HORRENDOUS 5ghz speeds on brand new m2 mac mini

[staeryatz]

So, over in the Apple forums where they're talking about the wifi issues, I've read a few people say their wifi got better when they changed their HDMI cable. I never paid any attention to that because I had this issue without using HDMI (I use DisplayPort => USB-C), plus I have the ethernet issue as well.

Today, I plugged in a second monitor via HDMI and lo and behold, the wifi started cutting out. I think one theory is that perhaps the wifi antenna is too close to the HDMI port and if your cable doesn't have proper shielding, the signals can cause interference. If that's truly the case, then bad design move on their part!

 

[HDFan]

TBF wires are always the best solution.

Has been the recommendation for a long time. With 6E (as below) you can get speeds that exceed that of 1 GbE so things are changing. 10 GbE would now be the recommended solution if you can support it.

The “permanent” fix for me was to get a Wi-FI 6E router.

 

[MajorFubar]

So, over in the Apple forums where they're talking about the wifi issues,

I'm surprised these problems are at all allowed to be discussed on the official forums. I got banned from there a year ago for complaining about all the unfixed bugs in Logic Pro and questioning whether anyone was even properly testing it anymore. And also my username (same as here) was apparently offensive, but by then I'd been using it on the forum in about 200 other posts over seven years, so it was definitely just the criticism that got me banned.

 

[Mabincredible2]

I purchased the base Mini M2 Pro a week ago, and it connects without any issues to the Wi-Fi at my parents' house. However, the Wi-Fi network at my own place has separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and I won't be able to test the connection until another week. By then, it may be too late to return the product if there are any issues. I'm wondering if people are still experiencing this problem after updating to version 13.2.1?

 

[HDFan]

By then, it may be too late to return the product if there are any issues.

You could initiate the return at the last moment of the return period. Since you would have a few days to actually return it that might give you time to check at the other location. If it works then just cancel the return.

 

[uller6]

Ok, some more colour.

The brand new M2 mac mini is set up in a room with a 2019 imac and 2013 imac (yes 10 years old) that are also connected over 5ghz wifi and have zero problems, they run at the full speed of my internet (400mb). These machines are literally 2 feet away from the mac mini.

Secondly, if i unplug the mac mini and put it directly next to my router downstairs, i get no packet loss and full speed. So it is clear the issue is the radio/wifi card in the mac mini is crap, as it is the only connection that drops once you move a few metres away from the router.

The reason i didn't post my set up is because i had essentially resolved the issue myself by this time and no amount of changing things around would be able to fix it. I spent 8 hours yesterday messing with channels/bandwidths etc to no avail.

Finally, if you google "5ghz mac mini slow wifi" your monitor will explode with the posts about it all over the official apple forums. So to say it is not a show stopper is somewhat understating it.

NB: I spoke to apple at length about it last night and as usual with complex issues, they were absolutely zero help. I knew before i called them they would not be able to do anything to fix the problem, so instead resolved to rewire my house so all machines can use ethernet.

I live in a very old house with 4” thick plaster walls. Wi-Fi coverage at home is terrible, and 5 GHz coverage is a joke. I ran cat6 ethernet cables through the walls about 5 years ago and it was a great decision.

 

[Mabincredible2]

You could initiate the return at the last moment of the return period. Since you would have a few days to actually return it that might give you time to check at the other location. If it works then just cancel the return.

thanks for the tips, sadly time is not on my side this time.

 

[hajime]

I purchased the base Mini M2 Pro a week ago, and it connects without any issues to the Wi-Fi at my parents' house. However, the Wi-Fi network at my own place has separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and I won't be able to test the connection until another week. By then, it may be too late to return the product if there are any issues. I'm wondering if people are still experiencing this problem after updating to version 13.2.1?

Yes. I try to decide if I should order another one or just give up.

sudo ifconfig awdl0 down

Does not work.

Mac Mini M2 wifi issues - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[robertosh]

Apple Silicon Macs only supports 2/MIMO maximum spatial streams and up to 80MHz channel bandwidth.

802.11 standard, name, frequency	Maximum PHY data rate	Maximum channel bandwidth	Maximum MCS index
ax @ 5GHz	1200Mbps	80MHz	11 (HE)
ac @ 5GHz	866Mbps	80MHz	9 (VHT)
a/n @ 5GHz	300Mbps	40MHz	15 (HT)
ax @ 2.4GHz	195 Mbps	20MHz	9 (HE)
b/g/n @ 2.4GHz	144Mbps	20MHz	15 (HT)

These are the absolute perfect condition numbers with no interference, line of sight from access point to computer, only 1 device connected, and nobody breathing in the same room. Suffice to say you will never get these results in a normal environment.

Most access points only have 4 spatial streams on 5GHz so they can serve two 2/MIMO devices simultaneously with no delay. Multiple units trying to grab the bandwidth available will lead to stalling / lag the more devices are connected to the same access point on the same frequency since they are now waiting on response from it.

Here you can learn a bit about deployment in a busy environment: Optimise your Wi-Fi networks fr Apple devices.

Whatever they are the technical details...this is unacceptable. Why an average user need to know/care of that?
A consumer just want to buy the thing, pair to a wifi and surf. And that simply does not always work with the new Apple machines. I have exactly the same problem as the OP. Wifi router has less than 1 year, I have a busy network but all devices (all in 5Ghz, except vacuum robot that is in 2.4Ghz) work as expected but... my brand new 2k mini with M2 Pro is loosing 60% of the packets and I get 15mbps of bandwidth (of a 7Gbps connection). Trying from a mac mini 2012, exactly same place, same time, I get constant 150Mbps, no packet loss. I really miss those years when Apple stuff "Just worked". Of course I can debug it myself, but that's not the point in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[Pressure]

Whatever they are the technical details...this is unacceptable. Why an average user need to know/care of that?
A consumer just want to buy the thing, pair to a wifi and surf. And that simply does not always work with the new Apple machines. I have exactly the same problem as the OP. Wifi router has less than 1 year, I have a busy network but all devices (all in 5Ghz, except vacuum robot that is in 2.4Ghz) work as expected but... my brand new 2k mini with M2 Pro is loosing 60% of the packets and I get 15mbps of bandwidth (of a 7Gbps connection). Trying from a mac mini 2012, exactly same place, same time, I get constant 150Mbps, no packet loss. I really miss those years when Apple stuff "Just worked". Of course I can debug it myself, but that's not the point in the Apple ecosystem.

This is clearly a problem with your and OPs network and probably level of congestion in the area.

Have you tried anything to resolve the problem? Looked at what channels are occupied by other routers or access points? Is something misconfigured on the router / access point?

If you want to resolve the issue you should definitely include some more details, like how big is the house / apartment, how many floors, how many devices, how many walls / obstructions (furniture, bookshelves, faraday cages) does the router or access point need to penetrate to reach your device, placement of your router or access points etc.

I live in a brick house and my Apple Silicon machine, although wired, still gets 866Mbps WiFi to the downstairs access point through walls and floors.

 

[robertosh]

I live in a new block of appartments, I've moved recently and is not very populated yet. I can tell that only my WIFI is visible while searching. It's a 2-floor building, we live in the top one, with 3 sides facing to the outside.
We have 3 macs, 3 ipads, 2 iPhones, 1ATV but we are only 2 person, so barely more than 2 devices used actively at the same time.
- Tried restarting the router to defaults, nothing change. All devices work but the M2 mini.
- I have the same result using 2.4Ghz / 5Ghz on the mac mini (packet loss and very inconsistent ping)
- Tried disconnecting all devices from the wifi but the M2 mini, still loses packets
- I've put the mini at direct "eye contact" with the router, around 5m, no improvement at all.
- Next it's try with cable

At this point or the mac is faulty or there is a heavily incompatibility with the router I have. I bet the second, as I was using a 4G router before getting the fiber (which was recently) and everything was ok.

 

[MajorFubar]

Cable is always the best solution. Nothing beats them. Cables trump rock, paper, scissors and wifi.

 

[hajime]

Whatever they are the technical details...this is unacceptable. Why an average user need to know/care of that?
A consumer just want to buy the thing, pair to a wifi and surf. And that simply does not always work with the new Apple machines. I have exactly the same problem as the OP. Wifi router has less than 1 year, I have a busy network but all devices (all in 5Ghz, except vacuum robot that is in 2.4Ghz) work as expected but... my brand new 2k mini with M2 Pro is loosing 60% of the packets and I get 15mbps of bandwidth (of a 7Gbps connection). Trying from a mac mini 2012, exactly same place, same time, I get constant 150Mbps, no packet loss. I really miss those years when Apple stuff "Just worked". Of course I can debug it myself, but that's not the point in the Apple ecosystem.

I actually hate Silicon Macs and the previous generations Macbook Pro with butterfly keyboard. I have bought three Minis in about 3 years and they all have some sort of issues. 2-3 Macbook Pro also came with scratches brand new out of the box.

 

[ian87w]

Cable is always the best solution. Nothing beats them. Cables trump rock, paper, scissors and wifi.

Of course 😂 If I had the choice, I would like a home with cat6 cabling and Ethernet ports on every power outlet.

 

[robertosh]

Cable is always the best solution. Nothing beats them. Cables trump rock, paper, scissors and wifi.

True, and in fact that was my original idea as my flat is ethernet cabled and my router should deliver 2.5Gbps. Hopefully the cabling is Cat6 :S.

Now, being "forced" to use it is another history. I'm totally dissapointed with Apple.
Now, on the problem itself, I think I managed to get it stable disabling all network interfaces but the wifi. I'm using a Dell U4021QW which has ethernet via Thunderbolt which creates new device. Disabled also the mac internal ones. Ping is now stable and <10 ms which I would say is fine.

@staeryatz maybe you can try the same if your are using a similar setup.

 

[robertosh]

I'm not convinced that that was the fix, as I've enabled them back and everything is still stable...unless the fact of disabling/enabling clears some state... I'm puzzled but 0.0% loss in a 1,000 ping.

 

[robertosh]

Ok I think that I found the problem, simply that the new machine is EXTREMELY sensible about placement in desk. Nothing should be on top or sides, and needs basically "free air" in order to work properly. This is really a PITA of a machine, never seen anything like that.

I had to put it in the middle of my desk and connecting to a wifi repeater in the same room, connected via the wire with the router to achieve +660Mbps. Just moving the machine back 15cm in the desk, under the monitor rack, makes the performance to degrade down to 300Mbps.

 

[Fishrrman]

robertosh wrote:
"I had to put it in the middle of my desk and connecting to a wifi repeater in the same room, connected via the wire with the router to achieve +660Mbps. Just moving the machine back 15cm in the desk, under the monitor rack, makes the performance to degrade down to 300Mbps."

Wait a minute. Stop right there.
(I'm a dummy, I've got to figure things out slowly)

Are you saying you HAVE an ethernet connection right there, in the same room?
(you said "connected via the wire")
Why not just connect ethernet directly to the Mac?

If you don't have "a port available" for the additional ethernet cable, buy a cheap ethernet "switch". They work great.

 

[macguru9999]

try ventura 13.3 that just came out. if problems persist, then send it back and get a different model... a cheap studio eg

 

[robertosh]

robertosh wrote:
"I had to put it in the middle of my desk and connecting to a wifi repeater in the same room, connected via the wire with the router to achieve +660Mbps. Just moving the machine back 15cm in the desk, under the monitor rack, makes the performance to degrade down to 300Mbps."

Wait a minute. Stop right there.
(I'm a dummy, I've got to figure things out slowly)

Are you saying you HAVE an ethernet connection right there, in the same room?
(you said "connected via the wire")
Why not just connect ethernet directly to the Mac?

If you don't have "a port available" for the additional ethernet cable, buy a cheap ethernet "switch". They work great.

Short cable 😅 Unfortunately the ethernet port is in the other side of the room. I've ordered a new cable. In any case, I just wanted to debug the WIFI problem, not just forget about it and use the cable. Who knows, maybe in the future I'm forced to use WIFI (I'm still in the window to return it).

The packet loss problem is now gone, yesterday realized that having the M2 placed stacked with my old mini was causing some dropped packets. Not sure what is the reasoning behind if any, but I've put some space between them and everything was perfect. Today I reverted the changes, stacking again the 2 minis and no problems so in resume.. no idea what happened, but know all is nominal..

 

[ovbacon]

I have a mini M2 and have no issues with wifi at all. Running a AX5400 Wi-Fi 6 and everything runs through a UniFi Network (from Ubiquiti). The mini does exactly the same as all my other Mac's, but then again I probably have speeds that most of you would already think of as "horrendous" as I live way the hell out in the mountain boonies with cellular (LTE) based internet 😶‍🌫️

 

[MajorFubar]

I have a mini M2 and have no issues with wifi at all. Running a AX5400 Wi-Fi 6 and everything runs through a UniFi Network (from Ubiquiti). The mini does exactly the same as all my other Mac's, but then again I probably have speeds that most of you would already think of as "horrendous" as I live way the hell out in the mountain boonies with cellular (LTE) based internet 😶‍🌫️

No I can relate. I have an American friend lives in Orlando who was complaining to me that the house he's just moved into his internet download speeds sometimes drop as low as 150mbit which apparently is unacceptable. Didn't like to break it to him that over here in England we have to put up with 30mbit or lower, unless our area is lucky enough to have cable, and 50% of the country doesn't have cable, including where I live. Currently my d/l is 20-24mbit and u/l 10mbit on a good day, commonly 5mbit.

 

[ovbacon]

No I can relate. I have an American friend lives in Orlando who was complaining to me that the house he's just moved into his internet download speeds sometimes drop as low as 150mbit which apparently is unacceptable. Didn't like to break it to him that over here in England we have to put up with 30mbit or lower, unless our area is lucky enough to have cable, and 50% of the country doesn't have cable, including where I live. Currently my d/l is 20-24mbit and u/l 10mbit on a good day, commonly 5mbit.

On a good day I have 15 Mbps down and on bad days.... well then there might be no power at all

 

[satcomer]

I live in a very old house with 4” thick plaster walls. Wi-Fi coverage at home is terrible, and 5 GHz coverage is a joke. I ran cat6 ethernet cables through the walls about 5 years ago and it was a great decision.

you should have used CAT 6 cable at least but it would be CAT 6E or 7 cables throughout you home where you ran 5e cables! I tend to get my cables at Monoprice and get ready for 10g networking in future!

 

[Nicole1980]

How to fix Wi-Fi 6 problems on Mac mini by splitting your SSID | AppleInsider

There can be many reasons why your Mac isn't connecting to Wi-Fi properly, but some issues can be fixed by altering your router's 2.4GHz and 5GHz settings.

appleinsider.com