Microsoft Surface Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 23, 2012 9:01 PM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Microsoft
- Mobile
- Surface
- Windows RT
WiFi Performance
Microsoft made an unusual choice for Surface’s WiFi hardware, it uses a Marvell AVASTAR dual-band MIMO (2x2) 802.11n wireless network controller (88W8797?). Marvell tends to be one of the more cost effective players in the industry which could help explain Microsoft’s choice.
Despite the rarely used silicon, WiFi range on Surface is quite good. Subjectively I was able to hold on to 2.4GHz signals at greater distances than I could on both the 3rd gen iPad, ASUS’ Transformer Pad Infinity and even compared to the VivoTab RT based on some short time I had with the device. Surface also maintains good distances on 5GHz however the performance drop offs are far more significant.
The sweet spot for Surface’s WiFi appears to be around 40 feet away from an AP, with minimal obstructions (doors/walls are fine). Within this range in my testing I was able to maintain speeds of around 20 – 40Mbps. Add another 20 or so feet and you’ll see performance cut in half again.
Although range is good on Surface, at the outer edges of coverage you’re looking at 2 – 4Mbps, which is only really enough for casual web browsing.
The only real downside to Surface’s WiFi performance is its peak performance. I wasn’t able to get beyond 42Mbps when copying files to the device from a local server on the network. It’s possible that I was limited by some file sharing protocol overhead, but without a good suite of network performance tools for Windows RT it was the best I could do for now.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
235 Comments
View All Comments
vedye - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Wow. No idea how u got that impression. Especially after reading the opening. You must have a strong imindpower.anomaly597 - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Yeah, you definitely have no preconceived allegiances or anything.MadMan007 - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Are you aware of the name of the website you're reading? It's ANANDtech, Anand started it himself years ago and runs the show. He's not sold off control to any media conglomerate or other company. There is no way anyone can truly 'force' him to do anything on his webiste.krutou - Saturday, October 27, 2012 - link
Doesn't mean he's not biased.tviceman - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Did you really just say "Apple" and "magic" in the same sentence without being sarcastic???Gradly - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
Yes this is true. It feels like this:The software sometimes buggy yet that's OK, the display is not perfect or retina but its OK, Its not a competitors to iPad or Androids but a completely new species and that's OK, the kickstand may break if you pressed hard on it and that's OK, the classic windows interface may be not suitable for touch but against all odds its OK, you need time to get used to the keyboard and I read some of reviewers had troubles pressing lightly or hard in order to type but however its OK, lack of applications and this is OK, etc
Overall Its totally OK
michal1980 - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
Lets see:Ipad 2012 review - ~20 pages
iphone 5 review ~20 pages
Ipad keyboard review - 3 pages all by it self
Iphone 4s review ~15 pages
Galaxy note 2 review - ~10 pages
Brand new product, with a brand new os, from a major player in the market
gets ~11 pages of a review.
hmm.
Just rename the site appletech.
Said that it has swung so much into an i-love website.
michal1980 - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
I meant sad, not said.Anonymous1a - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
@Michal1980, your comments are rather absurd! What do you mean he was forced to do it? If he didn't want to review it, he can easily return the device. Secondly, what magic is losing out of Apple devices? He me mentions potential flaws in them just like he mention them in the Surface. Haven't you even read the review? Yes, he pointed out some of the flaws in the device, but he also said that this was one of the best tablets on the market right now and a very well executed effort.And, for those who claim he is biased, how can you ask your views on such absurd comments, like Michal's? They have nearly no substance to them - oh, and far worse are those who are accusing him of favouring Apple because he is Indian. This is levels beyond ridiculous.
michal1980 - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
I meant oozing out of apple devices.And my comment is based on reading all of the reviews. Theres a far different tone in apply articles then this one.
Like I said before, the article reads like it was forced. Go back and read an apple review, and the tone is far different. While no one can 'force' Anand to do anything, this article IMHO reads like he only wrote it because its part of his job.