CrossCountry WiFi!!

[ajdunlop]

I was on a XC Voyager in the Quiet Zone which had stickers up saying "Free WiFi - available on this coach", so i whipped out my phone and sure enough there it was. However, it tried to direct me to a log in page but instead I got an error about the train's connection with the outside world not working. Ah well it is new so maybe it isn't fully operational.
I also noticed for the 1st time that the LED display in the carriage said "Quiet Zone F" which is new as normally it just says "Coach F".
Also I am surprised that the WiFi is to be free, most other TOCs seem to charge, at least in Standard, this is very unlike XC unless they are trying to avoid that fine.

 

[Masbroughlad]

Probably free while they trial it. I am sure when it goves live on their network that like everything else AXC do, it will be extortionate and not work 50% of the time!

 

[lyesbkz]

The only on-board WiFi that I have ever found decent enough to actually be useable and not frustrating is that on East Midlands Trains between Leicester and London!

 

[SS4]

Free for beta testing I suspect. WiFi is too good for them not to charge in standard especially since free WiFi will be a selling point for First tickets. If I were cynical I'd say AXC will use it to stealthily rise fares/decrease the amount of tickets available.

Makes me want to go to BHM and sit on the platform and see which trains I can scan for WiFi

 

[Lampshade]

^^

EMT does have pretty decent WiFi.

 

[WestCoast]

I've found Virgin's (and EMTs) Wi-Fi to be quite good, most likely as on Virgin it is powered by T-Mobile and is chargeable in Standard on both TOCs. East Coast/NXEC/GNER has always been a little patchy if I'm honest. However, on both on EMT and Virgin there are ways around that....

 

[ainsworth74]

East Coast/NXEC/GNER has always been a little patchy if I'm honest.

It really is bad on EC, even when I travel first class (with free wi-fi) I don't even bother to try it and jump straight onto my mobile broadband. Only costs £2 for a day, has a reasonable speed and 512mb fair use policy which is good enough for 5-6 hours (in total) on a train.

But I suppose to be fair to EC I have a feeling of all the wi-fi systems around EC's is by far the oldest as it was installed by GNER (when it was a UK first) and if it hasn't had any significant upgrade since, then I'm not surprised it's struggling what with the enourmous growth in wi-fi capable devices.

 

[NSEFAN]

I recently discovered the free voyager wifi. It was so slow that I eventually gave up using it! Also, the registration form where you create a password types out the password you give in plain font for the whole world to see! :roll:

 

[Crossover]

It would have been 220 030 you had - I picked up the same train at 22:47 from Stoke so decided to give it a whirl.

Logged on using my iPod - log in page appeared, then disappeared and it let me on (which I thought was a bit odd but wasn't complaining)
Managed to do a couple of things on Facebook but it then decided it wasn't going to load webpages so I gave up!

As a few people have said, it is in testing at the moment and this is the only XC train to have WiFi AFAIK. What you said NSEFAN about the login page not hiding the password is a bit of a worry, I have to say.

Generally speaking you can pick up WiFi outside of the train and I have done this with EC when the trqin was standing around for a while - standing near FC is the best bet obviously if you want more than 15 mins!

As for the matrix signs, where I was it just said "COACH D" and I did think it looked different (I think it used to be sentence case) - maybe they have done a software update which has changed a few things on the CIS (I believe a few of the 350's have had software mods which have also changed the CIS, so it's plausible)

 

[noddy1878]

Yes it is 220030. I was on it the other week and I didn't have any probes logging on with my mobile and it loaded everything I asked it too, which surprised me. Was only on it for 15 minutes though. It even worked in a rather long tunnel (don't know its name, between Sheffield and Chesterfield).

 

[Welshman]

It even worked in a rather long tunnel (don't know its name, between Sheffield and Chesterfield).

Bradway

 

[185]

XC Promised free WiFi as part of their franchise commitment.

By the time it works on all trains, the franchise will no doubt be over and the new owner will probably charge.

 

[schwa]

The Heathrow Express wifi always seems to work without fail..

 

[philjo]

I was on one of the Chiltern loco hauled services to Birmingham recently (13:20 from Marylebone).
The Wifi on there was very quick & reliable. Chiltern obviously hadn't done anything to it as you have to connect to "Wrexham & Shropshire" as the network name & when you do this it welcomes you to the Wrexham & Shropshire wifi service!

 

[DarloRich]

I have to say i have always found the WIFI on Grand Central to be pretty good. Virgin is good, at least as far as Birmingham and Manchester

BUT it would be very helpful to me IF XC could get some WIFI. They have no real excuse on the HST sets!

 

[TUC]

It really is bad on EC, even when I travel first class (with free wi-fi) I don't even bother to try it and jump straight onto my mobile broadband. Only costs £2 for a day, has a reasonable speed and 512mb fair use policy which is good enough for 5-6 hours (in total) on a train.

But I suppose to be fair to EC I have a feeling of all the wi-fi systems around EC's is by far the oldest as it was installed by GNER (when it was a UK first) and if it hasn't had any significant upgrade since, then I'm not surprised it's struggling what with the enourmous growth in wi-fi capable devices.

Although East Coast's justification for introducing charging for wifi was that they had upgraded the system.

 

[Crossover]

Been on 220030 again this afternoon so decided to give it another go. This time I actually got the registration page and logged in and it worked

Did a speed check and to Birmingham got a 51ms ping, 0.06 MB/s download (horrific, but it still worked like it was better) and ~5.8MB/s upload (whoa!!!!)

Also, the registration form where you create a password types out the password you give in plain font for the whole world to see! :roll:

Noticed this and swiftly changed it to something that didn't matter. I do hope that it is hashed properly in the database though!

 

[rmt-driver]

The wifi on FHT services is a total waste of time, took me over an hour just to manage to do there registration form.

 

[Yorkswatcher]

Although East Coast's justification for introducing charging for wifi was that they had upgraded the system.

Yeah they upgraded it to increase speed but is still very slow. And seems to think your in Sweden.

The Hull Trains one is free and is pretty good.

 

[Max]

Hull Trains Wifi is very fast and completely free. One good thing about the 180s at least!

 

[Skimble19]

The wifi on FHT services is a total waste of time, took me over an hour just to manage to do there registration form.

You spent an hour trying to do a registration form!? How? Was this service particularly busy or something? :-?

 

[rmt-driver]

You spent an hour trying to do a registration form!? How? Was this service particularly busy or something? :-?

Not really.. both ways it was pretty much useless (the wifi), and speaking to other passengers around me (in FC) they found the same thing, and had given up.

 

[Crossover]

I'm sure this is a stalker train for me at the moment as I was on it again this evening (on a different part of the route to yesterday too, and a different direction!)

Logged on without any problem (and it does hide the password when you put it in here )

Still quite slow but managed to post something to facebook this time which didn;t seem to work last night!