I recently switched from Windows to Linux Mint on a Galaxy Book 2 using Wi‑Fi, and downloads have become much slower. Firefox downloads and torrents fluctuate between roughly 100 KB/s and 3 MB/s, while an Ookla test once reported 272 Mbps. Downloads from the official software store and direct .deb packages are noticeably faster. I also ran another speed test on Mint and only got about 38 Mbps, compared with around 90 Mbps on a previous test. What could be causing the inconsistent speeds, and what should I check?
3 Answers
Firefox may simply be downloading from a slow or distant server, and torrent performance depends heavily on the number and quality of seeders. Check the torrent client's settings to make sure a download limit hasn't been enabled.
Actual download performance depends on your Wi‑Fi connection, the distance to the server, and how fast that server can upload. For Mint's software downloads, open Software Sources and try a mirror that's geographically close to you. This won't necessarily improve Firefox or torrent downloads, though.
The lower speed-test result on Mint suggests this may be more than just a slow download server. Compare tests using the same server and several different tools, then check the Wi‑Fi link quality, signal strength, power-saving settings, and whether the system is connected on 2.4 GHz instead of 5 GHz. If Windows gets much better results from the same location, a Linux Wi‑Fi driver or power-management issue is worth investigating.
I changed the software mirror, but the problem remained. The speed test on Mint was around 38 Mbps, while I previously measured about 90 Mbps under similar conditions, so the Wi‑Fi connection itself may be the issue.