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2 MacBook Pro's, same wifi, 1 is 10x quicker Internet speed!

T

Tomtheman2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 30, 2008
9
0
2 MacBook Pro's, same wifi, 1 is 10x quicker internet speed!

Mine is a 15" MBP mid 2010

My housemates is a 13" MBP late 2011


Mine is 3mbps - Chrome - 10.8

His is 31mbps - Chrome - 10.8

WTF!!!! I can't stand how slow it is!

Does anyone know how the hell i can fix this??
 
Also depends on a ridiculous number of other factors, such as position/signal strength, router, etc etc etc.
 
Your MBP should be capable of 30mbps. My internet service gives me about 20mbps, and I get that on speedtests on both LAN and Wifi with my 2010 15" MBP running Safari, and that's using an old Linksys G router.
 
drambuie said:
Your MBP should be capable of 30mbps. My internet service gives me about 20mbps, and I get that on speedtests on both LAN and Wifi with my 2010 15" MBP running Safari, and that's using an old Linksys G router.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that entirely depends on distance from the router etc.

The key thing here is two different MBP models, one with 2x2 MIMO antenna and the other with 3x3 MIMO. I'm assuming they're in the same place - namely one where the WiFi signal isn't actually that great, hence only getting 3mbps on the older machine.
 
I bought a rMBP 13 last week and was very surprised to be getting 80mbp/sec across my wifi. I'd previously only used wifi with iPads and phones and max is half that.

I get 115mbp/sec into the house and the iMac runs off a cat6 cable (I had multiple cat6 points put in when I renovated the house but if I can get 80 across the wifi I'm not sure why I bothered).
 
itouch rulz said:
I bought a rMBP 13 last week and was very surprised to be getting 80mbp/sec across my wifi. I'd previously only used wifi with iPads and phones and max is half that.

I get 115mbp/sec into the house and the iMac runs off a cat6 cable (I had multiple cat6 points put in when I renovated the house but if I can get 80 across the wifi I'm not sure why I bothered).
Click to expand...

No residential ISP offers over 100mbps connection in the USA. Where do you live?
 
peskaa said:
Yes, but that entirely depends on distance from the router etc.

The key thing here is two different MBP models, one with 2x2 MIMO antenna and the other with 3x3 MIMO. I'm assuming they're in the same place - namely one where the WiFi signal isn't actually that great, hence only getting 3mbps on the older machine.
Click to expand...

Both laptops sat right infront of the router, on the same WiFi. Surely the antenna wouldn't make that much of a difference?
 
Tomtheman2 said:
Both laptops sat right infront of the router, on the same WiFi. Surely the antenna wouldn't make that much of a difference?
Click to expand...

I would place bets on yes, as that is going to be the only difference between the laptops. What router are you using?

Secondly, how are you measuring the speed?
 
peskaa said:
I would place bets on yes, as that is going to be the only difference between the laptops. What router are you using?

Secondly, how are you measuring the speed?
Click to expand...

Ah that sucks!

Virgin media super box thing, fibre optic.
Using speedtest.net website. Tried 3 times with equal results!

Thanks for the help guys, off to buy an upgrade!
 
Just ran speedtest.net on my 2009 13" mbp. 30.85 Mb/s down and 20.60 Mb/s up. That download speed on your 2010 mbp is way too slow and it's age has nothing to due with the slow speed. It's either a hardware problem or software problem with you machine. It should be doing at least 30 mb/s.
 
I have a suggestion... Hold down the option key and click on the wifi icon at the top right of your screen. Do that for each laptop and compare the two.
 
Tomtheman2 said:
Ah that sucks!

Virgin media super box thing, fibre optic.
Using speedtest.net website. Tried 3 times with equal results!

Thanks for the help guys, off to buy an upgrade!
Click to expand...

Woah slow down, don't buy a new laptop/access point yet! Admittedly Virgin's SuperHub is terrible at wireless.

As xlii says, holding alt whilst you click on the WiFi symbol in the menu bar shows far more detailed information about the connection. Take a screenshot of each - the transmit rate is of particular interest.

Try another browser as well, such as Safari, just to rule out another possible issue. Is bluetooth turned on, either machine? Some people report that they get signal interference from that...
 
peskaa said:
Woah slow down, don't buy a new laptop/access point yet! Admittedly Virgin's SuperHub is terrible at wireless.

As xlii says, holding alt whilst you click on the WiFi symbol in the menu bar shows far more detailed information about the connection. Take a screenshot of each - the transmit rate is of particular interest.

Try another browser as well, such as Safari, just to rule out another possible issue. Is bluetooth turned on, either machine? Some people report that they get signal interference from that...
Click to expand...

Hi,

Just tested it on Safari with the same results.

Also, plugged it directly into the router via ethernet and it still gives me the same readings. (With WiFi turned off obviously) Which is very strange!

All of my network settings are the same as my friends.

Heres a screenshot of my settings...
 

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Tomtheman2 said:
Hi,

Just tested it on Safari with the same results.

Also, plugged it directly into the router via ethernet and it still gives me the same readings. (With WiFi turned off obviously) Which is very strange!

All of my network settings are the same as my friends.

Heres a screenshot of my settings...
Click to expand...

If you are getting the same results plugged into the router, something else is wrong entirely. Are you using a proxy server, VPN or otherwise tunneling your Internet traffic in some way?
 
Tomtheman2 said:
Hi,

Just tested it on Safari with the same results.

Also, plugged it directly into the router via ethernet and it still gives me the same readings. (With WiFi turned off obviously) Which is very strange!

All of my network settings are the same as my friends.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you're getting that result via ethernet then something has gone totally wrong somewhere down the line. Rest assured, it isn't your WiFi.

It could be the VirginMedia SuperHub restricting you, or something on your MBP. Have a look through the SH's settings to see if there is any kind of filtering going on, proxies or literally anything related to your MBP (both IP address and MAC address).

Alternatively, it could be a software issue on your MBP. That said, I have literally no idea what it could possibly be to cause such a static restriction in speed.

You could also try:
1) An alternative speed measuring site
2) LAN transfer from your MBP to your friends' to see if there is some odd throttle on the LAN side.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
No residential ISP offers over 100mbps connection in the USA. Where do you live?
Click to expand...

Technically, Verizon FIOS (true fiber) Quantum's residential plans cover 150mbps and 300mbps. Though "residential" they're still expensive as heck. I have the 75mpbs version at home as the price is at least somewhat reasonable at that speed.

Also, Google Fiber is residential and offers 1Gbps but they only cover a couple of places currently.
 
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