Amtrak Wi-Fi (WiFi) Availability

Surprised no one else had posted this: Acela Wi-Fi 6x faster now.

Though, 6x faster doesn't necessarily mean more capacity.
One site I saw (though not one I'm familiar with and don't trust just yet) claims they'll now allow streaming on Acela.
If Acela is getting really good Wifi it would encourage my use over relying on my phone and taking a regional.

From the article:

The second phase involves continued construction of Amtrak’s dedicated trackside wireless network, which could ultimately stretch from Washington, D.C. to Boston and would reduce reliance on cellular-based networks.

Yes, yes, yes. Cellular is limited, and there's no service even on the NEC Regionals at times DC to NYC. If they can do trackside data... they better tunnel that connection to keep it stable. I don't know anything that can carry TCP/IP that's going 125 MPH.

They are advertising the faster wifi now at the stations for acela. They mention about able to do more, but not what exactly.

STrRedWolf wrote: I don't know anything that can carry TCP/IP that's going 125 MPH.

It's already going 3E8 m.s, +/- 55 m/s is hardly any Doppler shift!

More wifi details here including discussion of possible satelite link for LD:
https://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2016/ ... ing-acela/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Infuriating? Someone thinks so (paywall): Washington Post

Is expecting to "Zoom" too much?

Amtrak WiFi can be infuriating. Here’s how to make it work for you.

If you’ve ever tried to Zoom on the Northeast Corridor, you feel this

Earlier this summer, Kim Key boarded an Amtrak train in Atlanta and embarked on an experiment. During the some 16-hour trip to New York City, the PCMag security analyst attempted to use the rail car like a home office. Her biggest challenge wasn’t the motion or the subpar coffee; it was the temperamental WiFi.
...
Amtrak’s free WiFi works well ... until it doesn’t. Common frustrations include buffering videos, frozen teleconferencing calls, failed web searches and disconnections. However, understanding its limitations — and bringing backup technology — can vastly improve your online experience.
...
Amtrak introduced free WiFi in 2010 (most airlines still make you pay), when streaming and online videos were incipient and digital nomads were mythical creatures. Acela was the first train to offer the amenity. According to Amtrak, passengers can now connect on more than 30 short-haul and long-distance trains across the country. The company plans to upgrade to 5G. The new Acela fleet, which is scheduled to debut next year, will be the first to adopt the next generation of wireless technology.
...
Amtrak is candid about the limitations of its service. “For now our WiFi does not support high-bandwidth actions like streaming music, streaming video or downloading large files,” it states online. For a smoother experience, the company recommends downloading large files, such as a work presentation or entertainment, ahead of your trip.
...
Key had no issues using the WiFi for lighter tasks, such as scanning the internet, emailing, messaging on Slack and Discord, and listening to audio. The system struggled with more data-intensive media, such as YouTube, Netflix and Zoom. She said that, for heavier lifts, riders should pull out their phones. On her trip, she listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos on her T-Mobile-connected device.
...

My feelings are that Amtrak is thinking why should be upgrade all this equipment that is going to be replaced soon? May make good sense to the bean counters but good will to the traveling public and trying to advertise yourself to business travelers not so good. But at the same time my employer gives me a mifi pack to keep me online and I'm sure many other companies provides internet to their traveling employees. But even so it's time to upgrade your equipment Amtrak.

I've tried the "office in my sleeper cabin" thing. It works if you have to focus on writing a doc or reading a doc, but not when you have to email or call a lot, which most of us do now.

The impending fleet sea changes are a good point and its not surprising the wifi progress is at a standstill now. Would be kind of crazy to pour millions into a fleet that may completely turn over soon.

Also its worth reviewing where the business travelers are - corridors mostly - and focusing the wifi upgrades there. Also recall that business travelers have expense accounts and are usually willing to pay for premium wifi. That said, do you really want 10 people in your Acela or Regional trying to talk over each other on Zoom, possible forgetting their headphones and using speakerphone?

I have noticed in the past that conductors are a bit lax on enforcing the headphones rule, which is a big problem for me.

The biggest mistake amtrak made with their wifi was making it centered around the Cafe and Cab cars, and having it wirelessly linked between cars. Even the acela trainsets which have onboard CANBUS networks and ethernet dedicated for train functions, it is still wireless car to car. For the flexible trains each car should have its own unit. For high speed trains, it should be hard wired on the entire trainset with only one wireless connection point where it meets the world.

Washington Post wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 8:55 am

Acela was the first train to offer the amenity.

Actually it was the Downeaster. I remember the news articles about it. Amtrak officials made comments such as "the Downeaster is the perfect 'test tube' to experiment with new products before rolling them out to the rest of the network."

ANd what year was that? The acela trainsets started getting onboard wifi equipment as far back as 2008, and it came out to the public in 2010.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/trav ... ee_wifi_on

The Downeaster's wifi launched in 2008.

The Downeaster was also the first Amtrak train to offer electronic ticketing.

The issue here is two fold:

• The wifi is only as good as the cellular service in the particular area.
• The wifi gets worse the farther you're from the base station, which is only in certain equipment.

Tying off your phone will help the second part but the first part still remains. You're not going to have good signal in various areas. I would love to have cellular base stations along the western Keystone line into Pittsburgh.

Would Starlink work?

Satellite is line-of-sight, so it might work in open farmland but probably wouldn't work in a lot of other areas. Cellular is not line-of-sight, and it can penetrate buildings/structures, which allows it to work almost everywhere. It also has a bandwidth advantage over satellite.