Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?












10















So, I'm doing a 100+GB transfer over my LAN from my iMac to my NAS, I was simply wondering if it would utilize both the ethernet and the wifi for the transfer. If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?










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  • I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

    – nohillside
    16 hours ago











  • That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

    – Ron Maupin
    44 mins ago
















10















So, I'm doing a 100+GB transfer over my LAN from my iMac to my NAS, I was simply wondering if it would utilize both the ethernet and the wifi for the transfer. If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Michael J. Caboose 2.0 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





















  • I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

    – nohillside
    16 hours ago











  • That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

    – Ron Maupin
    44 mins ago














10












10








10


1






So, I'm doing a 100+GB transfer over my LAN from my iMac to my NAS, I was simply wondering if it would utilize both the ethernet and the wifi for the transfer. If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Michael J. Caboose 2.0 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












So, I'm doing a 100+GB transfer over my LAN from my iMac to my NAS, I was simply wondering if it would utilize both the ethernet and the wifi for the transfer. If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?







network imac nas






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edited 16 hours ago









nohillside

51.1k13109149




51.1k13109149






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asked 17 hours ago









Michael J. Caboose 2.0Michael J. Caboose 2.0

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  • I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

    – nohillside
    16 hours ago











  • That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

    – Ron Maupin
    44 mins ago



















  • I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

    – nohillside
    16 hours ago











  • That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

    – Ron Maupin
    44 mins ago

















I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

– nohillside
16 hours ago





I've edited out the second part of your question. Questions work better if they focus on one topic, also the second part is highly depending on your setup and there probably isn't a specific answer for that.

– nohillside
16 hours ago













That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

– Ron Maupin
44 mins ago





That would be a very bad idea. There are multiple questions and answer about this on Network Engineering and Server Fault about using multiple interfaces for a single traffic flow. That can cause a slower transfer. See this answer among many.

– Ron Maupin
44 mins ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















18















Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?




No. The default action is to use the one with the highest priority. This is usually done by the order of the interfaces that you specify in Network Preferences. Following that, the next order of priority is network latency.




If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




What you are referring to is called link aggregation or bonding. Your Mac is definitely capable of doing this, however, you must connect to a switch (usually a "smart switch") that also has this capability. So, unless your switch has this ability, you can't do it.



Also, you can't bond WiFi and Ethernet; link aggregation is for bonding Ethernet links.






share|improve this answer


























  • Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

    – Filipe Nicoli
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

    – user71659
    6 hours ago






  • 1





    @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

    – kasperd
    3 hours ago



















1















If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




Yes. You can use both Ethernet and Wifi by "bundling" your two links on the application layer.



Put both your devices on Ethernet and Wifi; and make sure Ethernet/Wifi are in different subnets. Then split your 100GB of files into two sets, their size roughly corresponding to the relative speed of the two connections.



Then, connect from the iMac to the NAS twice at the same time, once for each of the two IP addresses of the NAS. I have used a Mac one time in my life, about 20 years ago, so I have no idea how you do that, but I am still sure that it is somehow possible (in the worst case, by not mounting the NAS file system directly on the iMac, but by using something like a scp/ftp/rsync file transfer instead.



Then transfer the two sets of files you separated earlier, one to the first IP address, the other to the other. The TCP/IP traffic will go over the respective link only, and assuming that both devices are able to handle that capacity (i.e., the drives are fast enough, no artificial bottleneck due to badly optimized network stacks, etc.), you will get a maximum performance close to the sum of the two bandwiths.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




AnoE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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    0














    No, first priority is the wired lan. If lan is disconnected then wifi is used.






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    We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.














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      3 Answers
      3






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      3 Answers
      3






      active

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      active

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      active

      oldest

      votes









      18















      Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?




      No. The default action is to use the one with the highest priority. This is usually done by the order of the interfaces that you specify in Network Preferences. Following that, the next order of priority is network latency.




      If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




      What you are referring to is called link aggregation or bonding. Your Mac is definitely capable of doing this, however, you must connect to a switch (usually a "smart switch") that also has this capability. So, unless your switch has this ability, you can't do it.



      Also, you can't bond WiFi and Ethernet; link aggregation is for bonding Ethernet links.






      share|improve this answer


























      • Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

        – Filipe Nicoli
        8 hours ago






      • 1





        Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

        – user71659
        6 hours ago






      • 1





        @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

        – kasperd
        3 hours ago
















      18















      Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?




      No. The default action is to use the one with the highest priority. This is usually done by the order of the interfaces that you specify in Network Preferences. Following that, the next order of priority is network latency.




      If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




      What you are referring to is called link aggregation or bonding. Your Mac is definitely capable of doing this, however, you must connect to a switch (usually a "smart switch") that also has this capability. So, unless your switch has this ability, you can't do it.



      Also, you can't bond WiFi and Ethernet; link aggregation is for bonding Ethernet links.






      share|improve this answer


























      • Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

        – Filipe Nicoli
        8 hours ago






      • 1





        Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

        – user71659
        6 hours ago






      • 1





        @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

        – kasperd
        3 hours ago














      18












      18








      18








      Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?




      No. The default action is to use the one with the highest priority. This is usually done by the order of the interfaces that you specify in Network Preferences. Following that, the next order of priority is network latency.




      If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




      What you are referring to is called link aggregation or bonding. Your Mac is definitely capable of doing this, however, you must connect to a switch (usually a "smart switch") that also has this capability. So, unless your switch has this ability, you can't do it.



      Also, you can't bond WiFi and Ethernet; link aggregation is for bonding Ethernet links.






      share|improve this answer
















      Do LAN transfers use both Ethernet and WiFi by default?




      No. The default action is to use the one with the highest priority. This is usually done by the order of the interfaces that you specify in Network Preferences. Following that, the next order of priority is network latency.




      If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




      What you are referring to is called link aggregation or bonding. Your Mac is definitely capable of doing this, however, you must connect to a switch (usually a "smart switch") that also has this capability. So, unless your switch has this ability, you can't do it.



      Also, you can't bond WiFi and Ethernet; link aggregation is for bonding Ethernet links.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited 15 hours ago

























      answered 15 hours ago









      AllanAllan

      43.1k1364160




      43.1k1364160













      • Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

        – Filipe Nicoli
        8 hours ago






      • 1





        Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

        – user71659
        6 hours ago






      • 1





        @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

        – kasperd
        3 hours ago



















      • Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

        – Filipe Nicoli
        8 hours ago






      • 1





        Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

        – user71659
        6 hours ago






      • 1





        @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

        – kasperd
        3 hours ago

















      Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

      – Filipe Nicoli
      8 hours ago





      Is it possible to use an AP in order to have both links as ethernet? Or link aggregation doesn't work like regular packets?

      – Filipe Nicoli
      8 hours ago




      1




      1





      Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

      – user71659
      6 hours ago





      Link aggregation won't work over a single TCP connection either which is what the SMB file transfer is. Link aggregation takes special care to ensure all packets on a single connection go on the same link. You have to utilize special multi-stream protocols to make it work in this case.

      – user71659
      6 hours ago




      1




      1





      @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

      – kasperd
      3 hours ago





      @user71659 It can work for a single TCP connection if both endpoints support MPTCP. But MPTCP is not widely supported.

      – kasperd
      3 hours ago













      1















      If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




      Yes. You can use both Ethernet and Wifi by "bundling" your two links on the application layer.



      Put both your devices on Ethernet and Wifi; and make sure Ethernet/Wifi are in different subnets. Then split your 100GB of files into two sets, their size roughly corresponding to the relative speed of the two connections.



      Then, connect from the iMac to the NAS twice at the same time, once for each of the two IP addresses of the NAS. I have used a Mac one time in my life, about 20 years ago, so I have no idea how you do that, but I am still sure that it is somehow possible (in the worst case, by not mounting the NAS file system directly on the iMac, but by using something like a scp/ftp/rsync file transfer instead.



      Then transfer the two sets of files you separated earlier, one to the first IP address, the other to the other. The TCP/IP traffic will go over the respective link only, and assuming that both devices are able to handle that capacity (i.e., the drives are fast enough, no artificial bottleneck due to badly optimized network stacks, etc.), you will get a maximum performance close to the sum of the two bandwiths.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      AnoE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.

























        1















        If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




        Yes. You can use both Ethernet and Wifi by "bundling" your two links on the application layer.



        Put both your devices on Ethernet and Wifi; and make sure Ethernet/Wifi are in different subnets. Then split your 100GB of files into two sets, their size roughly corresponding to the relative speed of the two connections.



        Then, connect from the iMac to the NAS twice at the same time, once for each of the two IP addresses of the NAS. I have used a Mac one time in my life, about 20 years ago, so I have no idea how you do that, but I am still sure that it is somehow possible (in the worst case, by not mounting the NAS file system directly on the iMac, but by using something like a scp/ftp/rsync file transfer instead.



        Then transfer the two sets of files you separated earlier, one to the first IP address, the other to the other. The TCP/IP traffic will go over the respective link only, and assuming that both devices are able to handle that capacity (i.e., the drives are fast enough, no artificial bottleneck due to badly optimized network stacks, etc.), you will get a maximum performance close to the sum of the two bandwiths.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        AnoE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.























          1












          1








          1








          If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




          Yes. You can use both Ethernet and Wifi by "bundling" your two links on the application layer.



          Put both your devices on Ethernet and Wifi; and make sure Ethernet/Wifi are in different subnets. Then split your 100GB of files into two sets, their size roughly corresponding to the relative speed of the two connections.



          Then, connect from the iMac to the NAS twice at the same time, once for each of the two IP addresses of the NAS. I have used a Mac one time in my life, about 20 years ago, so I have no idea how you do that, but I am still sure that it is somehow possible (in the worst case, by not mounting the NAS file system directly on the iMac, but by using something like a scp/ftp/rsync file transfer instead.



          Then transfer the two sets of files you separated earlier, one to the first IP address, the other to the other. The TCP/IP traffic will go over the respective link only, and assuming that both devices are able to handle that capacity (i.e., the drives are fast enough, no artificial bottleneck due to badly optimized network stacks, etc.), you will get a maximum performance close to the sum of the two bandwiths.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          AnoE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.











          If not, is there a way to enable transfers to use both?




          Yes. You can use both Ethernet and Wifi by "bundling" your two links on the application layer.



          Put both your devices on Ethernet and Wifi; and make sure Ethernet/Wifi are in different subnets. Then split your 100GB of files into two sets, their size roughly corresponding to the relative speed of the two connections.



          Then, connect from the iMac to the NAS twice at the same time, once for each of the two IP addresses of the NAS. I have used a Mac one time in my life, about 20 years ago, so I have no idea how you do that, but I am still sure that it is somehow possible (in the worst case, by not mounting the NAS file system directly on the iMac, but by using something like a scp/ftp/rsync file transfer instead.



          Then transfer the two sets of files you separated earlier, one to the first IP address, the other to the other. The TCP/IP traffic will go over the respective link only, and assuming that both devices are able to handle that capacity (i.e., the drives are fast enough, no artificial bottleneck due to badly optimized network stacks, etc.), you will get a maximum performance close to the sum of the two bandwiths.







          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          AnoE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer






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          answered 3 hours ago









          AnoEAnoE

          1111




          1111




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              0














              No, first priority is the wired lan. If lan is disconnected then wifi is used.






              share|improve this answer








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              We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.



















                0














                No, first priority is the wired lan. If lan is disconnected then wifi is used.






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                  0












                  0








                  0







                  No, first priority is the wired lan. If lan is disconnected then wifi is used.






                  share|improve this answer








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                  No, first priority is the wired lan. If lan is disconnected then wifi is used.







                  share|improve this answer








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                  answered 14 hours ago









                  Arvind BakshiArvind Bakshi

                  171




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