MacMini (Late 2009) Wifi problems

Question

Level 1

10 points

MacMini (Late 2009) Wifi problems

I'm using Uverse for my internet connection. If I use wireless from the Mini to the Uverse gateway my speed stinks. iPad 2 next to the Mini has good speed going wireless to the gateway. I placed an Airport Extreme about half way between the gateway and the Mini and cabled it to the MIni. The Mini's speed still stinks. iPad has good speed. I can understand that a bad Airport card in the Mini would affect wireless directly to the gateway but would it also affect the performance of the Airport Extreme wired into the Mini? If the current Airport card is at fault, I can replace it for $100+.

I've added 2 GB of ram to the old Mini for a total of 4 GB. I see that the 2014 I.4 Mini comes with 4 GB. My current Mini's Activity Monitor shows Virtual Memory Used is often more than the 4 GB installed. Would the faster speed of the 1.4 Mini alleviate this?

Thanks in advance.

Posted on Dec 6, 2015 6:23 PM

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Answer 1

pedro d

Community Specialist

Dec 8, 2015 6:57 AM in response to Koach631

Hi, Koach631.

Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.

I see you are experiencing less than expected internet speeds on you Mac mini. In regard to your concern with the AirPort card on your Mac mini, typically you would not be able to utilize Wi-Fi at all if there was a failure with the card. It also sounds like you used an Airport Extreme to extend your network and tested via ethernet with the same results. These troubleshooting steps lead me to believe settings may need to be updated on your Uverse gateway. I would start with processing any firmware updates for your router and adjust the settings per the article below. You may also want to make sure that you aren't connected to a guest network and test speeds when changing between the 2.4 and 5 GHz options that most routers offer.

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

You may also want to try creating a new Wi-Fi location and then test the speeds.

Using network locations (Mac OS X v10.6 and later)

If none of these steps resolves the issue, please reply back with the results after processing each step and what Mac OS X version that you are using.

Cheers

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Answer 2

Koach631 Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 8, 2015 8:28 AM in response to pedro d

But my iPad 2 communicates wirelessly(?) very well with the gateway from the same location as the Macmini. Doesn't that mean that the gateway is okay?

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Answer 3

jason269

Community Specialist

Dec 8, 2015 10:43 AM in response to Koach631

Koach631,

Thank you for the follow-up. Yes, I do understand that your iPad communicates fine and both possibly utilize the 802.11 N protocol. However, they are two different pieces of hardware, with different operating systems and one is newer than the other. Periodically adjustments need to be made to ensure that all devices communicate efficiently. This does include making adjustments to the settings on your gateway. Please go through all of the recommended information above and let us know the outcome.

Cheers

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Answer 4

Koach631 Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 18, 2015 11:29 AM in response to jason269

I went through all the steps listed. All gateway settings were already set for optimum performance. When I ran ATT troubleshoot, it told me my connection was "good." ATT.com/Speedtest just gave me a download speed of 6.0Mps +-. It took me forever to sign onto Apple forums to send this message. Airport Utlity also says everything is good. ***? There is only one place on the Mini to plug a cable to the Airport Extreme but what socket on the Extreme should I be using?

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Answer 5

jason269

Community Specialist

Dec 22, 2015 6:11 AM in response to Koach631

Koach631,

Thanks for the follow-up. Since you have gone through all of my recommendations, I would suggest reaching out to us via phone to further troubleshoot this issue.

Contact Apple for support and service

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