Different download speeds for Mac vs iPad

[SneakySquid9]

My Macbook pro 16" is showing completely different download speeds vs my iPad. The laptop is relatively new and the only programs I have installed are spotify and chrome. I ran my tests on https://www.speedtest.net/ with the same server on both devices. On my iPad, the download speed is 79.48 mbps vs 59.65 mbps on my macbook. Sometimes the download speed on my macbook pro has reached 2 mbps and fluctuates tremendously. Is there a specific reason for this?

[KhakiHat]

Could just come down to a difference in hardware and optimization

[SneakySquid9]

19 minutes ago, KhakiHat said:

Could just come down to a difference in hardware and optimization

It's kind of alarming to see how my internet speed would fluctuate that much. Sometimes my macbook is so slow it can't even load a video at 240p.

[Srijan Verma]

idk much about mac books but, are the drivers installed? cuz i would guess it would fix (if it is even an actual issue) with the wireless drivers being updated

[jj9987]

Are both devices on same network? Are both using WiFi? Are both connected to same 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz AP?

[Sir Asvald]

2 hours ago, SneakySquid9 said:

It's kind of alarming to see how my internet speed would fluctuate that much. Sometimes my macbook is so slow it can't even load a video at 240p.

Well, that is because everyone is at home in isolation. The servers will be slow at some point. 

[seanondemand]

First thing, speedtest.com is bad and you shouldn't use it - fast.com is a better alternative. 2nd, you MBP has full 3x3 MIMO and should be a good bit faster in straight-up wifi speeds, you can use something like iperf to test that if you're interested. Chances are you're running into network congestion, either in a busy or bad wifi environment, or your ISP is getting crushed by everyone watching Tiger King in social distancing mode.

[SneakySquid9]

2 hours ago, seanondemand said:

First thing, speedtest.com is bad and you shouldn't use it - fast.com is a better alternative. 2nd, you MBP has full 3x3 MIMO and should be a good bit faster in straight-up wifi speeds, you can use something like iperf to test that if you're interested. Chances are you're running into network congestion, either in a busy or bad wifi environment, or your ISP is getting crushed by everyone watching Tiger King in social distancing mode.

does it prioritize certain devices since my iPad has more consistent download speeds than my macbook?

[seanondemand]

18 minutes ago, SneakySquid9 said:

does it prioritize certain devices since my iPad has more consistent download speeds than my macbook?

It shouldn’t. I honestly think it’s just a coincidence.