Android vs OS/IOS - slower over wifi? Or wifi problem?

Posted 1st Mar 2023 (Posted 20 h, 28 m ago)

Hello,

I've just upgraded my Virgin media from 500mb to 1gb.

Now, I have an Apple TV connected via cable and using speed checker to test it gets 1gb or just under.

However, on my MacBook, over WIFI I am getting 250mb sometimes 300mb - which is actually slower than my previous connection.

I understand that cable is faster than WIFI - but I am losing so much it seems crazy.

And this is doesn't seem an issue with the WIFI as when I connect and run the same app on my Pixel 6a - it too can reach 1gb.

I've also ran Sam Knows and that clearly shows that my router is receiving 1gb but my laptop is only getting 300mb.

I spoke to Virgin, I've been offered WIFI boosters - yet, the person on the phone argued from his experience Android tended to be better on WIFI than OS/IOS - I never heard this before is he right or just guessing and if that isn't the case what could it be - causing it to lose so much speed?

Oh and my laptop is only 2 meters away from the router anyways as thats where my office is.

15 Comments

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20 h, 26 m ago
I'd guess this scenario depends on how good/old the WiFi card is in your MacBook.
17 h, 57 m ago
You haven't said what age\model your MacBook is but it sounds like it's a limitation of the WiFi card in your MacBook, especially as the Pixel is getting a faster connection speed.
Try the MacBook right next to the router and see if the speed increases (edited)
17 h, 31 m ago
For these sorts of bulk transfer tests I wouldn't expect the OS to make much of a difference, it'll be primarily down to the hardware.
20 h, 13 m ago
Have you tried the 5g rather than 2g signal
20 h, 11 m ago
Does the Mac do Wifi6? Double check the 2g or 5g mhz connection as above mentioned (edited)
20 h, 11 m ago
Open the superhub wifi, have a seperate wifi name for the 5Ghz one.

Move your macbook infront of the router or knock down the walls or run an ethernet cable.
18 h, 2 m ago
The router is pants. Plenty of comments on many forums about it. Invest in new router
17 h, 52 m ago
At 2 metres away from the router, the only pair of trousers in the fashion show is the threadbare wifi card in the Slackbook.
It will still be trousers with a new router.
Author
17 h, 15 m ago
It's an old MacBook mid 2012 - 16gb ram and 500gb SSD - I did the upgrades myself.

As its SSD it runs really fast and never had anything to complain about - but I'd never thought the internal WIFI card wouldn't
be able to keep up with my home fibre connection.

I've never thought about upgrading the Wifi card - what should I be looking for?
7 h, 16 m ago
Dude on Virgin media the wi-fi network is usually set up so that the 2.4ghz broadcastl and the 5ghz broadcast have the same network ID and so even though both devices are connected to what looks like the same network you one could be on 2.4ghz and the other connected to 5ghz. The 2.4 simply can't go that fast. If you go into the router settings you can change the network SSID names so that you can see both the 2.4 and 5 separately. Connect the "slower" device to the 5ghz and test again before spending money on upgrading stuff 🏻 (edited)
16 h, 19 m ago
Those older MacBooks do have industry standard WiFi card slots - so it is something that can be upgraded. However the issue you are experiencing is more likely down to speed negotiation. The easiest way to check this is to split the 2G & 5G signal on you router. VM combine them by default. 2G is slower, but offers increased range, 5G is faster, however it has a shorter range. Most WiFi cards are configured to connect to the strongest signal rather than the fastest. Due to the automatic nature it'll choose the 2G signal every time (you can configure this in software of course, but the steps are quite involved). So splitting the 2G & 5G signals allows you to force the connection to the 5G signal which should see a speed increase.

Oh and your Virgin Media tech is talking nonsense. If anything your MacBook will have a faster connection due to the better antenna (most android devices will have a cheaper antenna arrangement) (edited)
13 h, 55 m ago
Only drawback with your faster connection argument is that the Pixel 6a supports WiFi 6E and a mid-2012 MacBook Pro is WiFi 4 (aka "n") (edited)
10 h, 24 m ago
Theoretical max 450 Mbps for that model's wifi card, and it's only hitting 300?
Premium product.
21 m ago
Actually, it depends on how that 450Mbps theoretical is calculated, ie. it's likely due to a mismatch between router and nic (number of spatial streams being one of a few factors). That's not Apple specific.

BTW, @AndyRoyd, any companies or retailers you actually like? Your recommendations could be valuable.