Why does my MAC download faster than my Ubuntu box?

Ian B Christie · 04-07-2008, 07:25 AM

I have a wireless local network in my house which connects to an Optus cable internet service. One of my computers is a Linux box with Ubuntu 7.10 and another is a MACBook with the latest version of OS X. Gnome Network Manager (nm-applet 0.6.5) tells me that the Linux box connection to my wireless network is running at 11 Mb/s.
When I use www.speedtest.net to test my connection the Mac downloads at about 8 or 9 megabits per second but the Linux box only runs at 0.7 to 1.2 megabits per second. The ping times for both machines are similar at ~ 19ms.
What are the possible explanations for the different connection speeds?
Cheers
Ian Christie

baldy3105 · 04-08-2008, 04:45 AM

Networking wise, a duplex mismatch would do that. Also an inappropriate TCP window size setting could also cause that effect, likewise too small TCP buffer settings.

Cheers