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

Yes I am having the same problem with the $1500 dollar device that downloads slower than many phones. When I first purchased it, I tested the throughput on speedtest.net all of my other computers and devices will download anywhere from 20-40Mbs. The Surface Pro 3 will only download at 3Mbs max. I didn't look at what it connects at since that doesn't really tell you what the actual throughput is. It is the same at WiFi hotspots so now I have a $1500 dollar computer that can't even stream HD youtube videos without constantly buffering. I had to buy an edimax nano wifi usb adapter to get decent speeds. It doesn't stick out of the device far because it is so small. But now I don't have any open usb ports for a mouse or the usb stick that I use for school at my college. But that $10 dollar usb adapter outperforms the internal one by far. Which is a huge shame Microsoft should seriously consider dropping Marvell from any of it's future products and it is not like Microsoft did not know about this from previous devices that use Marvell's WiFi chip. The Xbox uses it too and they have the same issues.

     I tested the speed before I did any updates and the Wifi speed was decent and I didn't have any connection issues at the time. Then the firmware update came out in late August and that is when I lost all of my WiFi speed. I tried to roll back but there was no option for that and I tried to find the old driver from Microsoft, it is not available to download online. Only the newest version can you download. I also went to Marvell's website and it is not available on their website either to download, so I got screwed. Although I can say it is an incredibly awesome device, except for the horrible WiFi which would be a deal breaker for many. I am still angry about it there is nothing I can do other then, when people inquire about the surface pro. I tell them that it's great but the WiFi s*cks and I am going to do a youtube video on it as well since no-one else seems to have many videos on it and I believe the consumers should know about it before spending their hard earned money on something they may regret. If Microsoft doesn't want me to make a video about it they can send me one for free. Because I am not going to turn the one I have in with all the tweaks and work I have on it. I have over 500 subscribers and over 200,000 views and I hardly even make videos.

I hope they come out with a firmware update soon. But the research I did on Marvell doesn't give me any confidence and while the chip looked good on paper it doesn't seem to perform in the real world. So you have an AC WiFi device with less than B device speeds. Doesn't even make sense to have the AC WiFi if it cannot perform. It seems Microsoft should have stayed with a more tried and true technology at least for the WiFi part but the rest of it is quite revolutionary and I have only had it two weeks!!! 

I have been using computers since DOS and I am currently enrolled and going to school to be a software engineer. It has nothing to do with the power plans or Hyper V. It makes no difference. Maybe it had something to do with connectivity but it has nothing to do with throughput and download speeds, since receiving doesn't use power except for the device has to be on, transmitting uses power. The only possible fix is a firmware update or Microsoft ditch Marvell from its future products. I have a feeling this is more Marvell's fault though and they are not worthy of any future business when they hurt your bottom line. I am not sure if Microsoft's placement for receiving and transmitting signals from the WiFi device is in an optimal place within the device though or its antenna's. Anyone know? But knowing that other devices have the same problems makes me lean toward a cr*ppy integrated chip. I can be right next to the router or any router with full bars and slow throughput. 10-15 times slower than comparable devices that are not even AC. None of the Reviews I watched on Youtube really mentioned this problem in any kind of depth, if at all.

I have ended up resetting my unit and starting from scratch. I did all the updates but teh August one and my unit is a lot better than it was. Still not great speeds to my AC1900 Nighthawk router w/latest firmware though as its only transfers from my NAS at 35MB/s.

If you are looking for all the drivers and firmware released so far, here is the link:

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Tablets/Microsoft/

To install the drivers, I would recommend doing the old right-click/select Install method

I have ended up resetting my unit and starting from scratch. I did all the updates but teh August one and my unit is a lot better than it was. Still not great speeds to my AC1900 Nighthawk router w/latest firmware though as its only transfers from my NAS at 35MB/s.

If you are looking for all the drivers and firmware released so far, here is the link:

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Tablets/Microsoft/

To install the drivers, I would recommend doing the old right-click/select Install method

 It would be far safer to get these drivers and firmware directly from Microsoft

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38826

Barb... While your monitoring of this thread is appreciated. That link you provided only has the current drivers and firmware which as stated all over the internet causes more issues than it fixes.

The link I provided is safe, and also contains ALL releases of the items provided by Microsoft.

Barb... While your monitoring of this thread is appreciated. That link you provided only has the current drivers and firmware which as stated all over the internet causes more issues than it fixes.

The link I provided is safe, and also contains ALL releases of the items provided by Microsoft.

Not to mention the fact that the Microsoft page Barb linked to is confusing to use. Why doesn't Microsoft just focus on supplying updated drivers for this Marvell network controller instead of bundling up several different drivers and updates into a zip file. Honestly the ONLY thing that is frustrating me right now with my SP3 is the wifi performance. I won't sit here and claim that I know how to tackle this issue but it's going on 4 months now with no improvements. I'm sure that everyone's patience is wearing pretty thin right about now.