New Mac Studio on Ventura 13.2.1 - critical WiFi issues

[natebarnes]

Hey all, I did some poking around but couldn't find anything addressing this particular issue. I got a new Mac Studio M1 Max 64 GB RAM 1 TB SSD last week to finally replace my trusty old 2013 iMac. Everything was super smooth with transferring and getting the new machine up and running and the network connection ran fine- I was able to do a full Time Machine backup of the new computer over a period of 24 hours or so as well as download the whole extended sound library for Logic Pro with no issues.

However, I am now having massively slow/ inconsistent WiFi issues running 13.2.1. This became glaringly apparent when I hosted a live Zoom session that was totally ruined by connection issues. I've restarted my modem and router, restarted the Mac Studio, turned airport on and off (this seems to fix it temporarily)- all the general troubleshooting procedures. When I try to click on "Details" in System Settings-> Network, nothing happens- the button won't even click to allow me to check out the network details. I ran a speed test with my 2013 Mac Book Pro on WiFi in the same room as the Mac Studio and the MBP was fine whereas download speeds of the Mac Studio were crawling along.

Any suggestions of how to resolve this? For now I have ordered a 200 ft ethernet cable to allow me to keep working 🤦‍♂️. I record audio all day long for a living, which includes uploading large files to deliver to clients, so hoping to suss this out as quickly as possible- any help is very much appreciated!

Edit: after yet another restart, I was able to access the "Details" tab of network settings, but this seems to work inconsistently

 

[natebarnes]

Well, I obviously got no help here, ha, no replies at all, but I re-installed the OS which seems to have helped. However, I have a weaker signal on the Mac Studio than I did on my old iMac (2 bars instead of the full 3), and overall wifi does not seem to perform as well as my iMac did, so for now I have been using a 200 foot ethernet cable and am looking to have an electrician run a hardwire connection down to my studio. I took it into a genius appointment to get hardware diagnostics run but it passed everything. If anyone has any insight on this I'm all ears!

 

[stradify]

A couple of things come to mind.
First off, are you using a VPN?
Second, have you run Wireless Diagnostics?
Also, what speeds were you getting before and after the slowdown?

 

[natebarnes]

Thanks! No VPN, was getting as low as 2.9 mbps download speed before reinstalling the OS whereas upload speed didn’t seem to be as affected. Everything checks out on diagnostics but definitely getting a worse connection with the Studio than I was with my iMac

 

[gilby101]

However, I have a weaker signal on the Mac Studio than I did on my old iMac (2 bars instead of the full 3)

You can get a bit more detail. Press and hold the Option key and click on the menubar Wifi icon. Look for the TxRate, and which band 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

so for now I have been using a 200 foot ethernet cable

That suggests your Macs are a long way from the router. At even half that distance Wifi is getting marginal.

 

[Bigwaff]

Router WiFi 5 or WiFi 6? Which signal is your Mac connecting to? 2.4 Ghz or 5 GHz?

 

[G5isAlive]

You can get a bit more detail. Press and hold the Option key and click on the menubar Wifi icon. Look for the TxRate, and which band 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

That suggests your Macs are a long way from the router. At even half that distance Wifi is getting marginal.

That’s my thought too.. if he’s replacing a 2013 iMac, who knows how old and far his Wi-Fi is. And downstairs? Sounds like time to look into a good mesh system.

 

[webbga]

When I first transitioned to the Mac Studio I had a few glitches to work out which is to be expected. The one I had the biggest issue with is WIFI and Internet access. It was noticeably slower than the 27 inch I transitioned from. After endless attempts to fix this - including a service call from my provider, the problem turned out to be the beta "Private Relay" in System Settings. I saw someone mention it in a post on this forum. Once I turned it off my performance stepped up considerably. Not sure if this will help you, but I thought it worth mentioning. Good luck.

 

[stradify]

Nate,
A Wifi app, like Wifi Explorer Lite, will be helpful in differentiating your iMac wifi setup from your Studio's settings.
I also like the advice webbga gave about turning off Private Relay which acts like a vpn.

 

[natebarnes]

When I first transitioned to the Mac Studio I had a few glitches to work out which is to be expected. The one I had the biggest issue with is WIFI and Internet access. It was noticeably slower than the 27 inch I transitioned from. After endless attempts to fix this - including a service call from my provider, the problem turned out to be the beta "Private Relay" in System Settings. I saw someone mention it in a post on this forum. Once I turned it off my performance stepped up considerably. Not sure if this will help you, but I thought it worth mentioning. Good luck.

Thanks for this- sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing- where within system settings is Private Relay located?

 

[natebarnes]

You can get a bit more detail. Press and hold the Option key and click on the menubar Wifi icon. Look for the TxRate, and which band 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

That suggests your Macs are a long way from the router. At even half that distance Wifi is getting marginal.

Computer is on the floor below, maybe 20 feet removed from the router, signal strength was never an issue with the iMac. The 200 ft run is to get it all the way through rooms and down the stairs

 

[natebarnes]

That’s my thought too.. if he’s replacing a 2013 iMac, who knows how old and far his Wi-Fi is. And downstairs? Sounds like time to look into a good mesh system.

WiFi speed and signal strength was never an issue with the iMac, and the computer is around 20 feet removed from the router on the floor below

 

[kuau]

I am having the exact same issues with my Mac Studio running 13.2.1 and yes I do have Private Relay turned off in iCloud settings. Anything else I can check? I just had my ISP over at my home to diagnose and he installed a new WifiRouter and this did not help. I don't seem to have the same issues with my iPhone 14Pro and if I turn off wifi and just use ethernet all is fine and fast.

 

[natebarnes]

I am having the exact same issues with my Mac Studio running 13.2.1 and yes I do have Private Relay turned off in iCloud settings. Anything else I can check? I just had my ISP over at my home to diagnose and he installed a new WifiRouter and this did not help. I don't seem to have the same issues with my iPhone 14Pro and if I turn off wifi and just use ethernet all is fine and fast.

hmmm the plot thickens! Glad I'm not the only one I guess but sorry for the issues!

 

[Kristain]

Bit of a long-shot but you don't happen to be using a Thunderbolt dock do you? Since the last OsX update, I get constant disconnects when I'm using my Kensington Thunderbolt dock. In my case the WiFi of my Mac just switches itself off every so often. It's definitely not the dock as I have two (and two M1 MacBooks) and it happens with both but only since the last update.

 

[webbga]

Thanks for this- sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing- where within system settings is Private Relay located?

System Settings>iCloud>Private Relay

 

[diggy33]

Sometimes, on my M1 Pro, I will have trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, even if I’m in the same room with the router. That started happening initially on 13.0, then went away, but has been happening more frequently after 13.2.1. Only thing I’ve been able to do to get a connection is forget the network and re-add it, and eventually I’ll get an IP address and stable connection.

 

[diamondscan]

This has been a huge issue for me in the last couple weeks. My WIFI internet was fine and then I upgraded my M1 laptop to Ventura 13.2.1 and since then my speeds have been extremely spotty at 2-5mbs, sometimes working a little better. I have restarted my computer, router, mesh system.

At this point, I'm sure it is the computer. My partner has a mac mini not experiencing any of these issues, nor issues on the PC or our iphones or ipads. It is just my MBP.

 

[kevcube]

what material is your desk? Mac minis and compact computers can have problems with antenna placement. is it behind a large metal monitor?

Ultimately for a "desktop" computer you'll have the best experience if you can route ethernet to it cleanly. but if you're using it wirelessly then yeah a solid mesh system with wireless backhaul is best, but you can do fine without the wireless backhaul.

Macbooks being "made for mobility" have excellent antennae. I don't know the status of the Mac Studio, but maybe it's not as good.

 

[BogiTheTomtom]

I have the same specs as you (32 GB instead of 64), running Ventura 13.2.1 as well. My mac works on Wifi like a charm. If I were you, I'd check the location where the Mac Studio is placed for any potential interference with the Wifi signal. Could be metal around it from furniture, from the building...etc. To be sure this is the root cause, I would disconnect the Mac Studio, and place the other MBP where I had the Studio, and try the Wifi there. While it would still not be a one-to-one test, it's close enough to hint at the source of the problem. I hope this helps you in some way

 

[Radio Signal]

Last week I bought a 16” MBP, M2 Max. At home my WiFi connection had been fine, at work, it wasn’t. Today I visited IT and was told I wasn’t the only Ventura-user experiencing this problem. He then turned to his iMac, Big Sur, disconnected his Ethernet, went wireless and connected to our internet. I had already informed him that when I used my Ethernet to USB-C dongle everything was fine. The Macs in my department don’t go any higher than Monterey, and they’re good to go for WiFi. Now I’m at home and it’s 2246 EST. When I first got home, ~four hours ago, my MBP jumped on WiFi as usual. An hour ago I got so fed up that I looked up the problem and found my way here.

Now here’s where it gets ugly. I’m sitting in front of my iMac Pro. I’ve disconnected the Ethernet. WiFi works, NordVPN works just fine! It’s running the same macOS 13.2.1 as the laptop.

We’re spending waay too much for this 💩

 

[bangarangchang]

I had this issue and I think I just figured it out @natebarnes .

I got wifi extenders and power line adapters. In the end it wasn't a problem at all with my computer or the network or router or the distance from he router. It was MY MAC STUDIO MOUNT.

I have mine mounted to the underside of my desk with a metal mount that wraps under it. What I found is that the metal enclosure is blocking the wifi antenna and reducing the wifi signal from 250Mbps to 7 Mbps!

If you have your Mac Studio mounted or in an enclosure or anything like that, you need to make sure it is radio transparent or free and clear on the bottom (that is where the wifi antenna is) or made of something like plastic.

Hope this helps the rest of you here.

 

[natebarnes]

I had this issue and I think I just figured it out @natebarnes .

I got wifi extenders and power line adapters. In the end it wasn't a problem at all with my computer or the network or router or the distance from he router. It was MY MAC STUDIO MOUNT.

I have mine mounted to the underside of my desk with a metal mount that wraps under it. What I found is that the metal enclosure is blocking the wifi antenna and reducing the wifi signal from 250Mbps to 7 Mbps!

If you have your Mac Studio mounted or in an enclosure or anything like that, you need to make sure it is radio transparent or free and clear on the bottom (that is where the wifi antenna is) or made of something like plastic.

Hope this helps the rest of you here.

Thanks for sharing! That’s interesting, I don’t have an enclosure but I do have it just a few inches off the ground on a low shelf below my desk. Might try raising it up higher to see if that helps! Thanks

 

[Flonobo]

Thanks for sharing! That’s interesting, I don’t have an enclosure but I do have it just a few inches off the ground on a low shelf below my desk. Might try raising it up higher to see if that helps! Thanks

Hi Nate, have you resolved this wifi issue completely? Which from the above mentioned tips worked? I received my new Mac Studio and have the exact same problem.

 

[jjjjjjb]

Hi Nate, have you resolved this wifi issue completely? Which from the above mentioned tips worked? I received my new Mac Studio and have the exact same problem.

And me too. Was always working fine, and now in the last month has slowed down to about a download speed of 4Mbps. An iPhone placed right next to the Studio is doing 80Mbps.

So frustrating!