SWT Class 450 WiFi

[Goldfish62]

...was switched on today.

I only noticed when my phone alerted me to it. It was quite fast, but then I was probably the only person on the train using it.:roll:

 

[The Ham]

...was switched on today.

I only noticed when my phone alerted me to it. It was quite fast, but then I was probably the only person on the train using it.:roll:

It wasn't on all 450's I traveled on yesterday. However it was fairly swift on the morning peak hour service which if it were a 444 would be slow to intermittent.

Part of that was probably due to a lack of people knowing and those that did were possibly not using as much as if they knew it was there ( ooh I have Wi-Fi what emails do I have, rather than I can get x, y and z done on the free Wi-Fi )

 

[TEW]

Posting via 450021's WiFi now. Certainly seems a bit quicker than 444s at the moment.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

008/032 was active today, it was too bad, until I compared it to my 4G connection and then it was so slow.

 

[theironroad]

Haha, connection request came up today and I thought must be a 444 on adjacent platform at Waterloo, but was still there after we left. Don't know which unit but certainly active today.

 

[infobleep]

I needed to do some online banking last night so thought I'd do it whilst traveling back home using my 4G connection but to my surprise I had WiFi. At first I thought must be some 444 near by but no, it carried on as we left the station.

It was fast but my thought was, this is just me being lucky because the 444s range from rubbish to good. So I'd expect the same service on a 450.

I don't know how many 450 users would have traveled on 444s to have already set up their WiFi and thus be alerted automatically.

I think most routes with 450s have at least one service that is a 444. Reading to Waterloo and the Guildford to Ascot ones most likely don't.

Does anyone know when this will come to the 455s and 456s?

When travelling I currently use my 4G, which being on O2 is intermittent. Having WiFi on the train as well would be good alternative.

If the service quality is largely based on numbers using it, I'd expect the 455s to be fast as they start from Guildford with less people on them.

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

The main advange I see is that 450 bodyshells are like Fariday cages. So reception is poor at the best of times.

 

[infobleep]

Well yesterday evening from Woking to Guildford I couldn't connect and this morning I cannot connect. So it seems the service is now working as expected, I. E. It half the time it doesn't work for many and varied reasons. Passenger numbers obviously being one reason but not the only one.

This train does have two sets of passengers from Guildford and other stations on it, due to late running today so that wouldn't help.

Perhaps they have all logged in to find out why this train is late. The one behind it to Waterloo has a note on National Rail Enquiries to say it's being delayed due to a late running preceding train. No idea though if that's this one or not as there's no note against this service but it might be we are running just as late.

Now on the 8.05 from Woking to Waterloo. This train starts at Farnham but is a stopping service as far as Surbiton so it's not massively packed.

I was about to say the WiFi doesn't work but it now is working. Just took 5 minutes to being up the option to be able to log in.

Update: WiFi connection has now been lost after 3-4 minutes! The service is going as expected then. Saying that the issue appears to be with my mobile but the signal strength metre on my tablet is at a low state so could be a kit of both my mobile and the train WiFi being weak.

 

[DelW]

Travelling on 450s on Sunday and Monday, Wi-Fi was working well in both (off-peak) trains. In the early days of Wi-Fi on 444s they tended to lose the connection through the tunnels south of Guildford and needed you to log in again afterwards, but that was OK this weekend. Maybe the fact that I am now registered rather than using the initial system which didn't need registration might have made the difference. South of Godalming is a signal-free zone for most networks so it will be interesting to see how (if?) it works through there.

 

[embers25]

Well yesterday evening from Woking to Guildford I couldn't connect and this morning I cannot connect. So it seems the service is now working as expected, I. E. It half the time it doesn't work for many and varied reasons. Passenger numbers obviously being one reason but not the only one.

This train does have two sets of passengers from Guildford and other stations on it, due to late running today so that wouldn't help.

Perhaps they have all logged in to find out why this train is late. The one behind it to Waterloo has a note on National Rail Enquiries to say it's being delayed due to a late running preceding train. No idea though if that's this one or not as there's no note against this service but it might be we are running just as late.

Now on the 8.05 from Woking to Waterloo. This train starts at Farnham but is a stopping service as far as Surbiton so it's not massively packed.

I was about to say the WiFi doesn't work but it now is working. Just took 5 minutes to being up the option to be able to log in.

Update: WiFi connection has now been lost after 3-4 minutes! The service is going as expected then. Saying that the issue appears to be with my mobile but the signal strength metre on my tablet is at a low state so could be a kit of both my mobile and the train WiFi being weak.

Data barely works between Woking and Guildford or in the vicinity of Weybridge so it's no surprise wifi is dodgy there too.

 

[infobleep]

Data barely works between Woking and Guildford or in the vicinity of Weybridge so it's no surprise wifi is dodgy there too.

Sometimes it works though when I wouldn't expect it to. Also it wasn't working in places where my mobile was.

The signal seemed better once I was off the train at Surbiton.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Tonight I got trains an hour later than last night. First train from Surbiton was the delayed 18.40. WiFi worked. I would say the train looked as busy as the 8.05 was this morning.

Then I boarded the late running 18.58 from Woking. This is a busy train and the WiFi worked.

It worked all the way to Guildford and that includes going through Worpolesden were O2 don't work.

Why did it work on this train but not the trains this morning? There will be a technical reason for it but it can't surely be passenger numbers as this train is much busier than the 8.05 from Woking. That only gets busy further up the line.

 

[lj9090]

... In the early days of Wi-Fi on 444s they tended to lose the connection through the tunnels south of Guildford and needed you to log in again afterwards, but that was OK this weekend. Maybe the fact that I am now registered rather than using the initial system which didn't need registration might have made the difference ...

I think the old system used to kick you off after an hour. For me it dropped out somewhere around Basingstoke.

 

[infobleep]

Does anyone know what the next model of train to get WiFi on South West Trains will be?

What about the 455/456 trains?

Back on topic, overall I've found the WiFi to be better on the 450s than the 444s. I don't know if that's just luck or whether the 444s have improved.

The video adverts have now gone from the login page.

 

[swt_passenger]

458/5s are getting wifi as part of the Wabtec delay compensation package aren't they?

Don't think 455s have ever been mentioned. 158 and 159 might reasonably get wifi I suppose.

 

[infobleep]

458/5s are getting wifi as part of the Wabtec delay compensation package aren't they?

Has that already happened or still to happen? I've only travelled on those trains once.

 

[swt_passenger]

Has that already happened or still to happen? I've only travelled on those trains once.

Don't know, they may not even have designed the fit yet.

 

[Bigfoot]

The 458/5s will receive wifi once all units are converted.

 

[TEW]

458/5s are getting wifi as part of the Wabtec delay compensation package aren't they?

Don't think 455s have ever been mentioned. 158 and 159 might reasonably get wifi I suppose.

All units are due to get WiFi. The diesel fleet is expected to be the last fitted though.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

455s are not getting it, as far as I know. Even the on the 450 and 4th it's flaky and slow.

 

[infobleep]

Thanks for clarifying that. That's a shame. What about 456s? If they receive it then some services would have 2 out of 10 cars with WiFi.

Why not put it on the 455s. There is a fair amount of them and commuters that use them. 30-50 minute journey on one would be ample time to make use of the WiFi. If the 455s don't need it, why do the 450s? Also why do the 458/5 services need it. Do people travel for longer on those services compared to 455s?

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Suburban stock won't be getting it as the average journey time is short, whereas on a 450/444, it's considerably longer. You'll get it on certain peak services which are formed of Desiro stock though.

 

[Panda]

I used the wifi throughout December on the 450's and it was a generally good service. Since last week however, I have only been able to use it for one of my journeys (I make two journeys every weekday).

I have had:

* Wifi not available at all
* Connecting, but never actually obtaining an IP address
* Connecting, but the sign in page never loads, even after several tries
* Connecting, sign in successful, but then the service is so slow that it is completely useless

I complained to SWT who simply said to take it to NomadRail. I'll be putting together the details of what happened and which carriage I was in then sending them the details. I'm not really hopeful that they will do anything.

It's a bit disappointing as it was a fairly decent service for being free, yet now it is completely unusable in most instances.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

That's what I find, so I have an EE sim in my tablet and a 3 sim card in my mobile portable hotspot, so I can usually get a high quality and high speed connection all of the time, the train may have WiFi, but it's not much cop to me, so I use my own data.

 

[infobleep]

Suburban stock won't be getting it as the average journey time is short, whereas on a 450/444, it's considerably longer. You'll get it on certain peak services which are formed of Desiro stock though.

Does anyone know what the average journey time on a 455 is?

What is the average on a 450?

How long does a journey need to be before WiFi is worth putting in?

Many underground stations have it. Personally I think some of the major national railway stations should also have it.

I notice some of the Southern metro services now have trains with plug stockists at every batch of seats. No WiFi but what are the average journey times on these services?

Interestingly the 455s are used on the Guildford Ascot route but not on Saturdays when 450s are used. So on Saturdays it has WiFi but not Sunday to Friday. I realise it's just stock rotation needs that mean this to be the case rather than the average journey time.

 

[swt_passenger]

I notice some of the Southern metro services now have trains with plug stockists at every batch of seats.

Bit of a niche market surely? I'd prefer a normal buffet...

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Your tryping errots hav bean bort two ewe twoday by awtoe korect!

 

[infobleep]

That's what I find, so I have an EE sim in my tablet and a 3 sim card in my mobile portable hotspot, so I can usually get a high quality and high speed connection all of the time, the train may have WiFi, but it's not much cop to me, so I use my own data.

Well the data service from O2 is patchy so I find the WiFi useful.

The reason I've not switched is that I like the O2 customer service and my parent use O2 Pay and go. It would cost them more if I switched.

O2 autocap data if you exceed, as standard. Vodafone require you to ring up to enable it. I don't know about EE.

As for metro routes. It seems odd that the line through Cobham to Surbiton and even via Bookham as far as Leatherhead is considered metro when it only has 2 services an hour and is very rural. Of course that doesn't mean average journey times are not lower than other routes, given they are closer to London.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Bit of a niche markey surely? I'd prefer a normal buffet...

Haha. Oops. There was I think a Frenchman who ate a plane. I was clearly thinking of him and exaggerating! That's my excuse for today.

 

[Goldfish62]

455s are not getting it, as far as I know. Even the on the 450 and 4th it's flaky and slow.

I'd be amazed if fitment wasn't an early commitment in the next franchise.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

I'd be amazed if fitment wasn't an early commitment in the next franchise.

What to fit flaky and slow Wifi?

 

[infobleep]

What to fit flaky and slow Wifi? [emoji38]

Speed of the WiFi is probably irrelevant. Fitting it is possibly all that matters. Lol.