5 ms·

You still get the best speeds over ethernet today because of how wifi standards are slow walked, both on the router and the device connected with the router. Et

You still get the best speeds over ethernet today because of how wifi standards are slow walked, both on the router and the device connected with the router. Ethernet standards are slow walked too of course but we are talking slow walking a 2.5g or 10g connection here, even otherwise crappy hardware is likely to have 1g ethernet and it’s been that way for at least 10 or 15 years.

jeffbee 1y ago
If you want to transfer the contents of your old mac to your new mac, your best options in order of speed are 1) thunderbolt, 2) wifi, and 3) ethernet. You do not, in any sense, get "the best speeds" from ethernet. The market penetration of greater-than-1gb wired networks in consumer devices is practically nothing.
- astrange 1y ago
  I have all 2.5gbit at home with some 10gbit SFP copper connections, it wasn't particularly difficult. The devices with built-in Ethernet ports are all gigabit of course, but the ones with USB-C ports have 2.5gbit adapters. I could go to 10gbit but the Thunderbolt adapters for those all have fans.
- pbronez 1y ago
  If you’re the kind of person who wants better than gigabit Ethernet, it’s very available. 2.5Gbe is just a USB adapter away. Mac Studio comes with 10GbE. Unifi networking gives you managed multi-gig and plenty of others do unmanaged multigig at affordable prices. Piles of consumer NAS support multigig. I think this market is driven by content creators. Lots of prosumers shoot terabytes of video on a weekly basis. Local NAS are essential and multi-gig local networks dramatically improve the editing experience.
- kulahan 1y ago
  brb ima turn on my microwave halfway through your transfer
  - bobbiechen 1y ago
    To this day I expect my wifi to drop whenever I hear a microwave, thanks to the one in my parents house: https://digitalseams.com/blog/microwave-ovens-wi-fi-and-http https://digitalseams.com/blog/microwave-ovens-wi-fi-and-http
    - bornfreddy 1y ago
      Shouldn't such microwaves be decommissioned? I would assume that microwaves that are not properly shielded are dangerous to people in their vicinity?
  - chrneu 1y ago
    or a single shitty wifi chipset in your network thanks to a cheap iot device. Wifi is garbage. This person has no idea what they're talking about. It sounds like they read a blog post like 5 years ago and stuck with it cuz it's an edgy take.
    - jeffbee 1y ago
      Yes, me and the other literally billions of people who do not use wired Ethernet to their TV are just parroting an old blog. The OP who says Ethernet is an absolute requirement for Netflix is clearly correct. You sure got me.
      - kjkjadksj 1y ago
        People aren’t saying it isn’t possible. They are saying it is objectively worse. Plenty of those TV users seem content with the crappy speakers in those tvs after all. Appeals to majority are not good arguments.
- kjkjadksj 1y ago
  Yes thunderbolt is best but look at costs. Apple is selling a 4ft cable for $130. I have a ton of random cat 5e and cat 6 and they go for a couple dollars. Now lets talk about my actual “old mac” and “new mac” Mid 2012 mbp and my m3 pro. The 2012 only can do 802.11n so not gigabit speeds. It does have a gigabit ethernet however. Even if I was going m3 pro to m3 pro, I’m only getting full wifi 6e speeds if I actually have a router that makes use of 160hz channels. My router can’t. It is hard to even gleam router offerings to see which are offering proper wifi 6 because there are like dozens of skus sold even to different stores from the same brand getting slightly different skus. Afaik my mac does not support 160hz wifi 6 either.
  - wtallis 1y ago
    A 4ft USB 4 cable is $30. That's more bandwidth per dollar than an Ethernet cable. Thunderbolt cables aren't cost prohibitive any more (though the devices at either end are still very expensive).
- kstrauser 1y ago
  This is so insanely wrong that I almost feel like we're being trolled. Yes, a direct Thunderbolt connection would be best. Failing that, a guaranteed 1Gb Ethernet connection, which is ubiquitous and dirt cheap, and has latency measured in microseconds, is going to wipe the floor with real-world Wi-Fi 7 speeds. And for what you'd pay for end-to-end Wi-Fi 7 compatible gear, you could be using 10Gb Ethernet, which is in a different league of stability and actual observed throughput compared to anything wireless. I have Firewalla Wi-Fi 7 APs connected via 10Gb Ethernet to my router. They're brilliant, very expensive, very high quality devices. I use them only for devices which I can't hardwired, because even 1Gb Ethernet smokes them in actual real-world use.
  - jeffbee 1y ago
    > wipe the floor with real-world Wi-Fi 7 speeds. I see that you have never tried this. By the way, Mac Migration Assistant doesn't need Wi-Fi infrastructure at all.
    - kstrauser 1y ago
      Sure have, within the last 2 weeks when I helped a coworker migrate to a new machine! Both were November 2024 MacBook Pros, so Apple's current top-of-the-line laptops. Running over Wi-Fi dragged on interminably and we gave up several hours in. When we scrounged up a could of USB Ethernet dongles and started over, it took about an hour. So yeah, my own personal experience confirms exactly what I'd expect: Wi-Fi is slow and high-latency compared to Ethernet, and you should always use hardwired connections when you care about stability and performance more than portability. By all means, use Wi-Fi for routine laptop mobility. If you have the option, definitely run a cable to your stationary desktop computers, game consoles, set-top boxes, NASes, and everything else within reach of a switch.
- tass 1y ago
  My isp-supplied router had 10gbe on both wan and lan sides. I swapped it for my own, but that is what modern consumer equipment looks like. You can find a 2 port 10gbe+4 port 2.5gbe switch for just over $30 on Amazon. If the run isn’t too long this can all run over cat5. Handily beats wifi especially for reliability but Thunderbolt is fastest if you only have 2 machines to link.
- kllrnohj 1y ago
  I have a U7 Pro XGS hooked up to a Pro HD 24 POE switch (all 2.5gb ports or faster). The only way I've managed to convince any Wifi 7 client to exceed 1gbps is by freshly connecting to it over 6ghz while standing physically within arm's reach of the AP. That's it. That's the only time it can exceed 1gbps. In all other scenarios it's well under 1gbps, often more like 300-500mbps. Which is great for wifi, but still quite below the cheapest ethernet ports around. And 6ghz client behavior across OS's (Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android) is so bad at roaming that I actually end up just disabling it entirely. The only thing it can do is generate bragging rights screenshots, in actual use it's basically entirely DOA. And that's ignoring that ~$200 N150 NUCs come with 2.5gbps ethernet now.
  - tass 1y ago
    I’m with you on 6ghz wifi disappointment. My phone does well with it since it supports MLO but my macbook will refuse to roam away from 6ghz until it’s close to unusable.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]

jeffbee 1y ago

If you want to transfer the contents of your old mac to your new mac, your best options in order of speed are 1) thunderbolt, 2) wifi, and 3) ethernet. You do not, in any sense, get "the best speeds" from ethernet. The market penetration of greater-than-1gb wired networks in consumer devices is practically nothing.

astrange 1y ago
I have all 2.5gbit at home with some 10gbit SFP copper connections, it wasn't particularly difficult. The devices with built-in Ethernet ports are all gigabit of course, but the ones with USB-C ports have 2.5gbit adapters. I could go to 10gbit but the Thunderbolt adapters for those all have fans.
pbronez 1y ago
If you’re the kind of person who wants better than gigabit Ethernet, it’s very available. 2.5Gbe is just a USB adapter away. Mac Studio comes with 10GbE. Unifi networking gives you managed multi-gig and plenty of others do unmanaged multigig at affordable prices. Piles of consumer NAS support multigig. I think this market is driven by content creators. Lots of prosumers shoot terabytes of video on a weekly basis. Local NAS are essential and multi-gig local networks dramatically improve the editing experience.
kulahan 1y ago
brb ima turn on my microwave halfway through your transfer
- bobbiechen 1y ago
  To this day I expect my wifi to drop whenever I hear a microwave, thanks to the one in my parents house: https://digitalseams.com/blog/microwave-ovens-wi-fi-and-http https://digitalseams.com/blog/microwave-ovens-wi-fi-and-http
  - bornfreddy 1y ago
    Shouldn't such microwaves be decommissioned? I would assume that microwaves that are not properly shielded are dangerous to people in their vicinity?
- chrneu 1y ago
  or a single shitty wifi chipset in your network thanks to a cheap iot device. Wifi is garbage. This person has no idea what they're talking about. It sounds like they read a blog post like 5 years ago and stuck with it cuz it's an edgy take.
  - jeffbee 1y ago
    Yes, me and the other literally billions of people who do not use wired Ethernet to their TV are just parroting an old blog. The OP who says Ethernet is an absolute requirement for Netflix is clearly correct. You sure got me.
    - kjkjadksj 1y ago
      People aren’t saying it isn’t possible. They are saying it is objectively worse. Plenty of those TV users seem content with the crappy speakers in those tvs after all. Appeals to majority are not good arguments.
kjkjadksj 1y ago
Yes thunderbolt is best but look at costs. Apple is selling a 4ft cable for $130. I have a ton of random cat 5e and cat 6 and they go for a couple dollars. Now lets talk about my actual “old mac” and “new mac” Mid 2012 mbp and my m3 pro. The 2012 only can do 802.11n so not gigabit speeds. It does have a gigabit ethernet however. Even if I was going m3 pro to m3 pro, I’m only getting full wifi 6e speeds if I actually have a router that makes use of 160hz channels. My router can’t. It is hard to even gleam router offerings to see which are offering proper wifi 6 because there are like dozens of skus sold even to different stores from the same brand getting slightly different skus. Afaik my mac does not support 160hz wifi 6 either.
- wtallis 1y ago
  A 4ft USB 4 cable is $30. That's more bandwidth per dollar than an Ethernet cable. Thunderbolt cables aren't cost prohibitive any more (though the devices at either end are still very expensive).
kstrauser 1y ago
This is so insanely wrong that I almost feel like we're being trolled. Yes, a direct Thunderbolt connection would be best. Failing that, a guaranteed 1Gb Ethernet connection, which is ubiquitous and dirt cheap, and has latency measured in microseconds, is going to wipe the floor with real-world Wi-Fi 7 speeds. And for what you'd pay for end-to-end Wi-Fi 7 compatible gear, you could be using 10Gb Ethernet, which is in a different league of stability and actual observed throughput compared to anything wireless. I have Firewalla Wi-Fi 7 APs connected via 10Gb Ethernet to my router. They're brilliant, very expensive, very high quality devices. I use them only for devices which I can't hardwired, because even 1Gb Ethernet smokes them in actual real-world use.
- jeffbee 1y ago
  > wipe the floor with real-world Wi-Fi 7 speeds. I see that you have never tried this. By the way, Mac Migration Assistant doesn't need Wi-Fi infrastructure at all.
  - kstrauser 1y ago
    Sure have, within the last 2 weeks when I helped a coworker migrate to a new machine! Both were November 2024 MacBook Pros, so Apple's current top-of-the-line laptops. Running over Wi-Fi dragged on interminably and we gave up several hours in. When we scrounged up a could of USB Ethernet dongles and started over, it took about an hour. So yeah, my own personal experience confirms exactly what I'd expect: Wi-Fi is slow and high-latency compared to Ethernet, and you should always use hardwired connections when you care about stability and performance more than portability. By all means, use Wi-Fi for routine laptop mobility. If you have the option, definitely run a cable to your stationary desktop computers, game consoles, set-top boxes, NASes, and everything else within reach of a switch.
tass 1y ago
My isp-supplied router had 10gbe on both wan and lan sides. I swapped it for my own, but that is what modern consumer equipment looks like. You can find a 2 port 10gbe+4 port 2.5gbe switch for just over $30 on Amazon. If the run isn’t too long this can all run over cat5. Handily beats wifi especially for reliability but Thunderbolt is fastest if you only have 2 machines to link.
kllrnohj 1y ago
I have a U7 Pro XGS hooked up to a Pro HD 24 POE switch (all 2.5gb ports or faster). The only way I've managed to convince any Wifi 7 client to exceed 1gbps is by freshly connecting to it over 6ghz while standing physically within arm's reach of the AP. That's it. That's the only time it can exceed 1gbps. In all other scenarios it's well under 1gbps, often more like 300-500mbps. Which is great for wifi, but still quite below the cheapest ethernet ports around. And 6ghz client behavior across OS's (Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android) is so bad at roaming that I actually end up just disabling it entirely. The only thing it can do is generate bragging rights screenshots, in actual use it's basically entirely DOA. And that's ignoring that ~$200 N150 NUCs come with 2.5gbps ethernet now.
- tass 1y ago
  I’m with you on 6ghz wifi disappointment. My phone does well with it since it supports MLO but my macbook will refuse to roam away from 6ghz until it’s close to unusable.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]