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Getting half regular Wifi Speed : iPhone 6s+

S

Sam5281

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 4, 2014
191
11
So checked on my wifi speeds using my 6s+ and to my surprise - they were a lot less then expected. Almost half what I see on my MBP.

Not sure why this may be? One of my main reasons I got 6S+ was for the higher wifi capability.

Can anyone chime in?

Preferences need to be re-arranged?

Unsure what would be route cause

Thanks in advance!
 
Two things

1. congested channel, change it
2. Are you connected to the 5Ghz or 2.4Ghz network? The 5Ghz one will always give you better speeds, but that comes at the expense of coverage.
 
Sam5281 said:
On 5Ghz - and it's the only device on that channel
Click to expand...
Interesting. The iPhone does have a much weaker antenna (for obvious reasons).

For example, I live in a duplex and the router is downstairs. My rMBP has a strong 5GHZ upstairs, but my iPhone 6S+ is constantly switching between the weaker 5Ghz (one bar) and stronger signal 2.4ghz signal. It's really annoying.

I need to pick up another Airport Extreme and make it into an extender for the upstairs.
 
what are you using to test speeds on the phone? speedtest.net app, perhaps?
might be silly but did you check the settings to make sure you set a higher gauge scale? i think speedtest.net defaults to display 50mbps top speed. so if you're expecting like 100mbps, that could be the problem.

just ruling it out.
 
The further you go, the weaker your phone will be in comparison to your MBP. The MBP will have a higher powered antenna anyway. Is your surfing speed slow?
 
beernut said:
what are you using to test speeds on the phone? speedtest.net app, perhaps?
might be silly but did you check the settings to make sure you set a higher gauge scale? i think speedtest.net defaults to display 50mbps top speed. so if you're expecting like 100mbps, that could be the problem.

just ruling it out.
Click to expand...

Yes - so did some beta testing on all 3; 50,100,300 - and got highest speeds at default 50 setting

However - removing the Apple Leather /case I have on the phone did produce higher numbers - however not as fast as what I see on my MBP

Elisha said:
The further you go, the weaker your phone will be in comparison to your MBP. The MBP will have a higher powered antenna anyway. Is your surfing speed slow?
Click to expand...

No its not - in a relatively small working environment. Close to router - so thinking either iPhone even 6S+ will never be capable of full speeds MBP is getting - OR my phone has an internal issue which I need to replace the phone. Cant confirm until I see someone who has same speed on computer and iPhone 6s+

andyw715 said:
WiFi SweetSpots app will measure your phone to router speeds
Click to expand...

I don't know of any reliable sweetspot apps for iPhone - suggestions?
 
iOS devices almost always show lower speeds than other devices. I have no explanation for it, it's just something I've noticed as I troubleshoot people's equipment and networks as a side job. It's possible apps are not reading the correct speeds on iOS. I haven't really looked for the cause of it.
 
Are you referring to the link speed to your router or the actual download speed from the internet?
If it is the link speed, it's antenna dependent. From the phones I have had, they range from 300-433mbps. My rMBP is 866mbps I believe. Not sure what it is on my 6s+.
 
LIVEFRMNYC said:
iOS devices almost always show lower speeds than other devices. I have no explanation for it, it's just something I've noticed as I troubleshoot people's equipment and networks as a side job. It's possible apps are not reading the correct speeds on iOS. I haven't really looked for the cause of it.
Click to expand...

Glad you confirmed - maybe a good question to email speed test and see their experiences.

Elisha said:
Are you referring to the link speed to your router or the actual download speed from the internet?
If it is the link speed, it's antenna dependent. From the phones I have had, they range from 300-433mbps. My rMBP is 866mbps I believe. Not sure what it is on my 6s+.
Click to expand...

Referring to internet speed - for streaming on my phone / tablet etc. May have plans of getting an IPad pro - and wonder if will experience the same deficiency in internet speeds even with the new wifi antenna.
 
the 6s and 6s+ have MIMO antennas, you should be getting good speeds assuming you don't have other devices taking up the bandwidth. Wifi speeds on iPhone is NOT slow, and the speedtest app is definitely not limited to 50Mbps.
 

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se1000 said:
the 6s and 6s+ have MIMO antennas, you should be getting good speeds assuming you don't have other devices taking up the bandwidth. Wifi speeds on iPhone is NOT slow, and the speedtest app is definitely not limited to 50Mbps.
Click to expand...

yes. these iPhones were the first ones to have 3 x 3 spatial streams.

the iPhone 5 only had 1 antenna, and it was limited to 65 mbps @ 5 mhz because of it. where as most desktop computers have 2 or 3 wifi antennas, the average smart phone only has 1. i forget how many wifi antennas the 6 had. the iPhone 6 might of been able to connect at 300 mbit but i honestly don't remember. i think it was 125 mbps tops


in order to have desktop level wifi speeds on an iPhone you must have a 6s or 6s+
 
rigormortis said:
yes. these iPhones were the first ones to have 3 x 3 spatial streams.

the iPhone 5 only had 1 antenna, and it was limited to 65 mbps @ 5 mhz because of it. where as most desktop computers have 2 or 3 wifi antennas, the average smart phone only has 1. i forget how many wifi antennas the 6 had. the iPhone 6 might of been able to connect at 300 mbit but i honestly don't remember. i think it was 125 mbps tops


in order to have desktop level wifi speeds on an iPhone you must have a 6s or 6s+
Click to expand...

Good post. You also need a proper router. A 5 yr. old 802.11G router that "works with the laptops in the house" isn't going to cut it.
 
adamhenry said:
Good post. You also need a proper router. A 5 yr. old 802.11G router that "works with the laptops in the house" isn't going to cut it.
Click to expand...


the worst thing about 802.11 G was that all clients slowed down to the speed of the slowest client.
if one client connected at 1 mbit, all clients on the network connected at 1 mbit. you prevented this from happening by setting your 'multicast' setting to high, this is why a lot of comcast free wifi hotspots won't let you connect if you are too far away
 
se1000 said:
the 6s and 6s+ have MIMO antennas, you should be getting good speeds assuming you don't have other devices taking up the bandwidth. Wifi speeds on iPhone is NOT slow, and the speedtest app is definitely not limited to 50Mbps.
Click to expand...

Thats a good read - out. Never said it was limited to 50Mbps. What are you getting on your other devices in comparison?

rigormortis said:
yes. these iPhones were the first ones to have 3 x 3 spatial streams.

the iPhone 5 only had 1 antenna, and it was limited to 65 mbps @ 5 mhz because of it. where as most desktop computers have 2 or 3 wifi antennas, the average smart phone only has 1. i forget how many wifi antennas the 6 had. the iPhone 6 might of been able to connect at 300 mbit but i honestly don't remember. i think it was 125 mbps tops


in order to have desktop level wifi speeds on an iPhone you must have a 6s or 6s+
Click to expand...

Exactly my point. I my 6S+ is not reaching anywhere near my desktop speeds. About 130/150Mbps slower in fact - so is there a hardware issue with my phone?


adamhenry said:
Good post. You also need a proper router. A 5 yr. old 802.11G router that "works with the laptops in the house" isn't going to cut it.
Click to expand...

Using an 802.11AC - Quite expensive router - thats the issue here.
 
Sam5281 said:
Thats a good read - out. Never said it was limited to 50Mbps. What are you getting on your other devices in comparison?
Click to expand...

Desktop on gig-E gets the max of 350 down, 25 up, laptop on 5Ghz wifi gets the same, my Galaxy S6 is right on par with the iPhone. Needless to say, neither the iPhone or Galaxy really needs those speeds.

It sounds like you have either a hardware issue, or possibly a configuration issue, your iPhone should be able to pull down very fast speeds over 5Ghz wifi.
 
se1000 said:
Desktop on gig-E gets the max of 350 down, 25 up, laptop on 5Ghz wifi gets the same, my Galaxy S6 is right on par with the iPhone. Needless to say, neither the iPhone or Galaxy really needs those speeds.

It sounds like you have either a hardware issue, or possibly a configuration issue, your iPhone should be able to pull down very fast speeds over 5Ghz wifi.
Click to expand...

Configuration as in?
 
Sam5281 said:
Configuration as in?
Click to expand...

Make sure you're in fact connected to the 5Ghz network, some routers name both network the same and phones tend to reconnect to the 2.4Ghz first, which may also suffer a lot more interference.

Next thing to check are things like channel width, etc.
 
se1000 said:
Make sure you're in fact connected to the 5Ghz network, some routers name both network the same and phones tend to reconnect to the 2.4Ghz first, which may also suffer a lot more interference.

Next thing to check are things like channel width, etc.
Click to expand...

I can guarantee It is on the 5GHZ - and is the ONLY device on that channel.

My MBP on the other 5GHz reaches much higher down / up speeds.
 
So definitely a lot fast without the apple leather case on - that's Forsure.

Now maybe the Zagg screen protector having some interference?

That - or have an internal issue w attena on phone in which case what can I do? Warranty through AT&T or go to apple?
 
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