Experiencing slow Wi-Fi on your M1, M2, M3 or M4 Mac? You can fix it by disabling AWDL (Apple Wireless Direct Link).
Apple’s AWDL May Cause Wi-Fi Interference, Resulting in Slow Internet Speeds – Fix it by Disabling it
If you know what Apple Wireless Direct Link is, then you definitely know how important it is too.
In the Apple ecosystem, devices talk to each other using a mesh-like network that works on top of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Things like AirDrop, AirPlay, Sidecar and more rely on this protocol to work.
Without AWDL, the Apple ecosystem would not work as it should.
However, while AWDL is fantastic technology, it may cause Wi-Fi related issues in rare cases.
If you’ve been experiencing slow internet speeds for no obvious reason at all, then it’s highly likely that AWDL is causing interference with your Wi-Fi. So, in order to fix this issue, you can disable AWDL.
To do this, open up Terminal, type in the following command and hit the Return key on the keyboard:
sudo ifconfig awdl0 down
You will be required to enter your Mac’s administrator password to confirm the changes. Once you have done that, run a speed test and everything should be back to normal.
If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t want the Apple ecosystem magic but badly want that internet connection to work, then disabling AWDL it is the way to go.
The thing that puzzles me the most is how this issue has been around for a long time, and Apple never gets around to fixing it properly.
The issue feels exaggerated if you have too many Apple devices around you as well, creating interference with Wi-Fi.
While it may sound like a huge problem, AWDL-related Wi-Fi issues are rare, and just consider it a twist of luck if you’ve come across it too.
