Wi-Fi Tech Tip
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
How fast is your internet speed?
Here is the Wi-Fi Tech Tip
Hold down the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon on your Mac, then select your current connection. This opens a detailed view of your Wi-Fi connection, including signal strength, channel, and other helpful specs.
This is a great tool for troubleshooting slow internet speeds. In general, the farther you are from your router, the weaker your signal may be. You can also check the channel width in MHz — a higher number can mean your connection is able to handle more data. A 2.4 GHz network is usually slower than 5 GHz or 6 GHz.
If you are paying for high-speed internet, it is worth checking whether your router and computer actually support those speeds. If not, you may not be getting the full benefit of the service you are paying for.
Typical Wi-Fi channel widths are:
2.4 GHz: usually 20 MHz, sometimes 40 MHz
5 GHz: commonly 20, 40, 80, or 160 MHz
6 GHz: commonly 20, 40, 80, 160 MHz, and with Wi-Fi 7 also 320 MHz
For everyday troubleshooting, the simple version is:
2.4 GHz = longest range, usually slower, often 20 MHz
5 GHz = faster, usually 80 MHz on many modern setups
6 GHz = fastest/cleanest on supported gear, often 80 or 160 MHz, with 320 MHz possible on newer Wi-Fi 7 hardware
One important note: a higher MHz channel width can allow more throughput, but it does not automatically mean better real-world performance. Distance from the router, signal strength, interference, router quality, client device capability, and your internet plan all matter too.
As a rough rule of thumb, these are the internet download speeds many people can
realistically see on a good setup:
2.4 GHz: about 20 to 100 Mbps
5 GHz: about 100 to 600+ Mbps
6 GHz: about 300 Mbps to 1 Gbps+ on newer Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 gear
A simple way to think about it:
2.4 GHz / 20 MHz is usually the slowest, but it reaches farther.
5 GHz / 80 MHz is where a lot of modern home networks perform best.
6 GHz / 160 MHz can be extremely fast, but both your router and your device must support it. Apple notes that device capability depends on the supported channel bandwidth and PHY data rate, and Intel shows higher theoretical rates as channel width increases.
For practical expectations on a strong signal:
2.4 GHz at 20 MHz: often around 30–90 Mbps
5 GHz at 40 MHz: often around 100–250 Mbps
5 GHz at 80 MHz: often around 300–700 Mbps
5 GHz at 160 MHz: often around 600 Mbps to 1 Gbps+
6 GHz at 160 MHz: often around 800 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps+ on the right hardware
A big caution: those numbers depend on more than just MHz. Real speed is also affected by distance from the router, walls, interference, router quality, internet plan, and whether your Mac or other device supports Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E, or 7. Intel specifically notes wider channels can offer more speed, but they can also be more sensitive to interference.
