mvbmac

Well it's been a number of days now, and the problem has not reoccurred. Been hitting 800-1000 Mbps consistently. From a diagnostic standpoint, events suggest that your idea to turn off that mysterious "Microsoft Corporation" login item was the solution. It may be that turning off the private/rotating IP address option had an impact, but I haven't tested that theory by turning it back on, and the speed degradation did occur with it off, though at longer intervals. So a warm thank-you for your usual expertise and generosity with help time! I'm going to continue to watch the speed more frequently than I generally have for another week or so, and if things remain as is, I'll be marking your suggestion as Solution!

It's on Channel 5, 6GHz when working properly. See image. I'll see what it looks like when the speed drops. There doesn't seem to be any MS Defender network extension on my system, unless that mysterious "Microsoft Corporation" login item is the Defender extension.

Unfortunately I spoke too soon. Since my last post, the speed has dropped down again to 25% of norm. Same on my iOS mobile devices. Maybe it's something else with Sequoia, and/or something about the Xfinity Gateway, either alone or in combination. I tested the Gateway when this first started happening, and the Xfinity app always reports that the Gateway continues to hit above the promised 1.2 Gbps. I re-started the Gateway, and speeds to the devices returned to normal. But then before long, it dropped again. Turning device wi-fi off and then back on also continues to fix the problem, for a brief time. But then after a while, speed to the device drops again from the historical 800-1000 mbps down to 200-300. So turning off the "private/rotating" not a fix after all.

I tried turning off the new private/rotating IP address option in Mac OS X Sequoia, and it seems to have solved the problem. Apple also added the same option to the new iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 and it caused the same problem. Turning it off seems to have fixed it there, too. From what I've read, if I'm on a non-personal wi-fi network, all this means is that others connected can see my MAC address. Seems like this isn't a security threat but I stand to be corrected.

Here's what somebody suggested in a post about this on Reddit. " "Try turning off private/rotating IP address, if it is on. They added rotating IP addresses with Sequoia. I thought mine was completely off but "Private IP Address" was turned on so I turned it off again. I can understand new defaults and new features, but I don't like it when Apple changes existing settings, which is what appears to have happened." When I try the suggestion and switch the feature off, there is a warning window that turning it off will allow my computer to be "identified and tracked across wi-fi networks." Should I be concerned about that? It's not clear to me what that means. My home wi-fi network is passworded. I do connect to wi-fi in other locations sometimes, but I'm not sure what harm there is in somebody seeing the name of my computer as a connected device - if that's what this warning means.

Thank you! I should know this, but how does one "force" it to stick with 5GHZ, and is there anything wrong with doing that? Best as always CA3LE!

I have a 2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max with 1 TB storage and 128GB Ram. Internet connection is wi-fi to an Xfinity Gateway. The gateway consistently delivers 1.2 Gbps download, and the computer has consistently hit 800-1000 Mbps (through several walls). However, since installing the new Mac OS X 15.0 ("Sequoia"), every few hours the download speed to the computer drops mysteriously to 150-250 Mbps or so. Restoration of performance seems to be accomplished by one or more of (1) turning wi-fi off then back on, (2) "forgetting" my wi-fi network then reconnecting, (3) restarting the computer, and/or (4) restarting the Xfinity Gateway. I got a suggestion on a Reddit forum to turn Bluetooth off, but that hasn't impacted the situation. Anybody got a diagnosis and fix?

Thank you! You've helped me understand much better an area previously quite opaque to me! I'm sending you that internet policy article right now. I did it in 2018, so some of the technical info is outdated or under-inclusive; but the same basic policy issues still haunt us all.

I'd rather send the internet policy paper to your email, if you don't mind giving it. Rather not put it on this semi-public forum. Unless there's a way I can post something here that only you can see. Your comments about hard-wiring are very interesting and appreciated. That's not an option for some of my devices. Is there a 1Gbps limit on the wireless bandwidth from that Netgear Nighthawk X10 R9000? In other words, let's say, totally hypothetically, that I had a modem capable of 7 Gig and a magical ISP that provided me 7Gig. And the Nighthawk router connected to that modem. And assume no degradation of router signal due to walls, etc. Would a device connected to the internet via the wifi signal from the Nighthawk test at 7 Gig? You probably can tell, I'm asking because I don't understand the difference between the "Wifi Speed 7.2 Gbps" spec versus the 10/100/1000 ethernet port spec. In this subject area, you can tell I am way out on the fringe of my comprehension. Well, dumb me. I just realized if you give me your email on here, it will be public just like my paper would . You can email me at [private] if you like.

Thanks CA3LE. I think you nailed it. "Filter" is Comcast-speak for Throttle. I can get a bump to speed well past the 1 Gig barrier for $10/mo. Considering it. It's not that I need that much. I just figure if I can increase speed at the router level, then speeds to connected devices around my home would, despite degradation from walls, etc., increase proportionately. Below are the specs for my WiFi router, a Nighthawk I bought a couple years ago Assuming I had a modem supporting more than 1 Gig, the router's throughput would carry more than 1 Gig, right? I'm a little confused by the description of the 7 ports limited to 1Mbps. I assume those relate to hard-wired LAN Ethernet. I just don't want to have to buy a new router to break the 1 Gig barrier assuming Comcast delivered that speed. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but my law practice includes a lot of computer tech. During the fracas over the FCC adoption and then repeal of the so-called "Net Neutrality" (Open Internet) regulations, I got into the whole subject in depth and found it fascinating though infuriating. I was hoping that the Biden administration would embrace reinstatement of those regs as well as a more pervasive internet policy. There is a lot more in their arsenal than the FCC. The FTC could punish ISP misbehavior, and the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department could theoretically do all kinds of things to stop the abuse of quasi-monopoly power. As you probably noticed, the ISP's opposed the new FCC Chair nominee with such hostility that she withdrew her nomination and the regulatory situation remains in stalemate. My research easily uncovered all kinds of continued, pervasive misbehavior by the ISPs. I did a paper on internet regulation which I'd be glad to send you if you have any interest. I would want to email it rather than post on this open forum. Sorry to hear you've had to tolerate the Dark Side in order to avoid data limits! Anyway, I'd be most grateful for your insight on whether, assuming my ISP and modem broke the 1Gig barrier, the Nighthawk router would deliver the same without its own 1Gig limit. Always good to chat with you D.

Thanks so much. In general, what would they mean by the term "filter"? I've never heard of a "filter" function in a modem. The info on their web page that I'm asking about pertains to modems, not routers. I have a Netgear Nighthawk gaming router and love that.

Thanks for the reply. There's really not been an issue other than I never get the advertised speed. But that's just SOP with Comcast/Xfinity. And also due to a little rolloff from the router in another room. I typically test 400-500 Mbps down and 20 up, and I probably couldn't tell the difference if the down was 1 Gig.

I was looking on the website for my ISP, Comcast/Xfinity yesterday and it now identifies my modem as being "incompatible" with my internet plan "based on filters." What does that mean? What "filters?" My current plan speed is 1Gbps download, and my modem is an Arris SB8200 (DOCSIS 3.1), which according to Arris is rated to handle up to 2 Gbps. I am not aware of any "filters," and don't even know what that is. The Xfinity website is showing an Arris S33 as compatible with my plan speed (as well as some others, including of course Xfinity's own rental equipment). The S33 is rated somewhat faster than the SB8200, but not that much more. Is the Xfinity info on their web site just wrong? Is the info there a legitimate reason for a modem upgrade? The SB8200 is not that old. BTW hello CA3LE - it's been a minute!

I agree this is really cool. Interesting to see my speeds outperforming the Dow Jones over the years. Right now my pet project is figuring out what router to get when my Apple Airport Extreme starts approaching obsolescence, since Apple has exited the wireless market. I understand there are some really exotic new products from mainstream manufacturers but am overwhelmed with reviews and data at the moment, and hope the classic Apple simplicity and reliability is part of other router manufacturers' culture and tech. Best regards, CA3LE. We haven't conversed in a while but I'm so grateful you have stayed at this.

I was just reading an article in lifehacker about improving security by using 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) and 8.8.8.8 (Google) DNS Servers, and removing any other server listed. The article also says this probably will have the side effect of making connections slightly faster? Does anybody agree or disagree with this? My network preferences also have ipv4 and 6 addresses for TCP/IP that are different from the Cloudflare and Google server addresses, but the article didn't say to change them.

I am wondering why Netflix's "FAST" speed test web tool would report such inflated results. I am paying for a coax cable level targeting 105 or more Mbps download. Actual results on testmy.net have, over time, run anywhere from 100 to 125 Mbps, give or take. Testmy.net has typically returned the lowest speed reports (in which I have the most faith) of various popular test sites like speedtest, ookla, etc., all of which tended to return results in the 150 Mbps neighborhood. (All this being download of course.). I can understand why some of these test sites, which are controlled by ISP's, would inflate reported results. However, when I try Netflix's FAST test, I get unbelievably (literally) high reported results -- wild figures like 300 Mbps or more. Anybody got an opinion on why Netflix would operate such a positively exaggerated test? They certainly have no love loss for the ISP's after the edge provider/net neutrality battle?

About 32 Mbps download consistently About 5 Mbps upload consistently This is with a LAN cable running directly into an Apple Airport Extreme which is connected to a Docsis 3.0 modem connected to Comcast. Using wireless connectivity with the Apple Airport Extreme produces more variable speeds depending on proximity. I pay about $55/month for what Comcast calls the "Ultra" level which "guarantees" 20Mbps and claims with SpeedBoost it hits up to 30. In this instance, they actually do fulfill these claims pretty consistently. This was not my experience before I upgraded to the Ultra.

Thanks for all the help!

Thanks for these great tips. I've determined it's purely a radio range/interference matter. Right next to the router, the download consistently clocks 30-32 Mbps, upload consistently 5 Mbps, which satisfies the service level commitment. Connected by LAN cable, exactly the same. Moved into another room, download drops to the variables that prompted my inquiry. I am assuming that with respect to radio range, there are no Airport Extreme settings that would improve factory default setting performance -- right? It's a dual 2.4 - 5 GHz band box, and is set to work that way. That is, the 5 GHz is not isolated as its own network. Also using default auto-selected channels, medium multicast rate, 100% transmit rate, wide channels enabled. Any setting change suggestions welcome. Also, isn't there a way to extend the range by linking a second router in the other room? There are settings in the Airport Extreme setup menus that appear intended to do this, but (unusual for Apple) these are very confusing. Any dumbed-down explanation of how to do this, much appreciated. This is a great speed test resource and a great forum. Many thanks to you wise participants. By the way, this speed thing is not just an obsession with me. I work constantly with web access to my corporate Exchange system ("webmail"), and sometimes with Citrix access to my whole system, and fast upload and download speeds really make a difference.

I'm a new testmy member. I favor this site/test for periodic verification I'm getting the speeds my ISP, Comcast, promises for my premium cost service agreement. I should regularly get 20+ Mbps download and 8+ upload. Periodically the performance deteriorates to single-digit numbers on the download and 50% or less of the promised upload. I have a fairly new Apple Airport Extreme dual-band router and a new top-of-line DOCSIS 3 cable modem. I've been advised to periodically re-start all 3 connected systems - cable modem, router, and Mac, but advice varies as to the order in which to do this. Also I've gotten conflicting advice on various Airport Extreme settings relative to the factory defaults. I would really appreciate some basic advice on how to optimize speed and keep it optimized in my environment.