Surface Pro 4 network speed is slower then all other devices on my network

Question

I just purchased a Surface Pro 4, and was having horrible network speed (speedtest.net reported between 5 and 10 MBps, with huge spikes and lags, which made streaming video nearly unwatchable).  After researching, I decided to upgrade my WIFI to 5G, so I bought a DLink DIR-819.    THis did help; I'm now get 17Mps download as measured by both SpeedTest.net and Microsoft's "Network Speed Test" app.  However, my laptop and smart phone both get 80+MBps, so while the increase in speed and stability is nice, I'm still only getting 1/4 of the network speed that I ought to.  This is difficult to accept on a device that cost as much as this does. 

Are there any settings I should be looking at that might help here?

Answer 1

that router is probably one of the worst choices IMO (there have been numerous reports of performance issues with Surface devices with the Marvell wifi). I know it is inexpensive.

If it were me, I'd return it (as it appears to be new) and buy something better.

I personally have and use a Netgear R7000 (latest firmware) and it works

perfectly with all my computers and devices.

I assume you have the latest firmware and different SSID names for the 2.4 and 5GHz channels.

After researching, I decided to upgrade my WIFI to 5G, so I bought a DLink DIR-819.

Answer 2

This is honestly one of the worst answers to a problem that I've ever seen.  So much so that I stopped what I was looking for just to sign in and make this reply.  Whether the OP's router is a good choice or not, the surface should be getting at least close to the same speed that the other devices are getting. 

I came here to the forum for help with my own WiFi issues with the 30 surfaces that we bought for our facility to iron out the bugs before we buy another 150 to 200 devices in the next 12 months.  It looks like the Zebra ET50 has better support than "buy new routers" because I can assure you we're not replacing all of our Motorola enterprise grade access points with R7000s.

Answer 3

Ah yes.  Lets see.  I have three laptops, a Nuk device, two gaming desktops, a browsing desktop, two smart phones, an android tablet, two gameboys, a PS4, and a NAS device.  All of which are able to connect to this router and access the internet at reasonable speeds.  And then I have one device, my Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which doesn't.  I've been in tech support long enough to be able to connect the dots...

IN addition to that, I've tested the Surface on other people's WIFI, as well as against my smartphone in tether mode.  IN all cases, the throughput on the Surface seems to cap at around 17Mpbs.  That number is consistent enough that I think it's safe to assume that there is some issue with the Surface, and NOT with the literally every other device that exists in my geography. 

The only real question at this point is if the problem is an actual defect in my particular Surface, or if there's something else.  But I think I'll be father ahead to return it to the store to see what they say.

Answer 4

Quick test here with my SP4 and a Galaxy S7 Edge on the same network and six inches away from each other, both facing the AP.  SP4 out of three speed tests has a max of 12.79.   The S7 has a minimum of 24.25.

You're not alone in wishing your Surface WiFi were better.

I could live here with the lower speeds, I just need it to switch access points sooner, before the signal is so bad the users start turning the surface off and back on to fix it.

Answer 5

Because there have been numerous reports of performance issues with Surface
devices with the Marvell wifi and this specific router, and because
Microsoft/Marvell is not doing compatibility work quickly (if at all), I made
the suggestion to try a different router.
The issue IS MOST LIKELY on the Surface Marvell driver side. There are a few
specific routers that exhibit this poor performance, even thought every other
device the customer owns has blazingly fast speed by comparison.
As for your case, in an Enterprise IT situation, you CAN get support by opening
an IT Support case (not the Answer Desk for consumers).
Suggesting that a customer replace a $45 router they just purchased and can
return for a refund is a but different than a multi thousand dollar Enterprise
wifi network.
And note that Microsoft officially does not support Enterprise Surface issues in
this forum and will tell you to call business support. An IT Pro support case is
really the only and proper way to get help for Enterprise issues. You can
certainly provide details here of what these issues are. Are you able to open an
IT Support case or do you need help doing this?

I came here to the forum for help with my own WiFi issues with the 30 surfaces that we bought for our facility to iron out the bugs before we buy another 150 to 200 devices in the next 12 months.  It looks like the Zebra ET50 has better support than "buy new routers" because I can assure you we're not replacing all of our

Motorola enterprise grade access points with R7000s.