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iPhone 6 Wifi Speed

K

KAB2010

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 27, 2009
325
14
Louisiana
(this can apply to the iPhone 5S I owned as well)

Is Apple not using a top of the line wifi chip in the iPhone 6? Speedtesting on both 2.4 and 5 wifi networks results in literallly 3 times lower download results than the Galaxy S6. The S6 can actually hit top speeds that our internet is capable of... It blows my mind that the iPhone 6 cannot even get close (70 Mbps on the 5 network while the S6 hit our actual ceiling of 200 Mbps, and 45 Mbps on the 2.4 with iPhone but 110 Mbps on the S6).

I'm assuming this has to be hardware, because I've reset network settings and this has been the case on every single version of iOS for me and have used two different routers, one being a top of the line Netgear Nighthawk.

For reference, my 2010 Sony Vaio only has the 2.4 wifi and it tops out at around 45 Mbps download, same as the iPhone 6 on 2.4. A 4 year difference in technology...

EDIT: Suddenly after making this thread, my iPhone 6 is finally able to cap out at 200 Mbps on the 5 network... however the issue with 2.4 still exists. I would say simple interference which is common on 2.4 but sitting it an inch away from the router its capping at 52 Mbps, where as my 2010 laptop gets about the same and the Galaxy S6 gets over 100 Mbps. How does that make any sense?
 
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KAB2010 said:
(this can apply to the iPhone 5S I owned as well)

Is Apple not using a top of the line wifi chip in the iPhone 6? Speedtesting on both 2.4 and 5 wifi networks results in literallly 3 times lower download results than the Galaxy S6. The S6 can actually hit top speeds that our internet is capable of... It blows my mind that the iPhone 6 cannot even get close (70 Mbps on the 5 network while the S6 hit our actual ceiling of 200 Mbps, and 45 Mbps on the 2.4 with iPhone but 110 Mbps on the S6).

I'm assuming this has to be hardware, because I've reset network settings and this has been the case on every single version of iOS for me and have used two different routers, one being a top of the line Netgear Nighthawk.

For reference, my 2010 Sony Vaio only has the 2.4 wifi and it tops out at around 45 Mbps download, same as the iPhone 6 on 2.4. A 4 year difference in technology...
Click to expand...
What are your wifi speeds between the router and the device? My 6S is doing 450 Mbps on 5 GHz, between the router and device, and is the fastest thing on my network.
 
JamesMB said:
You really need to look at the connection (RSSI, noise, TX rate, etc) between the device and router, or you are just guessing.
Click to expand...
If his phone is only inches away from the router, you can assume the RSSI is around -25 to -35dBm with an excellent SNR.
 
geoff5093 said:
If his phone is only inches away from the router, you can assume the RSSI is around -25 to -35dBm with an excellent SNR.
Click to expand...
I would agree that it "should" be, but usually I don't assume anything, when I'm troubleshooting an issue. But, if it works for you......
 
Call me stupid but how do you set the Speedtest app to test the network speed instead of internet speed?

EDIT: I am stupid. I thought OP was talking about his network speed. But he was talking about internet speed. My mind is blown that someone pays for 200 MBps for their home internet service.
 
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I have same issue. Iphone 6 on iOS 9.1.2 vs Galaxy Note 4 (my spare phone).

I have 100 Mbps connection and on 2.4 band iphone gives only 55Mbps downlink whereas Note 4 stable 90 Mbps. On 5 band iPhone 6 gives 92 Mbps. Didn't test Note 4 on that one, it's already good on 2.4.

Btw, Note 4 has clearly better wifi reception too.

Also, I'm not sure 100% but if I think my old iphone 5 on ios 7 gave better speed on 2.4 band than iphone 6 does.
 
Did a quick search of the phones specs. The 6 has support for all the wifi bands 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
I did a quick look at the iPhons 6S and found the 6S has MIMO support (Multiple input, multiple output). Something I learned just now that makes a big difference in your wifi speed.

Now, on all the spec charts I could find for the Galaxy S6 the wifi specs don't mention MIMO but here's something neato I found: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9146/the-samsung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge-review/12

It suggests that the Galaxy S6 has MIMO support and this could explain your speed difference.
 
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Vicrooloo said:
Call me stupid but how do you set the Speedtest app to test the network speed instead of internet speed?

EDIT: I am stupid. I thought OP was talking about his network speed. But he was talking about internet speed. My mind is blown that someone pays for 200 MBps for their home internet service.
Click to expand...
Most "speediest" apps test your LAN (network) while they are testing for overall bandwidth (speed), however, speediest apps don't give the results for the LAN, only results for overall bandwidth (i.e., from your device to the testing server).
To see (test) what your network is doing, on a MAC option click the wifi symbol, and it will return all relevant data. There is way to do it on Windows as well, but I haven't used Windows in years, so I can't help there.

To test the LAN on an iDevice, takes an app....If you are using Apple routers, Airport Utility app works great. If using other router brands, I think the Scany app will give you what you are looking for. The Scany app is also a fantastic app for troubleshooting any and all network issues.
 
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Orka said:
I have same issue. Iphone 6 on iOS 9.1.2 vs Galaxy Note 4 (my spare phone).

I have 100 Mbps connection and on 2.4 band iphone gives only 55Mbps downlink whereas Note 4 stable 90 Mbps. On 5 band iPhone 6 gives 92 Mbps. Didn't test Note 4 on that one, it's already good on 2.4.

Btw, Note 4 has clearly better wifi reception too.

Also, I'm not sure 100% but if I think my old iphone 5 on ios 7 gave better speed on 2.4 band than iphone 6 does.
Click to expand...

yeah that makes sense. I'm betting Samsung simply used better hardware related to wifi which is surprising since Apple is usually lauded with that crown
 
Vicrooloo said:
Did a quick search of the phones specs. The 6 has support for all the wifi bands 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
I did a quick look at the iPhons 6S and found the 6S has MIMO support (Multiple input, multiple output). Something I learned just now that makes a big difference in your wifi speed.

Now, on all the spec charts I could find for the Galaxy S6 the wifi specs don't mention MIMO but here's something neato I found: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9146/the-samsung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge-review/12

It suggests that the Galaxy S6 has MIMO support and this could explain your speed difference.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info. love anandtech!
 
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6s Plus to Airport Extreme, both MIMO units is 400Mbps this is wifi speed. Seems to be best I can get.
Cable modem contracted 105Mbps usually get about 120Mbps down / 25Mbps down. This is Internet modem connection speed.
Overal connection speed to the Internet for downloads is the 120Mbps.
 
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