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I'm using a Windows 10 machine (Dell Precision 5560 PC) and am noticing that my bandwidth (at least measured by speedtest.net) is 4 to 5 times lower than my MacBook Pro 2017, both on the same network, physically sitting next to each other. When I look at my Windows 10 task manager, I can see only a couple of apps eating up a tiny amount of bandwidth

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but this doesn't account for the vast difference between my two systems (total Mbps for Windows 10 is around 20Mbps and on Mac it is closer to 90Mbps).

When I try and analyze my data usage using Settings -> Network & Internet, the "Data Usage" button is grayed out.

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  • Data Usage isn’t for WiFi it’s for 3G/4G/5G connection. You have to use third-party tools to accomplish that task on a WiFi 5/6/6e network. Task Manager is absolutely NOT the correct tool to diagnose network performance issues, it doesn’t provide enough details, to be helpful
    – Ramhound
    Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 19:44

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Using a tool such as Nirsoft's WifiInfoView, you can see how the PC is connected. For example, there may be multiple WiFi outputs from the router, and if the PC is connecting to a lower speed 802.1 standard, such as that using the 2.4 GHz band, or connecting to a channel that's lower power, it might be restricting throughput. One useful feature of WifiInfoView is that right-clicking on a connection allows you to connect immediately, to test if that's faster in SpeedTest.net, and to create a desktop shortcut to that profile, so that you can choose a higher-speed connection by double-clicking the link.

WiFi Info View

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  • I'm not quite following. I downloaded and installed this tool. I can see all the LANs, including the one I'm connected to (a 5 GHz network). Not sure how this helps me figure out why my PC's bandwidth is so much lower than my Mac's. You think it's the channel I'm connected to?
    – Dave
    Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 16:09
  • It could be that the 5 GHz signal does not penetrate as well as the lower band; try changing band wccftech.com/how-to/… and/or 802.1 protocol, fairmontstate.edu/it/sites/default/files/…
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 16:22
  • Interesting thought -- I tried connecting to my 2.4 GHz network but the bandwidth was even lower, which makes sense.
    – Dave
    Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 18:03
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As it happened, there was a Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility client on my system, which I was not using. Selecting my network and connecting to the Internet through there allowed speeds to return to expected levels.

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