16" MacBook Pro WIFI Slow Speed Test

My new Intel 16" MacBook Pro shows on speed test that it is connected to the internet at 20MBS on wifi instead of the 45MBS plan I have from uVerse. The 16"is on the latest BigSur version. If I connect using a wired connection it shows the speed as 45MBS. I have 2 other MacBook Pros on Big Sur, an iPhone and an iPad and they all connect on wifi @ 45MBS. Why would the new 16" MacBook not connect at 45MBS on wifi while my other stuff will connect @ 45MBS"? Is there some sort of issue with the wifi in the 16" MacBook's?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.3

Posted on May 23, 2021 8:09 PM

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Posted on May 23, 2021 10:08 PM

You might want to check to make sure that it's connecting using 5GHz and not the 2.4GHz network. WiFi can be very unpredictable and is impossible to guarantee the speed that you are going to get. If your network uses the same network name for both 2.4 and 5GHz networks then it is most likely that for some reason it is determining that your computer needs to use 2.4GHz instead of the 5GHz. The 2.4 is more prone to interference and slowdowns than the 5. I would suggest splitting the two networks so you can choose between the 2.4 and 5 manually. Once you do that, make sure your new computer is connected to 5GHz and then try your speed test again.

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May 23, 2021 10:08 PM in response to Darla Demel

You might want to check to make sure that it's connecting using 5GHz and not the 2.4GHz network. WiFi can be very unpredictable and is impossible to guarantee the speed that you are going to get. If your network uses the same network name for both 2.4 and 5GHz networks then it is most likely that for some reason it is determining that your computer needs to use 2.4GHz instead of the 5GHz. The 2.4 is more prone to interference and slowdowns than the 5. I would suggest splitting the two networks so you can choose between the 2.4 and 5 manually. Once you do that, make sure your new computer is connected to 5GHz and then try your speed test again.

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May 24, 2021 4:50 AM in response to ZintainUSA

Thanks for your reply. My network is split with different names for the 2.4 and 5GHz networks. The slow down is on both networks and this issue only shows up on the 16" MacBook - all of my other laptops along with the iPhone and iPad do not have this issue on wifi which leads me to believe that something is not right on the 16".

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May 24, 2021 7:28 AM in response to Darla Demel

To add on to my original post if find that if I start the 16" in safe mode the problem goes away and that if I sign in as guest the problem goes away so it seems that something in my user account is having an impact on the wifi download speeds. Hope this gives some clue as to what the problem may be. Thanks!

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16" MacBook Pro WIFI Slow Speed Test

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