Help with WIFI on Macbook Pro M3

[RetiredInFl]

I have 40 years Win PC experience but maybe a year with MACs. To make a long story probably longer I just picked up a used MacBook Pro M3 for my grandson and am setting it up. Everything is easy-peasy except my network speeds.

Wife's iPhone 14 Pro gets 600-700Mbps 3 rooms away from router.
Galaxy S24 Ultra the same and more.
iPad Mini 6 a bit less but close.
Mac Mini S2 Pro getting 500+ Mbps on WiFI 1100-1200+ hard wired to router. I have Xfinity 1200 Mbps tier and th router has a 2.5G port.

The Macbook Pro M3 in question is barely getting 300Mbps on WIFI and even less when I connect a 2.5G Ethernet dongle.
Router says it is connected to the 5G band of the router but doesn't show the wifi type nor can I find it when using the Apple instructions to see if it is on Wifi6E.

All testing was done within 3 **FEET** of my Wifi6E router (Asus GTX11000 Pro)

Yes, I have rebooted, , "forgot" wiFi network & readded, power cycled laptop.

This laptop I ASSUME should be getting upward of 500-600Mbps and more on the wifi 6e connection literally 3 feet from the router and it's not even close ...... or should it?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Bigwaff]

Settings > Apple Id > iCloud > Private Relay.. disable.

 

[RetiredInFl]

Settings > Apple Id > iCloud > Private Relay.. disable.

Sadly, it's already off.

 

[Bigwaff]

nor can I find it when using the Apple instructions to see if it is on Wifi6E

"Option" click on the WiFi icon in menu bar.

 

[RetiredInFl]

"Option" click on the WiFi icon in menu bar.

That's what many Google results say but I have no "OPTION" option in the menu bar WIFI menu either in system/settings or clicking on the icon on the menu bar. I looked through every possible option that is related to WIFI. This is Sonoma 14.4 so maybe something has changed? This is what I see when I click on the WIFI icon and the screen on the left is the WIFI-SETTINGS screen (the same screen from the main SETTINGS wifi menu) then if go to "DETAILS" I just get the usual TCP IP, DNS etc etc info.

 

[hg.wells]

Hold the option key on your keyboard the same time you click on the WiFi icon in the menu bar.

 

[M3Stang]

I have 2 access points in the house. One of them didn't play nice at all with my M3 Pro. I switched to the other one I have and everything has been working for the last few months. I had trouble with a Ubiquity one. Can't remember the model. The one that works well is a CenturyLink modem/router. Not sure the brand.

 

[RetiredInFl]

Hold the option key on your keyboard the same time you click on the WiFi icon in the menu bar.

Duhhh, @Bigwaff !!! (and @hg-wells) the OPTION KEY! Boy do I feel dumb. Reminds me of the early 80's when (the tech support fable goes) you tell the client to "open the door and remove the disk" and they run to the front door and says "there is no disk here."

Lots of info there, thanks, but still can't find what version(?) wifi it is connected to. It does show I'm on 5Ghz frequency and the channel (36).

 

[RetiredInFl]

I have 2 access points in the house. One of them didn't play nice at all with my M3 Pro. I switched to the other one I have and everything has been working for the last few months. I had trouble with a Ubiquity one. Can't remember the model. The one that works well is a CenturyLink modem/router. Not sure the brand.

Yea, well this is the router virtually next to the laptop. No AP. It's strange the Mac Mini M2 has no problems or all the other devices.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Lots of info there, thanks, but still can't find what version(?) wifi it is connected to. It does show I'm on 5Ghz frequency and the channel (36).

PHY Mode is the WiFi version (e.g., 802.11ax is Wi-Fi 6)

Curious, what are the values for Tx Rate and RSSI?

As for RSSI, there’s no apparent standard on grading, but it seems -50 to -30 are agreeably in the best ranges.

RSSI: How to check RSSI value with NetSpot

Know what a good RSSI level is and how it is related to a signal strength. Determine RSSI signal with NetSpot.

www.netspotapp.com

What Is RSSI & How to Check Received Signal Strength Indicator

RSSI, or Received Signal Strength Indicator, is a measure of the power level of signals received by a wireless device.

layerlogix.com

 

[chanchowancho]

You sure you aren't too close to the router? I definitely had a similar thing with my old Asus gaming router - a couple of rooms away were fine, but quite close to it and you'd get a tremendous drop off in speed

 

[MacCheetah3]

I did read about that on one of the RSSI articles:

You sure you aren't too close to the router? I definitely had a similar thing with my old Asus gaming router - a couple of rooms away were fine, but quite close to it and you'd get a tremendous drop off in speed

RSSI > -30 dBm: this signal is too strong, and may indicate that your device is too close to the router or access point. This can cause saturation or distortion of the signal, and reduce your performance. You should move your device further away from the router or access point.

What is a good RSSI Signal Strength and Can it be Affected by Interference? - Ruijie Networks

What is a good RSSI signal strength? Can it be affected by interference? And what is the difference

www.ruijienetworks.com

 

[halledise]

don't know if this'll help your situation but this solved our issues with flaky wifi coverage in the house.
eero

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I have 40 years Win PC experience but maybe a year with MACs. To make a long story probably longer I just picked up a used MacBook Pro M3 for my grandson and am setting it up. Everything is easy-peasy except my network speeds.

Wife's iPhone 14 Pro gets 600-700Mbps 3 rooms away from router.
Galaxy S24 Ultra the same and more.
iPad Mini 6 a bit less but close.
Mac Mini S2 Pro getting 500+ Mbps on WiFI 1100-1200+ hard wired to router. I have Xfinity 1200 Mbps tier and th router has a 2.5G port.

The Macbook Pro M3 in question is barely getting 300Mbps on WIFI and even less when I connect a 2.5G Ethernet dongle.
Router says it is connected to the 5G band of the router but doesn't show the wifi type nor can I find it when using the Apple instructions to see if it is on Wifi6E.

All testing was done within 3 **FEET** of my Wifi6E router (Asus GTX11000 Pro)

Yes, I have rebooted, , "forgot" wiFi network & readded, power cycled laptop.

This laptop I ASSUME should be getting upward of 500-600Mbps and more on the wifi 6e connection literally 3 feet from the router and it's not even close ...... or should it?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

All I can add is that I have found M2 MBP WiFi 6E with 6E router works excellently, including just 20" from the router or at the other end of the house. IMO you should be working with Apple tech support on the issue. If it is an M3 it should still be covered under warranty.

One of the IMO huge value adds of the "Apple tax" we all pay is the best (only?) good tech support in the industry. Level one may suck (some kid just reading from a decision tree and always insisting any OS except the one released last week is too old), but if you stick with it and get to level two good support is available, and the techs giving it are clearly not on a clock trying to just get rid of you to get to the next call.

 

[HDFan]

If you have a combined SSD (2.5, 5, and 6 Ghz all under one name) there is no guarantee that you will connect to 6E.

If you can break them down into separate SSIDs for each frequency on your router that will give you control.

 

[RetiredInFl]

PHY Mode is the WiFi version (e.g., 802.11ax is Wi-Fi 6)

Curious, what are the values for Tx Rate and RSSI?

As for RSSI, there’s no apparent standard on grading, but it seems -50 to -30 are agreeably in the best ranges.

RSSI: How to check RSSI value with NetSpot

Know what a good RSSI level is and how it is related to a signal strength. Determine RSSI signal with NetSpot.

www.netspotapp.com

What Is RSSI & How to Check Received Signal Strength Indicator

RSSI, or Received Signal Strength Indicator, is a measure of the power level of signals received by a wireless device.

layerlogix.com

Ahhh, thank you! That explains a lot. Seems like WIFI 6 for sure but then why are my Speedtest results so poor compared to every other device in the exact same location? You can tell that the laptop is very close to the router.

don't know if this'll help your situation but this solved our issues with flaky wifi coverage in the house.
eero

No problems with coverage in the house, problem is only with MBP 2 feet from router.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Ahhh, thank you! That explains a lot. Seems like WIFI 6 for sure but then why are my Speedtest results so poor compared to every other device in the exact same location? You can tell that the laptop is very close to the router.

It’s difficult to say, there are a lot of factors.

• Speedtests aren’t supremely accurate
— By default, they select the (geographically) nearest server, great for bragging rights but unrealistic in most instances. So, if I’m very seriously testing, I perform several tests, selecting servers in cities reasonably farthest away (e.g., If you live in Orlando, I’d suggest picking servers in NYC, Chicago, Denver, Los Angles, Phoenix, and/or Seattle).
— They may not be affected by anomalies (e.g., intermittent DNS problems or if one CDN goes down, or are and you won’t realize that’s the issue).
*** It’s also a good practice to try more than one, the two most popular are Speediest.net and Fast.com.
• As mentioned, it’s not always best or even necessary to get as close to the access point as possible. Instead, just be in the same room, or more optimally, simply ensure there is line-of-sight between the computer and the wireless router.

 

[RetiredInFl]

It’s difficult to say, there are a lot of factors.

• Speedtests aren’t supremely accurate
— By default, they select the (geographically) nearest server, great for bragging rights but unrealistic in most instances. So, if I’m very seriously testing, I perform several tests, selecting servers in cities reasonably farthest away (e.g., If you live in Orlando, I’d suggest picking servers in NYC, Chicago, Denver, Los Angles, Phoenix, and/or Seattle).
— They may not be affected by anomalies (e.g., intermittent DNS problems or if one CDN goes down, or are and you won’t realize that’s the issue).
*** It’s also a good practice to try more than one, the two most popular are Speediest.net and Fast.com.
• As mentioned, it’s not always best or even necessary to get as close to the access point as possible. Instead, just be in the same room, or more optimally, simply ensure there is line-of-sight between the computer and the wireless router.

My office has been setup this way for 7 years. Only thing that changed was I replaced a 8 year old Dell Win laptop with the MBP M3. All other devices are in the exact same spot. No WiFi issues with former Dell, ipad, iPhones & Galaxy S24 in same spot. Just the MBP.

 

[MacCheetah3]

My office has been setup this way for 7 years. Only thing that changed was I replaced a 8 year old Dell Win laptop with the MBP M3. All other devices are in the exact same spot. No WiFi issues with former Dell, ipad, iPhones & Galaxy S24 in same spot. Just the MBP.

Understood, just pointing out some tidbits.

And there’s always @Allen_Wentz ’s point about Apple Support.

 

[halledise]

I have 40 years Win PC experience but maybe a year with MACs. To make a long story probably longer I just picked up a used MacBook Pro M3 for my grandson and am setting it up. Everything is easy-peasy except my network speeds.

Wife's iPhone 14 Pro gets 600-700Mbps 3 rooms away from router.
Galaxy S24 Ultra the same and more.
iPad Mini 6 a bit less but close.
Mac Mini S2 Pro getting 500+ Mbps on WiFI 1100-1200+ hard wired to router. I have Xfinity 1200 Mbps tier and th router has a 2.5G port.

The Macbook Pro M3 in question is barely getting 300Mbps on WIFI and even less when I connect a 2.5G Ethernet dongle.
Router says it is connected to the 5G band of the router but doesn't show the wifi type nor can I find it when using the Apple instructions to see if it is on Wifi6E.

All testing was done within 3 **FEET** of my Wifi6E router (Asus GTX11000 Pro)

Yes, I have rebooted, , "forgot" wiFi network & readded, power cycled laptop.

This laptop I ASSUME should be getting upward of 500-600Mbps and more on the wifi 6e connection literally 3 feet from the router and it's not even close ...... or should it?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

an obscure thought …
have you tried cabling the M3 directly to your modem/router?

here in Aus we have something called nbn (national broadband network) with FTTP.
the internal nbn box is actually a modem and we connect the eero router by ethernet cable to said box for wifi signal.
there are 4 spare ethernet sockets (from memory) that makes it possible to establish a link to a computer the old cabling way.
in that scenario, it wouldn't make any difference if your M3 was sitting right next to it - the signal strength would be the same.
(hopefully i'm making sense)