Microsoft admits to connectivity problems with the Surface Pro 3

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 looked like it might be a winner for the gang in Redmond, when the slate was released last month. A tablet powerful enough to replace your laptop was how Microsoft has been promoting the device, something easily understood in the current ad for the Surface Pro 3, which is still in heavy rotation during World Cup telecasts.

Even though Microsoft has a tablet that it hopes will be an iPad killer, there are some problems with the slate that could hold back sales. One problem is the disappearing Wi-Fi connection. No, this is not a magician's trick from America's Got Talent. Apparently, some Surface Pro 3 owners are finding that when their slate awakens from a low power state called Instant Go, the Wi-Fi and network connection drivers are gone. Additionally, with the tablet on battery power, in some situations there is a slowdown in Wi-Fi speed to 6 Mbps. These issues can be remedied by restarting the tablet, but it is a pain in the derriere and does not lead to the seamless experience that Microsoft is bragging about.

Another solution that some have tried, is to downgrade the tablet and then manually install the Marvell Wi-Fi driver that was part of last month's update. Or, you might want to turn the the wireless adapter power settings to max performance.


Microsoft has been listening to complaints about the issues. It seems that they are related to an update that Microsoft pushed out the day before the tablet shipped. Some early review units of the tablet had revealed some bugs that needed to be exterminated. In doing so, Microsoft opened up a whole other can of worms. Engineers in Redmond are working on the problem. There is an update scheduled to go out a week from today, which will update the tablet's firmware or replace the faulty drivers.


source: ZDNet via WPCentral