The company rolled out a firmware update on Patch Tuesday

Jul 9, 2014 04:56 GMT  ·  By

As we reported to you last week, a company insider told us that Microsoft was planning to finally address the limited Wi-Fi connectivity issues experienced by Surface Pro 3 tablets on Patch Tuesday, so all units received a bunch of updates this morning.

Microsoft hasn't talked too much about the Surface Pro 3 fixes, but it mentioned on the Surface Pro 3 update history page that the system firmware update released this month indeed includes a limited Wi-Fi connectivity patch that's supposed to address all bugs reported by users.

The Wireless Network Controller and Bluetooth 15.68.3042.79 pack includes fixes that enhance system stability, reduce power consumption in low-power states, and improve some Wi-Fi connection scenarios, the company said in the release notes. While it doesn't specifically mention the limited Wi-Fi connectivity issues, it appears that this patch is supposed to address the bugs we first reported a couple of weeks ago.

The same system firmware update also includes Surface pro Embedded Controller Firmware version 38.2.50.0, which is also supposed to reduce power consumption and enhance system stability, but also a Surface Type Cover Firmware Update, version 2.0.1021.0, which improves trackpad reliability and system stability.

Microsoft says that a new update will follow on Wednesday, July 16, in order to “further improve Wi-Fi connection and throughput scenarios,” so in case today's firmware patches haven't solved the limited Wi-Fi connectivity issues for you, just wait another week to see if the company indeed addresses them.

At the same time, Redmond also warned that these patches are being provided via Windows Update in stages, so it might take a while until your device gets them.

“When Surface updates are provided via the Windows Update service, they are delivered in stages to Surface customers. As a result, not every Surface will receive the update at the same time, but the update will be delivered to all devices. If you have not received the update, please manually check Windows Update later,” the company said.

The Surface Pro 3 limited Wi-Fi connectivity issues first appeared after Microsoft shipped the first tablets to buyers in mid-June. The same bug also affected some SP3 successors, including the first-generation Surface and the second-generation Surface Pro, with Microsoft working on a patch for months.

This time, it appears that the company managed to address these issues faster, so everything should now work as expected on your Surface Pro 3 too.