Surface Pro 3 Slow WiFi - 72Mbps Max (driver)

So after all the updates were installed and several days/weeks of testing, I find that trying to use the AC band with the SP3 is just not possible.  The connection drops constantly.  I switched to the wilress 'N' ssid on the same router (which has a different SSID name) and the experience has been pleasant.  I have had to reboot the SP3 only once but I have had to switch the unit to airplane mode On/off about 3 times in order to reset the network card.  Overall it is not as horrible as it was before all the updates were done and I find myself forgetting that there is a Wi-Fi issue with the device.

So my internet connection is 50 mbps download, as you know most websites can't deliver that speed, so the wireless 'N' is more than enough capable to deliver a steady connection even if the internet location can deliver the data at 50 mbps.  I have no need for the wireless AC which only comes in handy when transferring large files between my computers and the SP3 inside the LAN.  This rarely happens and when I have to, the throughput is not that bad at 100-200 mbps for the occasional internal transfer using the Wireless 'N' connection.

Granted, it would be nice to have the SP3 use the wireless AC of course, *ALL* my other devices connect the AC ssid without ANY issues so I am still very confused on why Microsoft can't get this to work right when every other company has released products without these issues. 

But for consuming internet content, I would suggest only use the wireless 'N' connection and if you find yourself having a problem still, use the Wireless 'G' connection, that still delivers the data at about 50 mbps which is still faster than any 'normal' internet connection.  I say 'normal' because I am not one of the lucky ones with blazing fast internet connections.  Most of where I connect to the internet maxes out at 50 mbps and goes as low as 1 mpbs.  

So far after the updates I have not had any data throughput issues where the download or upload speed drops to the point that it drops the connection.  That problem has been resolved at least for me.

On Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:11:09 +0000, SteveInsley wrote:

>>I'm simply saying that many SP3 owners assume that 5GHz is better - it's a common misconception.  Sometimes it isn't better.

Typically 5 GHz works better when you are closer to the router than when you

move some distance away. That said, if you have an 802.11ac router (which

requires the 5 GHz radio for 802.11ac speeds) and you have a fast Internet

connection or if you are connecting to wired computers/devices that have gigE

Ethernet, chances are that the 5 GHz network could offer better

throughput/transfer speed than a 2.4 GHz SSID on the same router. Link speed

doesn't tell the whole story.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barb

Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

My Blog - http://digitalmediaphile.com/

Please mark as answered if this answers your question

What qualifies the "customers" in question to make product development decisions?

Hmmm lets see, possibly knowing that at my company I have 2.4 and 5GHz on the same SSID and having the choice to prefer 5GHz while not the best solution is still 1000X better than no choice at all, having to split my SSID, or ask a client we consult for to do the same. So yeah... pick another battle Steve.

I agree, Microsoft is making changes because they're actually needed. Maybe SteveInsley is happy with the way his SP3 is working but the 45 pages on this forum thread alone shows that all is not well in Surface Pro 3 land. In the perfect world the SP3 would dynamically pick the fastest possible wifi connection on a dual band router but the reality is that right now it picks the slowest then hard caps it so that it can power down the wifi controller to save battery. The hardware devs on the SP3 team are tweaking every possible setting to maximize energy so that the advertised 9 hours battery life will look competitive with other devices like Apples Macbook Air. Don't be fooled people, that is exactly what's going on here. 

Wow - way to totally misinterpret what I was saying.  Good job.

I'm simply saying that many SP3 owners assume that 5GHz is better - it's a common misconception.  Sometimes it isn't better.  I'm really glad it works for you, but forcing use of 5GHz just because it's available isn't the right solution.  15 years working in the industry for dozens of clients has taught me that.

To the second poster's point, I didn't say I was happy with the way my SP3 is working - I'm very disappointed with the poor throughput I get compared to my other devices (on any Wifi network I have cared to try) - but MS building a solution based on (potentially) flawed opinions or pandering to who shouts loudest with special cases seems wrong to me.  

But, I've only been building hardware and software solutions my whole career, so what do I know?

What qualifies the "customers" in question to make product development decisions?

Hmmm lets see, possibly knowing that at my company I have 2.4 and 5GHz on the same SSID and having the choice to prefer 5GHz while not the best solution is still 1000X better than no choice at all, having to split my SSID, or ask a client we consult for to do the same. So yeah... pick another battle Steve.

I agree, Microsoft is making changes because they're actually needed. Maybe SteveInsley is happy with the way his SP3 is working but the 45 pages on this forum thread alone shows that all is not well in Surface Pro 3 land. In the perfect world the SP3 would dynamically pick the fastest possible wifi connection on a dual band router but the reality is that right now it picks the slowest then hard caps it so that it can power down the wifi controller to save battery. The hardware devs on the SP3 team are tweaking every possible setting to maximize energy so that the advertised 9 hours battery life will look competitive with other devices like Apples Macbook Air. Don't be fooled people, that is exactly what's going on here.

What qualifies the "customers" in question to make product development decisions?

Hmmm lets see, possibly knowing that at my company I have 2.4 and 5GHz on the same SSID and having the choice to prefer 5GHz while not the best solution is still 1000X better than no choice at all, having to split my SSID, or ask a client we consult for to do the same. So yeah... pick another battle Steve.