Surface 3 LTE has no internet on HSPA+ network

Hi There,

just to let you knowI have the exact same issue and it is really annoying!

I have a T-Mobile LTE SIM here in Germany and when I power up my S3-LTE it first connects to LTE and then after 2-3 Minutes goes to HSPA+ and then after 2-3 Minutes looses the connection and I have to reboot.

So I have to reboot every 5 Minutes - if I'm lucky. Sometimes I get only 2 minutes internet time.

The LTE connection of the S3-LTE has always been very unstable but after the last Firmware update it has become unbearable.

I just don't understand why MS of all companies cant't get it right? It'MS Software running on MS Hardware after all.

Until they can sort this issue out, my S3-LTE it completely worthless - very sad!

Hi!

Thank you for your reply.

It seems to really go wrong when switching networks indeed. Last few times I have had some succes with the following: when arriving at the train station I start up the Surface 3 and see it connect to HSPA+. Then there seems to be no issue and I have internet. If I get on the train then and start moving it seems to go wrong. Probably because the HSPA+ coverage is not sufficient and it doesn't switch, no it tries to stay connected to HSPA+. If I then disconnect it only disconnects the current data flow, but it stays connected to the network indicating "HSPA+" That's why I am then also unable to reconnect and have it search for the best connection.

However, if I use a different scenario: arrive at the train station, startup Surface 3, see it get connected to HSPA+, have internet and all and then disconnect and wait a while I am able to reconnect and it gets connected to LTE. Then I see that I have LTE the whole train ride and the connection is 100% stable. I should not try to reconnect too fast, because it starts complaining about the APN not being correct. For the time being, that seems to be the only way to force the Surface 3 to look for a better connection.

I really wonder if this is better in a Dell Venue Pro for example (since they have different WWAN cards). And I hope that at some point Samsung will come with a nice Surface 3 like device with LTE. The Tab Pro S is really looking good when it comes to that, but I think it is too large and it doesn't have LTE.

Regards,

Rudi

Hi Everyone

I live in Australia - I have just returned my Surface 3 LTE to the retailer as it would not connect properly.

The Telco provider has written to me after 4 months of very helpful service and a response from their engineers.

In short - the engineers have said their data infrastructure does not support the way the Surface 3 manages the different data classes within 3G and 4G.

Basically the Surface 3 will not have a stable connection until to our networks in Australia until this is sorted.

I was fairly happy with all other aspects of the Surface 3.

I would suggest that when you get around to sorting this out it would be good to have some sort of "reset connection" option rather than have to go through the whole process of restarting the system, logging into microsoft, logging into VPN for work then having your connection drop due to this issue and having to go through the whole process again.

NOTE: When it switches data classes and requests an APN it will not re-connect to the internet at all unless you restart PC. There is no option to manually change/request a different data class.

Hope some of that makes sense.

A.

Thank you for forwarding my question to other people. Hope it will help in the long run. And I understand that everything with cellular has to be supported by a lot of parties. Which is a pity, but I understand :)

I don't know if you have tried disabling cellular and re-enabling it when you are in the "bad state". (This may still require a reboot).

Other than rebooting, I don't think there is a way to achieve what you want. Here, on Verizon, when moving between cell towers, I haven't seen anything that requires a restart. But I very seldom am traveling and using my S3 LTE at the same time. And we have pretty good coverage where I am with few dead spots.

There really isn't anything else I can think of - but when you are "roaming" between cell towers, there is certainly a lot of opportunity for disruption.

If I disable cellular it automatically gets enabled again without working connection.

Normally if I go to the settings and disconnect I am not able to connect anymore. It mentions that I need to set the VP; which seems no issue when I restart it after disconnecting.

Last Thursday however I had some success disconnecting the cellular connection and reconnecting. I will continue to try. And I am looking for a second had Dell Venue Pro 8 with LTE, but I am not in a hurry there. As soon as I do come across a nice bargain I can test LTE on the same network, on Windows, using another LTE modem.

It looks like there is "ok" coverage. And, in another test I had the issue while in the office as well. I didn't move anywhere :)

But, I am happy to see that my questions are taken seriously!

I don't know if you have tried disabling cellular and re-enabling it when you are in the "bad state". (This may still require a reboot).

Other than rebooting, I don't think there is a way to achieve what you want. Here, on Verizon, when moving between cell towers, I haven't seen anything that requires a restart. But I very seldom am traveling and using my S3 LTE at the same time. And we have pretty good coverage where I am with few dead spots.

There really isn't anything else I can think of - but when you are "roaming" between cell towers, there is certainly a lot of opportunity for disruption.