Random thoughts.... [Tech Edition]

What's with my wi-fi?

My 2018 Macbook Pro is in the same room as the cable modem (Arris TG2492s) I bought this week. Download speeds are fine, but copying from the MBP to another, older, Air resulted in transfer speeds measured in tens of megabits per second rather than hundreds. This was a normal Finder file copy.

The Air is currently pulling the same files straight from the NAS, achieving way faster speeds.

The NAS is on gigabit. Both the Air and Pro are on 5GHz.

Some Arris modems have software issues with routing data. Internet/WAN to LAN routing is fine, but LAN to LAN is a problem - abnormally low transfer speed, sometimes high local latency, etc. Over here, cable providers using some Arris units turn the Wifi on the modem off and provide a separate Wifi router because of this issue. Check for firmware updates, but if that doesn't solve it the only workaround is to get a Gigabit Ethernet router and connect your LAN devices to that - basically just use the Arris as a modem only.

*Why* the Arris cable modem/routers have this problem, I have no idea. They just do.
 
What's with my wi-fi?

My 2018 Macbook Pro is in the same room as the cable modem (Arris TG2492s) I bought this week. Download speeds are fine, but copying from the MBP to another, older, Air resulted in transfer speeds measured in tens of megabits per second rather than hundreds. This was a normal Finder file copy.

The Air is currently pulling the same files straight from the NAS, achieving way faster speeds.

The NAS is on gigabit. Both the Air and Pro are on 5GHz.
TL;DR Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi will always be significantly slower than Wi-Fi to wired.

EDIT: What @Spectre said might also be a contributing factor.

A way to maybe help a little (see full explanation for why it happens in the first place)
Run a network scan with a wi-fi analyzer tool (iStumbler works well for that) and see if you can find an unused channel, good rule of thumb is you want to be at least two channels away from anyone else (they are pretty narrow so they will bleed into each other).

In depth explanation (I am assuming only casual familiarity with tech so forgive me if I go over stuff you already know)
Wi-Fi connection is half-duplex by nature (think walkie-talkie, you can't talk when you listening and vice versa). Additionally a file transfer is a TCP connection, what that means is that for every packet (a small chunk of total) of data that is being sent by the source an acknowledgement packet has to be sent back by the target, and then another from source to target acknowledging that acknowledgement. Since these can only be done in half duplex it slows things down even more. Additionally packets have an internal consistency check called the CRC, which tells the computer that the packet was received same way as it was sent, if the packet doesn't pass the check it has to be dropped and a retransmit request is sent to the source. And since Wi-Fi is a radio signal and hence much more prone to interference and distortion than something running over a physical wire you typically get a decent amount of packet drops and retransmits.

Now this is bad enough when you are talking to a wired host, because at least the wired machine can run full duplex to the router/AP, in your case you are having two hosts that are both running half duplex and are dealing with all of the above issues the speeds drop dramatically. The other thing is that Wi-Fi can typically only run at the speed of the slowest connected client (I believe newer routers have some ways around it but not 100% if this already came out to the market or not).
Internet/WAN to LAN routing is fine, but LAN to LAN is a problem - abnormally low transfer speed, sometimes high local latency, etc
After re-reading the problem he is having I doubt this is the case, his speeds to NAS are fine but laptop to laptop are not so it's not LAN routing.
 
Why* the Arris cable modem/routers have this problem, I have no idea. They just do.
My Fritzbox (German brand) had the exact same issue re: slow Wi-Fi upload. Other than that it worked fine for years.

I only replaced it because my ISP got bought by a bigger competitor and they are refusing to support their acquired customers’ modems with new firmware updates. And no you can’t do it yourself if the ISP originally supplied the modem. I can’t be bothered to sideload either.

At least the Arris can be bridged. I see a mesh setup in my future...
 
Are you a trader? Those are the only people I ever seen with massive monitor set ups like that.


Video editors use multiple monitors of various sizes depending on what they prefer.
 
Are you a trader? Those are the only people I ever seen with massive monitor set ups like that.
Video editors use multiple monitors of various sizes depending on what they prefer.
I'm neither of those. I just have a lot of spreadsheets. So far I've only been using one monitor - it's big enough for all my needs - but I'm sure I'll utilize the second one more over time (just started this job).
 
I'm neither of those. I just have a lot of spreadsheets. So far I've only been using one monitor - it's big enough for all my needs - but I'm sure I'll utilize the second one more over time (just started this job).
Typically when I have multiple screens I have like e-mail/chat client/whatever other shit needs to be monitored but not actively worked on on one, and whatever I'm working on on the other. Though these days with 4K stuff it's rare than I can't fit everything I need on one screen.
 
Typically when I have multiple screens I have like e-mail/chat client/whatever other shit needs to be monitored but not actively worked on on one, and whatever I'm working on on the other. Though these days with 4K stuff it's rare than I can't fit everything I need on one screen.

The problem with one screen, I like to max almost every window except explorer because then I get to see more information without scrolling. I'm thinking since I don't use my iPad for anything, I can use that with a piece of software called Duet Display. It's not good for video but if I left my Outlook open on that, I can free up my laptop display for viewing PDF's while my main display can be my quoting/invoicing software.
 
Yeah maximizing windows is a thing one does on relatively small screens, when you have a 27+ especially at something like 2160(4k/uhd) it usually fits everything you would want to see.

Especially since a lot of apps simply don’t make use of all that space.
 
Those butterfly, or w/e the fuck they are called, keyboards in current crop of macbooks fucking sucks massively. I have never had such an unusable keyboard before... (I didn't buy it, it's a work provided machine)
 
There's a programmer I work next to who plugs his Macbook into a thunderbolt dock with two monitors.... and proceeds to just use the laptop in the middle of his desk, no mouse or keyboard. Seems terrible. But apparently someone out there likes it.

As for multiple displays my work desk at work and at home are set up for triple head. More is always better.
 
There's a programmer I work next to who plugs his Macbook into a thunderbolt dock with two monitors.... and proceeds to just use the laptop in the middle of his desk, no mouse or keyboard. Seems terrible. But apparently someone out there likes it.
Stay away from him, his crazy! Though one of the guys here does the same thing, we all make fun of him.
 
Yup, the butterfly mechanism keyboards are crap, so they're phasing them out. A few weeks ago they released a new, 16" MacBook Pro that switched back to the old-school scissor mechanism. The 12" MacBook that introduced the mechanism is discontinued. I believe the 13" MBP will be replaced with either a 13" or a 14" model some time next year, which would make the only remaining model the current MacBook Air, which nobody cares about and nobody buys anyway.

I've only had the experience to try out the butterfly switch keyboard in Apple reseller stores, and I can confirm they're miserable. Luckily, my uni uses PC's and iMacs with those classic wired Apple keyboards, although they all have classic hard disks, presumably 5400 rpm ones, as they take two or three minutes just to log in...
 
I just got a new 16" MBP for work (This is the first time I will use a mac as a daily, more comprehensive thoughts to come in mid January). Can confirm the new key feel are pretty much identical to the one in the new Magic keyboard. Someone more pedantic than I am may consistently feel a difference in key travel and perhaps the magic keyboard feeling a little bit mushier at landing, but for me they may as well be the same switches.

And yes, they are way better than the ones on the previous 15"
 
Yup, the butterfly mechanism keyboards are crap, so they're phasing them out. A few weeks ago they released a new, 16" MacBook Pro that switched back to the old-school scissor mechanism.
Yeah I knew that, sadly work hasn’t gotten em yet :( I use a proper mechanical external anyway so it’s not as big of an issue but it is annoying in meetings and such
 
although they all have classic hard disks, presumably 5400 rpm ones, as they take two or three minutes just to log in...

I'm usually apologetic when it comes to "those Apple things" like Lightning (they needed a new connector, USB-C wasn't done and MicroUSB is shit) but shipping a premium computer (which any Apple computer is) with a 5400rpm drive is insane. Not only are small SSDs dirt cheap - the mechanical drive cripples the computer and makes for a woeful user experience.

Everything else they make has an SSD in it, and Apple works hard to build a good user experience into their products. So why haven't they killed the 5400rpm iMac with fire already?
 
I'm usually apologetic when it comes to "those Apple things" like Lightning (they needed a new connector, USB-C wasn't done and MicroUSB is shit) but shipping a premium computer (which any Apple computer is) with a 5400rpm drive is insane. Not only are small SSDs dirt cheap - the mechanical drive cripples the computer and makes for a woeful user experience.

Everything else they make has an SSD in it, and Apple works hard to build a good user experience into their products. So why haven't they killed the 5400rpm iMac with fire already?
I'm guessing these are older machines. I think when it comes to laptops Apple doesn't sell any with spinners anymore.
 
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