Are the WIFI issues with the Surface Book resolved? (before I buy)

[sophie]

I need a new laptop now (current laptop 7 years old and very slow). I require a pen (I have never liked any trackpad of any company), 1Tb SSD, small form factor (13"), 2-in-1.

The choices I am considering are the Surface Book with Performance Base, and the Thinkpad Yoga X1.

The Yoga X1 is bit larger, so for me less portable.

So I would prefer the Surface Book (Performance Base).

I'm ready to make the purchase at the Microsoft Store; but the thing holding me back are the many reports of poor WIFI with the Surface Book, which some blame on the Marvell chip.

Are the WIFI issues (slow WIFI, inability to connect, dropped connections) really that common amongst surface book owners?
Has Microsoft fixed these issues, either by upgrading the Marvell Chip or upgrading the software?

Thanks!!
Sophie

 

[sharpuser]

I own two Surface Book computers - a 1TB and a 512. I travel the world with both, using good and very poor WiFi networks in cafes, airports, hotels, aircraft, and homes.

No problems.

I think you can buy with confidence.

 

[null4end]

I'll second that. Mine works great as well.

 

[Orlbuckeye]

I 3rd that. Although I never had any wireless issues and I purchased soon after it was released.

 

[MickeyLittle]

Add me to the list with no issues.

 

[BubbaUK]

No issues at the moment. The WiFi speed was originally awful out of the box (<20Mbs), but since the first firmware update it's been fine.

 

[Wayne Orwig]

Someone has WiFi issues? News to me, mine just works anywhere I go.

 

[MickeyLittle]

Someone has WiFi issues? News to me, mine just works anywhere I go.

This is the problem with media/forums, most of what is reported is BAD news. Forums are great but one must remember that most people post topics to ask questions about issues they are having. How many people are going to start a thread titled "Wow my Surface Book had great Wi-Fi?"

 

[sophie]

Thanks everyone for your responses!
I just purchased the Surface Book Performance Base 1 TB.
I'll post once again after I receive the Surface, with how its WIFI speed compares with my current (Fujitsu Lifebook T900) 7 year old laptop.

 

[sharpuser]

Excellent. I love my Surface Book with Performance Base 1TB. I use the Surface Dial with it, too, and I project to AppleTV effortlessly using AirParrot 2.

WiFi is perfect.

Speed test with Surface Book 25% faster than my MacBook Pro Retina 15.

 

[toaf]

don't confuse windows 10 wifi issues with surface issues. if the "notepad" had a full usb port I would totally get a book.

 

[sophie]

So I received my Surface Book with Performance Base, and I compared the wifi on the Surface Book with that on my 7 year old Fujitsu Lifebook T900 (Windows 7).

I used speedtest.net for the tests, on my home network.
My testing is not at all scientific, I did not do the same number of readings on the two laptops.
Partly because frequently my Lifebook T900 could not connect to my 5G network while the Surface Book had no trouble.

Here are my results:

Surface Book 2.4G speeds: download: 53.78 (avg. 8 readings)
upload: 10.82 "
5G speeds: download: 74.42 "
upload: 10.93 "

Lifebook T900 2.4G speeds: download: 5.04 (avg. 4 readings)
upload: 10.91 "
5G speeds: download: 12.99 (avg. 2 readings)
upload: 11.11 "

Because of earlier reports, I was worried the Surface Book would not be as fast as my Lifebook T900. Worries were obviously unfounded.

There have also been reports of Creators Update breaking the WIFI.
So I also tested my Surface Book after the Creators Update, which I received yesterday:

2.4G speeds: download: 63.7 (avg. 3 readings)
upload: 10.99 "
5G speeds: download: 77.14 "
upload: 10.97 "

In conclusion, I don't see issues with the WIFI on my surface book. Additionnaly, Creators Update did not degrade my WIFI.

Again, thanks to everyone who responded to my initial post!

Sophie

NB. It is so frustrating that this post could not retain the original formatting when published.