Disabling AWDL to Work Around Ventura Wi-Fi Issues
Hamza Malik (via Felix Krause, Hacker News):
Meter is currently tracking an issue that is affecting devices on macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura with M1/M2 Macbooks acutely affected — leading to slow internet connection, drops in Zoom calls, and entirely losing a WiFi connection.
Macbooks use a WiFi interface called AWDL (Apple Wireless Direct Link) for features like AirDrop and AirPlay. Having AWDL on may cause your WiFi connection to periodically reset. Although these issues can manifest in various ways, the underlying issue is the same: throughput and speeds drop, devices get disconnected randomly, and fail to rejoin the network.
[…]
As an interim solution to improve the WiFi connection, Apple recommends that you turn off AWDL interface (this will disable AirDrop/AirPlay). There are a few ways you can do this — either by using the Terminal application and running a script or through the UI (provided below). We’ve run this intervention with a few customers now that have seen improved WiFi performance as a result.
I have not been seeing the problem on my Macs.
The post says that this may be fixed in macOS 13.1, however the issue is not mentioned in the release notes, and I’ve not seen any comments confirming the fix.
Previously:
Update (2023-05-01): See also: Reddit.
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I usually see this issue regularly on my MBP running Big Sur. I can go to the following site and there’s a ton of packet delay.
Hi,
I think their were two different issues:
1) M1 Macs intermittently disconnecting from wifi.
2) all Macs having ping spikes affecting network performance.
I think (1) is what's been fixed.
(2) seems related to the fact that awdl scans on channel 6 on 2.4 Ghz and 149 for 5 Ghz (or 44 in Europe/UK) when looking for local devices for AirDrop and Sidecar. If your wifi isn't running on those channels, your Mac is briefly switching to it and back.
Perhaps your wifi is already running on those channels?
qv
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/wi-fi-jitter-erratic-ping-latency-due-to-awdl-airdrop-airplay.2373916/
https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/451646/force-disabling-awdl-on-ventura-or-above/454060
Just confirming that this issue is NOT fixed in 13.1. Same issue. On hold with Apple now, but it's definitely the same issue and not fixed.
..also not fixed in 13.2. I was on the horn with support and I showed them the issue as they shared my screen, and the still said they had never heard of the issue.
Hi there!
macOS Ventura 13.3.1 (22E261), still the same problem :(
Disabling awdl0 interface fully solves the problem, but there is no Sidecar anymore...
There is a good Daemon for automatic disabling the interface.
https://www.meter.com/mac-osx-awdl-psa
The best workaround for now, as I know.
One more!
The same problem recently appeared on my iPad Pro M2.
Disabling/Enabling WiFi from the Settings (not from the Control Center) solves the problem for some time.
Couldn't find any workarounds as for macOS.
Will be grateful for any advices! Thanks!
Another new M2 user - got a work machine and couldn't understand why it was going so slow (I was blaming the enforced virus checker) - and then I tracked it down to packet loss and found these posts. I had figured out that forgetting my network and re-adding it had temporarily fixed the issue, and just as I read this I noticed a disable/enable wifi had a similar effect. This is all on Ventura 13.3.1 however... and I had understood this was all fixed - it definitely seems not. What a drag.
Hello. Updating to IPadOS 16.5 changes nothing :( It looks like the problem appears now even often after update!
I'm on a new M2 device running 13.2.1 and having huge packet loss issues. Video calls are a complete nightmare as more than half the time no one can hear me even when the call looks and sounds fine on my end. It's affecting my ability to do my job and incredibly frustrating
UK user - MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro (2021, base model).
Switching my 5 Ghz WiFi channel to 44 worked for me.
I was limited to 20~40Mbps before and after switching to CH44 jumped to my max 250Mbps (Virgin fibre).
Thank you for the suggestion!
Using MacBook M1 Pro, Sonoma. I had interference problems with all my other devices nearby. Solved it by switching channels as Jarred here described -- channel 6 on 2.4 Ghz and 149 for 5 Ghz. Now everything works like a charm! No more stuttering and interference at all!
I assume the issue is still present even in 14.2.1. "sudo ifconfig awdl0 down" is a workaround now for me
I am seeing behaviour that I think improves by me running ifconfig awdl0 down. Basically my uplink through my isp router (and its only one router out of 3 that is doing it seems to be running at 0.5Mb/s until I run that command then it jumps up to 220mb/s when I Run it.
I've just relocated back to Europe from Australia after 5 years. I've purchased an MBP M1 Max in USA when it was released and brought it to Australia. With my Asus AX11000 Wifi 6 router Wifi speed was ranging between 866-1200 Mbit/s.
Even I have fewer (in the entire 5G network bandwith there is only 1 other network) Wifi networks in my vicinity here in Europe my MBP now never goes past the 866 Mbit/s, anymore - even when I place it as close to my router as possible.
I've not changed 1 setting compared to before (I've always used the US country code setting on my router due to higher Wifi power output) and I just can't find what the reason for the slower speed is. I've already started to blame the router but now as my wife has got her brandnew MBP M3 I have to watch her machine achieve 1300-1733 Mbit/s (2x my speed) at any time.
I've tried setting the router 5G to channel 44 and 149, turning bluetooth on/off, using the ifconfig awdl0 down/up commands - nothing makes any difference.
I'm starting to get very annoyed with my machine. I'm shuffling a lot of videos (typically 5-12 GB each) between my MBP, my NAS and other devices, so limiting my MBP speed to 866 (unlike ther 1200 before) makes a dramatic difference in speed.
Something's really off with the M1 MBPs :-(
WOW WOW WOW, that "ifconfig awdl0 down" brought my iperf tests up to 800Mbits/sec from 500...600! increased both for output and input but more significant on download. M1 air on Sequoia.
