I need some networking help

[I Need a Drink]

I just noticed that my Mac Mini is only getting around 6-7 Mbps when running a speed test, so I started checking my gear.

First, I have Gigabit Fios. I have Cat-6 running to Gigabit switches throughout the house. In the upstairs room where my Mini is, I used to get about 500 Mbps on a speed test (the Mini was never as fast as other computers on the network) and between 800 - 960 Mbps on a Windows 10 desktop that is connected to the same switch. Right now, I am only getting 7-8 Mbps on both the Mini and the Windows desktop on that switch.

Downstairs, my iMac is getting around 800-900 Mbps so that is good. My iPhone and iPad, over wireless of course, are getting their average speeds of about 300-400 Mbps and my Macbook Pro is getting its average speeds as well.

My Apple TV, which is downstairs on a different switch, is getting around 90 Mbps, but it used to get over 900 Mbps. And my XBox One, which is on the same switch as the Apple TV, is getting close to 600 Mbps, which is where it usually tops out.

So I would have thought it was the switch upstairs, but my Apple TV, on a different switch, is also getting much slower speeds than it usually does. I have rebooted the computers, the router and the switches and the speeds are still slow.

The only changes I've made to my network recently was to add two HomePods and a Wemo Bridge so that I can control my Wemo Light Switches with the HomePods through Homekit. But my question is, what would cause my speeds to drop so significantly on some devices, but not on others?

 

[techwarrior]

Is the mini slow when using the same cable as other computers that are not slow?

Can the mini use WiFi instead of wired? if so, what speeds can it get wirelessly? Maybe the ethernet port is going bad?

Did you mess around with network settings on the mini? maybe trying a different DNS server? If so, clear the settings and use DHCP for everything.

 

[I Need a Drink]

Is the mini slow when using the same cable as other computers that are not slow?

Can the mini use WiFi instead of wired? if so, what speeds can it get wirelessly? Maybe the ethernet port is going bad?

Did you mess around with network settings on the mini? maybe trying a different DNS server? If so, clear the settings and use DHCP for everything.

The Mini used to get about 300-400 Mbps until recently. I think that speed is just a limitation of the network card. The Windows 10 Desktop that is connected to the same switch used to get closer to 700-850 Mbps, but it is also now getting less than 10 Mbps connected to the switch. I just pulled the switch out of the chain for the Mini and plugged the Mini straight into the wall, which then connects to a switch downstairs and then into the the Fios router and I am now back to getting around 325 Mbps on the Mini. I haven't tested the Windows Desktop yet as it's late so I'll do that tomorrow, but it looks like a switch issue.

However, that still doesn't explain why the downstairs Apple TV is only getting 90 Mbps vs. the 950 it used to get. That is hooked up to a separate switch, which seems really weird that both switches would be going bad at the same time. Also, as I said, my XBox One that is hooked into the same switch as the Apple TV just got 651 Mbps on a network test, which is about where it should be as it never was able to get into the 900s like some of the computers.

I haven't made any changes to DNS or anything like that. The only thing I have done is set Static IPs at the router level for all of my devices. But I did that years ago and it was never a problem.

I don't know, maybe both switches are failing. They are both about 7-8 years old at this point, but it seems weird that they are both going at the same time.

 

[reukiodo]

Have you had any blackout or brownouts recently? I've had equipment throughout the house fail some time after a brownout storm.

 

[satcomer]

Have you had any blackout or brownouts recently? I've had equipment throughout the house fail some time after a brownout storm.

I found the on Mac OS that my Mac wouldn’t startup until I pulled all connections. (to a modern display) I just pulled the display port connection and my Mac Pro then bottled normally. Then then did a PRAM Reset and then all was good!

 

[2984839]

Try bypassing the switches and see if the problem persists. Then try different ports on the router. I would also try it without all the HomePod stuff. If all that doesn't solve it, you could also reset your router's config.

Consumer routers and switches do fail and I have seen a lot of weird problems when that happens.

 

[hobowankenobi]

Try bypassing the switches and see if the problem persists. Then try different ports on the router. I would also try it without all the HomePod stuff. If all that doesn't solve it, you could also reset your router's config.

Consumer routers and switches do fail and I have seen a lot of weird problems when that happens.

Agreed. It would nice if they just stopped working....but often they fail in occasional, intermittent and weird ways, making diagnosis challenging.

Best to remove one varible at a time and test again.