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I have a mid-2014 MacBook Pro that is experiencing very variable ping responses over WiFi. Coworkers using the same WiFi network do not experience the same problem, so it seems that the problem can be narrowed down to my own MacBook. I have practically no services running in the background, but still my ping looks like this:

$ ping 192.168.123.1
PING 192.168.123.1 (192.168.123.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=2.269 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=15.535 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=1.469 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.255 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=29.718 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=77.455 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=64 time=123.918 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=64 time=171.644 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=64 time=233.521 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=64 time=1.979 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=10 ttl=64 time=1.210 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=11 ttl=64 time=13.391 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=12 ttl=64 time=1.334 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=13 ttl=64 time=1.427 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=14 ttl=64 time=1.398 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=15 ttl=64 time=12.971 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=16 ttl=64 time=60.527 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=17 ttl=64 time=108.223 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=18 ttl=64 time=155.719 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=19 ttl=64 time=202.326 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=20 ttl=64 time=796.472 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=21 ttl=64 time=308.146 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=22 ttl=64 time=2.018 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=23 ttl=64 time=1.244 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=24 ttl=64 time=5.381 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=25 ttl=64 time=13.956 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=26 ttl=64 time=1.611 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=27 ttl=64 time=48.433 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=28 ttl=64 time=95.586 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=29 ttl=64 time=142.643 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=30 ttl=64 time=204.456 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=31 ttl=64 time=230.300 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=32 ttl=64 time=8.943 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=33 ttl=64 time=2.013 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=34 ttl=64 time=1.290 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=35 ttl=64 time=1.337 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=36 ttl=64 time=1.467 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=37 ttl=64 time=1.374 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=38 ttl=64 time=32.701 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=39 ttl=64 time=78.511 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=40 ttl=64 time=125.724 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=41 ttl=64 time=170.797 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=42 ttl=64 time=216.620 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=43 ttl=64 time=273.309 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=44 ttl=64 time=1.759 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=45 ttl=64 time=2.079 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=46 ttl=64 time=1.663 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=47 ttl=64 time=1.106 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=48 ttl=64 time=4.714 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=49 ttl=64 time=18.215 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=50 ttl=64 time=63.440 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=51 ttl=64 time=107.780 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=52 ttl=64 time=173.578 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=53 ttl=64 time=203.491 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=54 ttl=64 time=249.307 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=55 ttl=64 time=295.610 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=56 ttl=64 time=1.897 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=57 ttl=64 time=20.146 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=58 ttl=64 time=1.552 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=59 ttl=64 time=1.376 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=60 ttl=64 time=7.115 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=61 ttl=64 time=54.314 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=62 ttl=64 time=102.197 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=63 ttl=64 time=145.866 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=64 ttl=64 time=189.622 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=65 ttl=64 time=234.373 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=66 ttl=64 time=6.825 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=67 ttl=64 time=3.732 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=68 ttl=64 time=1.683 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=69 ttl=64 time=2.016 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=70 ttl=64 time=2.155 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=71 ttl=64 time=2.848 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=72 ttl=64 time=43.721 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=73 ttl=64 time=89.570 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=74 ttl=64 time=137.299 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=75 ttl=64 time=180.607 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=76 ttl=64 time=283.809 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=77 ttl=64 time=270.799 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=78 ttl=64 time=1.778 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=79 ttl=64 time=2.701 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=80 ttl=64 time=2.132 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=81 ttl=64 time=14.347 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=82 ttl=64 time=1.838 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=83 ttl=64 time=43.901 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=84 ttl=64 time=75.226 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=85 ttl=64 time=121.522 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=86 ttl=64 time=168.283 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=87 ttl=64 time=217.113 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=88 ttl=64 time=1.378 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=89 ttl=64 time=309.147 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=90 ttl=64 time=1.248 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=91 ttl=64 time=1.704 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=92 ttl=64 time=2.111 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=93 ttl=64 time=2.113 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=94 ttl=64 time=14.813 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=95 ttl=64 time=57.279 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=96 ttl=64 time=106.006 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=97 ttl=64 time=149.873 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=98 ttl=64 time=194.755 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=99 ttl=64 time=267.393 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=100 ttl=64 time=7.799 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=101 ttl=64 time=2.066 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=102 ttl=64 time=2.604 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=103 ttl=64 time=2.234 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=104 ttl=64 time=1.931 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=105 ttl=64 time=8.519 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=106 ttl=64 time=33.795 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=107 ttl=64 time=81.016 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=108 ttl=64 time=127.144 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=109 ttl=64 time=175.389 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=110 ttl=64 time=222.333 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=111 ttl=64 time=320.406 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=112 ttl=64 time=351.359 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=113 ttl=64 time=9.463 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=114 ttl=64 time=7.199 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=115 ttl=64 time=1.361 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.123.1: icmp_seq=116 ttl=64 time=1.295 ms

What could I do to debug this issue?

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1
  • I see this same exact pattern too on occasion. I've seen it happen both with Ubiquity and Mikrotik APs, so I'm convinced it's buggy Apple or Broadcom hardware. The sad thing is, this is one of its better operating modes; I've seen packets get stuck for 20+ seconds in the MacBook's wifi buffers.
    – Chris Pacejo
    Commented Jun 23, 2017 at 23:19

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

A couple generic things that come to mind:

  • Are you connecting to the same AP as the others?

  • Are you physically sitting next to one of the other wireless users?(eliminate building/signal issues, such as thicker walls)

  • Does it also happen when cabled in?

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1
  • Same AP, literally 1 meter next to a user who does not have the same issue and I don't have an ethernet port. Regarding this last point: the user next to me is using wireless as well.
    – Aron Rotteveel
    Commented Jun 26, 2015 at 18:31

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