Computers On Trains

[MRMARCUS]

Will be taking the Pacific Surfliner from San Diego and going all the way up to Vancouver

Does Wi-Fi work inside the trains?

Is there a preferred Wireless provider for Internet access while moving on the trains?

Thanks

 

[AmtrakLoverAndHater]

No, don't count on getting any Wi-Fi signal. You might get lucky if the train stops and there's a public network nearby.

I took my T-Mobile Wireless Access card that connects to the net via cell phone data transmission. The two biggest problems are that the train moves too quickly and the card loses signal because it has to move from tower to tower, and in many remote places there simply wasn't a signal.

Luckily there was a signal when both units died a little north of the horseshoe outside of SLO

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

WiFi works within a coverage range of the base station (Access Point) of about 250 feet (maximum), and a connection can be maintained only when there is essentially no relative movement. WiFi would have to be available inside the train for it to work. Amtrak does not provide in-train WiFi as VIA in Canada does on some of its trains. So, you are confined to digital cellular coverage for your wireless data connections in the manner described by AmtrakLoverAndHater. As a T-Mobile subscriber myself, I’ve found that I can get reliable data connections through T-Mobile’s cellular network (GPRS service) when available. The cellular data rates are considerable slower than the WiFi rates, but they are useful. Cingular has a similar mobile data service as does Verizon. I’ve used both these alternatives, and found them to work as well as the T-Mobile service, but the coverage areas are different among the network operators. You should not expect digital cellular coverage in the remote, rural areas Amtrak’s trains travel through.

 

[cbender]

As a T-Mobile subscriber myself, I’ve found that I can get reliable data connections through T-Mobile’s cellular network (GPRS service) when available.

I can do the same thing with Sprint, although I've only tried it (on the train) in the Northeast Corridor. The service is also quite handy when I travel by air and want to check my e-mail during a layover, but don't want to pay $6-8 to connect to an airport wireless service.