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iPad Pro Max WiFi Speeds???

willmtaylor

willmtaylor

macrumors G4
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Oct 31, 2009
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I’ve searched to no avail. What are the max WiFi speeds for the 10.5” iPads Pro?

I recently upgraded to 1 Gbps internet but am not seeing WiFi speeds even close to that.

Thanks in advance.
 
You will never get that speed using wireless unless you get the dongle, lightning to Ethernet. You may get up to half that speed. It also depends on your router maximum wireless output and your device.

Edit: I have 1 GB fiber internet. I have an RT-AC3200 router and I get up to 475-570mbps on my Max
 
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Banglazed said:
You will never get that speed using wireless unless you get the single, lightning to Ethernet. You may get about half that speed. It also depends on your router maximum wireless output and your device.
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I know I won’t get the full speed, but I’m trying to see what my thresholds are so I can have reasonable expectations in my house and understand at what speeds I need to change settings, complain, troubleshoot, etc.
 
Theoretical top speed is like 860Mb. And that's, obviously, ideal situation of capable router, no interference, noone else using the connection, iPad has a capable antenna, software, chipsets, etc.

Only halfway accurate way to measure the connections throughput is to plug in a laptop at the modem and do a speed test, as the neighborhood wiring might affect things, wiring in the home, wiring into the home.
 
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NoBoMac said:
Theoretical top speed is like 860Mb. And that's, obviously, ideal situation of capable router, no interference, noone else using the connection, iPad has a capable antenna, software, chipsets, etc.

Only halfway accurate way to measure the connections throughput is to plug in a laptop at the modem and do a speed test, as the neighborhood wiring might affect things, wiring in the home, wiring into the home.
Click to expand...
I have Ethernet from router directly into iMac, and I get anywhere from 850Mbps-1.1Gbps.
 
Check what WiFi protocols your router supports, the device will run at the fastest common protocol, likely “ac” IIRC That has a theoretical max of 1.3Gbps, actual speed depends on distance, other devices connected, interference etc etc
 
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Re: 1.3Gbs: actually, top speeds can be up to 3.6Gb, iirc, but need a router with like 8 antennas and device with 4. iPad only has two, I believe.

Home routers can theoretically deliver over 2Gbs, like below, but will cost you ($285 on Amazon).

https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC5300/

ADD: and as the link shows, also depends on if the router and device negotiate a connection on 2.4 vs 5GHz.
 
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simonsi said:
Check what WiFi protocols your router supports, the device will run at the fastest common protocol, likely “ac” IIRC That has a theoretical max of 1.3Gbps, actual speed depends on distance, other devices connected, interference etc etc
Click to expand...

NoBoMac said:
Re: 1.3Gbs: actually, top speeds can be up to 3.6Gb, iirc, but need a router with like 8 antennas and device with 4. iPad only has two, I believe.

Home routers can theoretically deliver over 2Gbs, like below, but will cost you ($285 on Amazon).

https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC5300/

ADD: and as the link shows, also depends on if the router and device negotiate a connection on 2.4 vs 5GHz.
Click to expand...
Here’s the modem/router Suddenlink gave to me. It says the WiFi speeds are definitely capable of more. Also, I have both 2.4 & 5Ghz enabled.

A1823E1E-ABDA-48BE-BEB6-76B12FED9E0E.jpeg
 
Looks like the iPad is connecting via 2.4 band, as a router like that will deliver up to 450Mbs on the 2.4, 1.3Gbs on the 5GHz.

Maybe some settings on the modem re: individual SSIDs and setup iPad to only connect to 5Ghz band, but will be giving up range for speed.
 
NoBoMac said:
Looks like the iPad is connecting via 2.4 band, as a router like that will deliver up to 450Mbs on the 2.4, 1.3Gbs on the 5GHz.

Maybe some settings on the modem re: individual SSIDs and setup iPad to only connect to 5Ghz band, but will be giving up range for speed.
Click to expand...
Again, I appreciate your thought and input.

However, my iPad only connects to the 5Ghz, as I only use it within decent range of the router.
 
Have you explore the wireless advance option? Some router like ASUS with Merlin firmware can show the connected speed. My Max is connected at 866mbps on 5Ghz band but actual download speed 475-570mbps on my device. Is your router configured to use AC mode with maximum channel width 40Mhz instead of 20 using non-overlapping channels? You will also need to account for interference if you are in an area with multiple AP using the same channel.
 
Banglazed said:
Have you explore the wireless advance option? Some router like ASUS with Merlin firmware can show the connected speed. My Max is connected at 866mbps on 5Ghz band but actual download speed 475-570mbps on my device. Is your router configured to use AC mode with maximum channel width 40Mhz instead of 20 using non-overlapping channels? You will also need to account for interference if you are in an area with multiple AP using the same channel.
Click to expand...
Hmmm...this is above my current realm of “expertise.” I’m open to learning though. Any suggestions of how/where to start?
 
Why does anyone realistically need more than (say) 100-200mbps on an iPad ? Remember that 4K Ultra HD streaming from Netflix is only 25mbps... unless you have a need to do big downloads in a hurry.
 
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NoBoMac said:
Each router is different, so no one stop guide on how to setup (ie. Where the options are).

Wifi 101, others out there with a Google search.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/home-networking-explained-part-1-heres-the-url-for-you/

If you have a Mac, there is a builtin network analyzer tool. Most important, there is a Scan option in the menu bar: will recommend what channels to use for your local environment.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202663
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Thanks. I looked through those, but they were all pretty basic and introductory.

However, on DSL reports, someone posted this link which was both extremely detailed and researched as well as readable.

https://www.duckware.com/tech/wifi-in-the-us.html

Thanks again!
 
Banglazed said:
Have you explore the wireless advance option? Some router like ASUS with Merlin firmware can show the connected speed. My Max is connected at 866mbps on 5Ghz band but actual download speed 475-570mbps on my device. Is your router configured to use AC mode with maximum channel width 40Mhz instead of 20 using non-overlapping channels? You will also need to account for interference if you are in an area with multiple AP using the same channel.
Click to expand...


^^ This. OP, the max you can realistically expect with all factors being ideal is ~500Mbps.
 
There is a user on here with 1GBit home internet. And he is passing those speeds with his iPad Pro 2nd gen easily. I’m certain he has a quality internet router and the correct settings too.
 
tps3443 said:
There is a user on here with 1GBit home internet. And he is passing those speeds with his iPad Pro 2nd gen easily. I’m certain he has a quality internet router and the correct settings too.
Click to expand...

I have 1Gbps home internet. I'd like to see someone get greater than 550Mbps over Wi-Fi.

I sometimes do a bit better than this, but I consider this typical at my home (and pretty good).

IMG-0031.png
 
BeatCrazy said:
I have 1Gbps home internet. I'd like to see someone get greater than 550Mbps over Wi-Fi.

I sometimes do a bit better than this, but I consider this typical at my home (and pretty good).

IMG-0031.png
Click to expand...
His user name was @EugW hopefully he will chime in. I remember a screenshot he posted, and it was over 1Gbps on his WiFi. I’m pretty certain it was tested on his iPad too. I also am certain he has a quality router. We’ll see. He should reply.
 
tps3443 said:
His user name was @EugW hopefully he will chime in. I remember a screenshot he posted, and it was over 1Gbps on s WiFi. I’m pretty certain it was tested on his iPad too. I also am certain he has a quality router. We’ll see. He should reply.
Click to expand...

Physically impossible :)
 
FWIW, throughput via an Apple AirPort Extreme 11ac…

iPhone 5s - 85Mbps
iPhone SE - 250Mbps (as I recall - I no longer have it so don't quote me on it)
iPad 2018 - 250Mbps (as I recall - I no longer have it so don't quote me on it)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 5se - 300Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S10 - 500Mbps
iMac 5K late-2015 - 850Mbps (I'm testing differently as it exceed my internet connection speed)
MacBook Pro 13" 2018 - 850-900Mbps (I'm testing differently as it exceed my internet connection speed)
 
Internet speed tests are no way to test wifi link throughput. They are for testing your Internet connection. Run them from your desktop/laptop connected to your router over an Ethernet connection. For best results, use a native app, (Ookla now has a desktop app for MacOS), not a browser-based test.

Even then, they are deeply flawed, because they really test throughput to some speed-testing site on the net. It would be better to first test the throughput to your ISP (ignoring the Internet) - but few ISPs are interested is running a test server that would reveal to customers the true throughput between your home and their facility. This would reveal - for example - whether a cable provider is overloading their local nodes with too many "homes passed". (If you test to some site beyond the ISP on the Internet, the ISP can always deny it is their problem.)

Once you establish throughput between your router and the ISP, then it might be interesting to test throughput to a multiplicity (NOT JUST ONE) of speed-test servers, and look at statistics. (min/max/mean).

Once you have done that, it would be interested to get some statistics on throughput to a multiplicity of real-world websites.

And that's where the crazy quest for hitting some impressive throughput number falls apart. Because, in the real world, it seldom makes much difference. There are few real-world sites that will deliver anything close to 1Gbps.

But, anyway.... if you are interested in knowing what your wifi throughput is, TEST YOUR WIFI THROUGHPUT.

A couple of good ways:

- Run an iperf server on a laptop/desktop connected to your router via Ethernet. Run an iperf client on your wifi device to test throughput. There are many apps in the app store that will do this. And you can easily install and run and iperf3 server from the macOS command line. (Install via homebrew is easiest.)

- There is a protocol for testing throughput to your router. I'll admit I'm fuzzy on the protocol, but I believe that every wifi router supports this. WiFi Sweetspots is one app that will do this test for you. It has an annoying "geiger counter" sound that you can turn off but can be useful for making a quick survey of your home. Of course, it will also show you a number and make a chart.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wi-fi-sweetspots/id855457383?mt=8
 
tps3443 said:
His user name was @EugW hopefully he will chime in. I remember a screenshot he posted, and it was over 1Gbps on his WiFi. I’m pretty certain it was tested on his iPad too. I also am certain he has a quality router. We’ll see. He should reply.
Click to expand...
No, that 900+ Mbps I got was over Ethernet. (Yes, wired Ethernet works on the iPad Pro 10.5”.)

9971B2F1-F5C0-43FC-9F9C-3050B265C254.png


With WiFi it's more like 500 Mbps, through an AirPort Extreme 802.11ac.

27629644-1912-45C8-A253-E18DCA95E11A.png


What I’m more concerned about is upload speeds. My provider is in the 20-30 Mbps range (cable).
 
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