves the issue.

I am running a windows 11 PC next to it, it has zero problems with the wifi.

Has anyone else experienced this with the M2 ? Is there any solution?

Mac mini

Posted on Jan 15, 2026 12:52 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

91,594 points

Jan 15, 2026 8:44 AM in response to AwfulQuiet

The Mac mini's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna is located under the bottom cover, which makes the reception prone to interference from high speed USB drives, poorly shielded USB cables and other devices that emit a high EMF like speakers, a cordless phone base, etc....

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

If you have USB devices connected to and/or in-between the Mac mini and Wi-Fi router..?

1) Disconnect all USB devices, connect them one at a time and test.

2) Move all your USB devices to one side or behind the Mac mini and test.

3) Replace any thin poorly shielded USB cables with shielded cables and test.

4) Stand the Mac mini on it side with the bottom cover facing the Router and test.

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Answer 2

MartinR

Level 7

24,378 points

Jan 15, 2026 9:39 AM in response to AwfulQuiet

Also check the WiFi connection that each machine is using. If the M2 mini is the only one using 5GHz WiFi that could explain the problem. 5GHz WiFi signals are generally weaker than 2.4GHz WiFi signals and get even weaker with distance & obstacles like walls. There could also be channel contention with other nearby WiFi access points & users on either band.

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Answer 3

AwfulQuiet Author

Level 1

75 points

Jan 16, 2026 2:35 AM in response to MartinR

Thanks for your reply. The ISP supplied router only works at 2.4Ghz. There are not that many other devices.

I do have a Satechi base / hub that I have under the M2, I swapped it to be on top and it seems to work better (at least for the past few minutes). I will report back if that improves it.

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Answer 4

AwfulQuiet Author

Level 1

75 points

Jan 16, 2026 2:39 AM in response to den.thed

Thanks!

I have only two external discs, both are Lacie (one D2 another Portable USB powered), both plugged in to the M2 mini. There is a PS4 plugged into the router directly by LAN cable, but it is nowhere near the M2 Mini.

I also have a Satechi base / hub which I have removed from under the M2, so far it seems to have helped, but not enough time has passed to confirm it is that.

The interesting thing is that this has only started in the last 4 months, before the M2 was incredibly fast and had no problems, which is very strange.

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Answer 5

den.thed

Level 10

91,594 points

Jan 16, 2026 7:21 AM in response to AwfulQuiet

You're welcome.

That sounds like a good start.

I would also look at other things that are near the router or in-between the router and Mac mini.

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Answer 6

Old Toad

Level 10

215,748 points

Jan 16, 2026 11:24 AM in response to AwfulQuiet

What I have done to make it easier to get to the power button (it also gives more room for the WiFi and Bluetooth signal to get out to your mouse and keyboard) is to put these feet on the bottom:

It's inexpensive, easy to apply and works great.

Just some food for thought.

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Answer 7

ts1722

Level 1

12 points

Jan 17, 2026 3:54 PM in response to Old Toad

Where did you get the feet? I am having internet connections problems and just posted a discussion thread (Is Mac Mini or OS causing intermittent internet connection loss?) and wonder if these feet might help me.

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