WiFi on iMac is really slow

Nemanja91

So recently the WiFi connection on my iMac which I got in september 2009 has become really slow. I'm pretty sure its the iMac that is slow and not the internet because I can still surf on my iPhone and there is no let down in speed along with a Toshiba laptop and xbox live and ps3. I read that it could be a software update which could cause this but it started to become slow before I downloaded the latest update. Just recently it took 1 hour 30 mins to watch a show that is 40 minutes long. At the moment everything in my dock is closed except for Safari so there should be no other programme causing it to slow down. I also tried google chrome and Firefox but they were still very slow. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

Sad Professor

Are you getting full wireless signal (in the menubar)?

Use Speedtest to confirm that the iMac's internet is slower than the other computers.

paul1991

I have the same problem with my iMac. Mine is a few years older than yours it a 1.83ghz Core 2 Duo 17" version.
It has never let me down up until recently when I installed Snow Leorpard. On WiFi and wired connection it is painfully slow to load a page and sometimes it doesnt even load the page properly and there are lots of broken images. Every other thing I ask the computer to do is done in the blink of an eye.

So no I don't believe it is your internet connection or your iMac but the operating system itself. I'm going to try and downgrade the Leopard and see if that works.

Nemanja91

This is the speed test on the iMac



This is the speed test on the Toshiba laptop



The difference really is huge but it really seems to be underperforming for the Mac, I tried loading www.skysports.com on the Mac and it took over 10 minutes to load.

I did a side by side comparison of the 2 machines loading www.skysports.com and the toshiba laptop won hands down. I didn't even have to patience to leave it load on the Mac.

Sad Professor wrote: »

Are you getting full wireless signal (in the menubar)?

How would I check this?, when I click on the wireless signal in the top right corner it shows 4 bars.

Sad Professor

Did you get those mixed up? Because the iMac results are much better than for the Toshiba.

Nemanja91

Sad Professor wrote: »

Did you get those mixed up? Because the iMac results are much better than for the Toshiba.

Nope, they are the right way around. I don't know why the difference is so big.

Sad Professor

I don't know what Eircom package you are on and whether those are the speeds you are supposed to be getting, but the iMac results aren't slow. If web pages are slow to load then it might indicate a DNS problem. If you know your network settings try creating a new network location in System Preference > Network and entering them from scratch.

Have you had to change your network settings for any reason recently?

Nemanja91

No I Haven't gone near my internet settings for a good while.

Theses are my two DNS but I don't have a clue what it means anyway

Primary DNS Server
213.94.190.194
dns1.cwm.dublin.eircom.net

Secondary DNS Server
213.94.190.236
dns2.cra.dublin.eircom.net

I'm located in cork so should there be some other DNS rather than the dublin one?

Nemanja91

Whatever I did it seems to have speed up anyway.

Thanks Sad Professor, your always very helpful.

Sad Professor

What did you do?

Nemanja91

I actually don't have a clue, I went into expert mode on the router and just flicked through some of the DNS settings.

drunkmonkey

I've the same problem with a mac mini and I can't figure it out, it's perfectly fine with a cable connection
Cable:


But I need that cable connection for my voip phone, so i've to use the wifi on the mac mini and this is what I get if i'm lucky.
WiFI:


It's usually slower, gmail times out, it's cruel slow over wifi. Every other pc, imac, and phone are all fine just this one mac mini.

Any ideas?

barryj

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It's usually slower, gmail times out, it's cruel slow over wifi. Every other pc, imac, and phone are all fine just this one mac mini.

Any ideas?

Wifi speed issues often caused by interference from other devices, including portable phone systems. Try turning these off temporarily to see if that could be it. Changing the wifi channel in the router config may help this. Usually defaults to Channel 11, but others are options.

Also, how far from the wireless router is your imac? Are there any solid walls etc. between them?

If neither of the above help, do you have the option of trying the mini against another router? Could be a hardware issue with the airport in your mini - is it under warranty?

If all else fails, how about a small ethernet switch and connect both your voip phone and mini to it?

- barry

drunkmonkey

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I've the same problem with a mac mini and I can't figure it out, it's perfectly fine with a cable connection

It's usually slower, gmail times out, it's cruel slow over wifi. Every other pc, imac, and phone are all fine just this one mac mini.

Any ideas?

Do a site survey and see what other hot spots are local to you and what channel they are broadcasting.

KisMac will help ya out.
Then change channel from your router control panel.

If that has no effect, try and delete your network connection and its credentials and start again from scratch. I know, sometimes you be surprised.

Sys Preferences > Network > Advanced > Airport > (highlight chosen network and click on -), Reboot and reconnect and re-enter credentials.
Also maybe turn off ipv6 if it's on automatic.

Hope you get it sorted.

philiporeilly

I recently upgraded a Macbook Pro and a Macbook to 10.6.6 and both are having major wifi issues. Having looked online there were issues with 10.6.5 but these have gotten a lot worse since 10.6.6 according to posts on the Apple support forums.