MBP 16", WiFi6 and Usb-C/Ethernet dongle

[ChromeCrescendo]

I am thinking of purchasing the MBP 16"

Two questions:

1--Will a USB-C/Ethernet dongle actually give me gigabit speed or would I need a TB3/Ethernet dongle?

and

2--Will WiFi 5 be good enough for the MBP 16" to get gigabit speed if I chose not to go with the USB-C/Ethernet dongle or should I wait for the MBP 16" to get WiFI 6 (assuming that will be a spec bump)?

 

[robvas]

Usb 3 will run a gig

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Usb 3 will run a gig

Thanks

What would be the advantage (if any) for waiting for WiFi 6?

 

[profcutter]

USB C can transfer plenty for 1G ethernet, and could even handle 10G if it's USB3.2. WiFi is just incapable of matching the reliability or speed of a wired ethernet connection. We have a high-end AX router, and my wife has an iPhone 11. Even in very close proximity, it maxes out at 600 or so Mbps. With a wired connection, my 2015 can run 990 Mbps on speed tests.

 

[chabig]

What would be the advantage (if any) for waiting for WiFi 6?

You'd save money today.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

You'd save money today.

The one thing holding me back on the MBP 16" is that I will be using an external monitor and I worry about the thermals causing a decrease in the MBP's life span

 

[Michael Scrip]

1-- Will a USB-C/Ethernet dongle actually give me gigabit speed or would I need a TB3/Ethernet dongle?

2-- Will WiFi 5 be good enough for the MBP 16" to get gigabit speed if I chose not to go with the USB-C/Ethernet dongle or should I wait for the MBP 16" to get WiFI 6 (assuming that will be a spec bump)?

Gigabit is 1000mb/s which is only 125MB/s... so USB-C can handle that no problem.

But if you were talking about 10gig speeds (over 1GB/s) then that would probably be best with a Thunderbolt adapter.

As for WIFI 5... I have more questions.

What wireless router do you have?
How fast is your internet connection? Cable or fiber?
What devices in your house are you connecting to?

WIFI 5 has a theoretical maximum speed of 1700mb/s... (or 212MB/s)

WIFI 6 has a theoretical maximum speed of 2400mb/s... (or 300MB/s)

However... you will only hit those maximum speeds under the perfect circumstances and with the proper hardware throughout.

Your router is the ultimate decider of your network speed. Do you have, or are you planning to buy, a WIFI 6 router soon?

If so... then you might approach the maximum speed of WIFI 6 on a laptop. But that's only if your other connected devices can take advantage of those speeds.

And that leads to the next question... how fast is your internet? If you only have 300mb/s internet... WIFI 6 won't make that any faster. You'd be limited by the speed of your internet connection... not the speed of your network.

Also... if you're connecting to a Synology NAS or other network device in your home... those devices could be the bottleneck... not the speed of the network.

I know people are upset that the latest Macs don't have WIFI 6. But you won't notice a speed problem if you only have WIFI 5

If you need a 16" Macbook Pro now... it's probably not worth waiting for the 2021 model just for WIFI 6

 

[chabig]

The one thing holding me back on the MBP 16" is that I will be using an external monitor and I worry about the thermals causing a decrease in the MBP's life span

Never worry about things you can't control. Life is happier that way.

 

[profcutter]

Yeah, in the real world, I've never seen devices even approach those speeds. I suppose if you had an AX router attached to one computer via ethernet, then another to another machine also via ethernet, and the routers were within 3 feet of each other, with just air between, you could hit close to those theoretical maximums, minus overhead. In the real world we don't do that, so we get a fraction of those speeds. What's the fastest you've ever seen a real file transfer on WiFi 5 (AC)?

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Gigabit is 1000mb/s which is only 125MB/s... so USB-C can handle that no problem.

But if you were talking about 10gig speeds (over 1GB/s) then that would probably be best with a Thunderbolt adapter.

Right now, my ethernet speeds are 950/930

As for WIFI 5... I have more questions.

What wireless router do you have?

Verizon FiOS Gigabit router with WiFi 6

How fast is your internet connection? Cable or fiber?

Fiber

What devices in your house are you connecting to?

And that leads to the next question... how fast is your internet?

950/930

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Never worry about things you can't control. Life is happier that way.

Well, I can control it by not purchasing it if the thermals will prevent it from lasting 3 or 4 years

The thing is, the Mac Mini does not have the GPU capability I need and the Mac Pro would cost me twice what the MBP 16" would

 

[Michael Scrip]

Right now, my ethernet speeds are 950/930

Verizon FiOS Gigabit router with WiFi 6

Dang... you've got quite the setup!

I have Spectrum 300mb/s internet and an Eero system (WIFI 5)

I did some SpeedTest.net runs and got the following:

300mb/s - iPhone 6S Plus
300mb/s - 15" Macbook Pro 2017

In my case, WIFI 6 would be overkill from a speed standpoint since I'm already getting the maximum with WIFI 5.

For you it might be different though... I'm not sure if WIFI 5 can deliver your full internet speed.

Can you run a SpeedTest on a WIFI laptop? I'm curious to know if WIFI 5 devices can handle your fiber speeds!

And do you have any of the newer WIFI 6 iPhones or iPads ?

 

[Steve686]

The one thing holding me back on the MBP 16" is that I will be using an external monitor and I worry about the thermals causing a decrease in the MBP's life span

To you, what is a MacBook Pro's expected lifespan the way you setup and use your computer?

 

[drxcm]

I'm running a Wifi5 mesh router (Zenwifi AC), have a 1000/1000 fibre connection, and am getting 590/500 on 5GHz channel at a moderate distance from the node right now.

I looked at getting a Wifi6 mesh router, but I only have one device (iPad Pro 2020) that could use it right now. Also some reports of Wifi6 routers not being ready for primetime, dropping connections etc.

I was planning to get the Zenwifi AX system, but it's out of stock everywhere locally and my old system needed a immediate upgrade with working from home.

I'm very very happy with my AC system right now. My feeling is Wifi6 is nice, but not a massive upgrade unless you've got a network that's struggling to keep up with multiple devices. Even then the big benefits will come if all the other devices are Wifi6, not just one or two.

That said, I think Wifi5 5Ghz maxes out around 700Mbps, whereas Wifi6 on 5Ghz can get up to around 1200Mbps.
Ballpark figures after reading a few reviews.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Dang... you've got quite the setup!

I have Spectrum 300mb/s internet and an Eero system (WIFI 5)

I did some SpeedTest.net runs and got the following:

300mb/s - iPhone 6S Plus
300mb/s - 15" Macbook Pro 2017

In my case, WIFI 6 would be overkill from a speed standpoint since I'm already getting the maximum with WIFI 5.

For you it might be different though... I'm not sure if WIFI 5 can deliver your full internet speed.

Can you run a SpeedTest on a WIFI laptop? I'm curious to know if WIFI 5 devices can handle your fiber speeds!

And do you have any of the newer WIFI 6 iPhones or iPads ?

I ran a speediest on my iPhone XS Max and got 925/900


Here's the thing though

I formerly had Optimum Online 100/35 and did not have it wired to my iMac (used WiFi only) and the internet browsing and page loading times felt faster

Since switching to FiOS gigabit, it feels like each time I go to a message board/forum, the load time hiccups
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To you, what is a MacBook Pro's expected lifespan the way you setup and use your computer?

Well, my iMac has lasted me 5 years now before I am starting to notice some glitches
I would expect the MBP to last me 3-4 years

 

[recoil80]

The one thing holding me back on the MBP 16" is that I will be using an external monitor and I worry about the thermals causing a decrease in the MBP's life span

So you're using it in clamshell mode?
I'm doing the same. It gets warm, but I place a couple of small children books under the laptop on both sides, so it is lifted by an inch from the desk. This way I can avoid overheating. Unfortunately if I don't close the lid macOS tries to use both screen, that's why I close the lid. I may purchase a notebook holder with a fan if I'll have to work from home during summer, as the temperature will be quite high...

As for the ethernet adapter, I'm using my old USB-A so I "only" get 100Mbps. That's plenty though. Latency is better than Wi-Fi, and I find that to be more important than maximum speed.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

So you're using it in clamshell mode?
I'm doing the same. It gets warm, but I place a couple of small children books under the laptop on both sides, so it is lifted by an inch from the desk. This way I can avoid overheating. Unfortunately if I don't close the lid macOS tries to use both screen, that's why I close the lid. I may purchase a notebook holder with a fan if I'll have to work from home during summer, as the temperature will be quite high...

As for the ethernet adapter, I'm using my old USB-A so I "only" get 100Mbps. That's plenty though. Latency is better than Wi-Fi, and I find that to be more important than maximum speed.

While there are workarounds like elevating the edges to allow more air to flow, whatever happened to Apple's "It just works" motto?

We should not have to find workarounds to allow the MBP to function as advertised

If clamshell mode is not an option due to thermals, Apple should just say so

 

[recoil80]

While there are workarounds like elevating the edges to allow more air to flow, whatever happened to Apple's "It just works" motto?

We should not have to find workarounds to allow the MBP to function as advertised

If clamshell mode is not an option due to thermals, Apple should just say so

I have no information about throttling, I prefer to keep the laptop as cool as possible so I elevate it a little bit, but when I use it as a laptop, I don't feel it particularly hot under my wrist while typing.
My main concern is the laptop overheating while charging, I don't think it is good for the battery. That's the main reason why I elevate it

 

[Steve686]

Well, my iMac has lasted me 5 years now before I am starting to notice some glitches
I would expect the MBP to last me 3-4 years

Gotcha.

This is where AppleCare+ is a pretty sound investment.

Especially when “perishable” items like batteries and main boards are concerned.

Being able to use your machine for 3 covered years without much afterthought is worth the price.