82 London Underground stations to get free Wi-Fi for the Olympics
Virgin Media has begun rolling out its wireless network to the London Underground with Oxford Circus, Stratford, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and Leicester Square being among the first stations to offer a Wi-Fi service to commuters. The telco said that it planned to connect 82 stations on the Tube network by the end of July. …
This topic is closed for new posts.
"Monopoly" ??
I take it you will be describing the provider at every other place in the UK where there's only one Wi-Fi network as a "monopoly" provider ??
MacDonalds, Wetherspoons......
Re: "Monopoly" ??
That actually depends on a few things such as -
who your Broadband supplier is, or mobile phone or house phone.
As I am a sky and an orange subscriber I can pretty much walk around using anything I choose. If i had a BT phone then the choice is even greater. Of course in the good old days i would simply war drive and hook up on numerous unprotected wifi.
Re: "Monopoly" ??
Yes, it is a Monopoly, the last time I looked McDonalds and Wetherspoons were mostly above ground with some kind of mobile data service also available.
Re: Seems a totally pointless exercise to me
Not so sure myself. I'd like to be able to get one of the departure boards up on my phone when standing at the platform - usually you can't actually see the real departure board behind all the CCTV cameras, half-finished roofing sections and giant advert projection systems.
Ahhh...
Crank up those extended laptop batteries and prepare to sniff many foreign language passwords for many unencrypted websites via the unencrypted WiFi.
Clarification please
If you have Virgin Broadband is that enough or do you have to use their shonky mobile phone service to get free WiFi?
Re: Clarification please
Reverse clarrification please - If you have Virgin Mobile is that enough or do you have to use their shonky broadband service to get free WiFi?
Bollox to the wifi
...how about some damned air con that actually works, for use during the summer months?
Devil, 'cos it's devilishly hot down there.
Re: Bollox to the wifi
IIRC there's still an open challenge to design an effective (given cost and location) air con system for the underground.
This aside, we could improve things by executing those tube-jockeys who in this weather close the windows and air vents.
Next up, the soap dodgers...
Re: Bollox to the wifi
Actually they've improved air circulation in a lot of the stations by installing big fans and trialled other things like evaporative coolers in other stations. The new Vicky line trains also have much better fans inside I think. It has made a small difference, although granted it does seem they're just pushing hot air around most of the time.
I think the main problem is the cost of installing anything more effective so far underground on a pretty busy piece of public infrastructure.
Re: Bollox to the wifi
Biggest problem is controlling the circulation. Only reason why it can be done on the core part of the Jubilee line is because they have platform doors. Therefore, they can place normal air-con within the underground station. Also, it's possible to channel cooler air through the tunnel with the seperation between train and platform/station.
This equals big money!
On the wi-fi front, it'll be handy to get national rail information whilst waiting at the underground platform so I proactively choose what train I want to get etc. If allowed, BBM/iMessage would be handy to message whilst underground.
I'm sure if you had enough money, you could pursuade Boris to let you deploy your own system against VM (who I really don't have much confidence in anyway).
Re: Bollox to the wifi
"Only reason why it can be done on the core part of the Jubilee line is because they have platform doors. Therefore, they can place normal air-con within the underground station"
I reckon they should install those doors on all the zone 1 stations. Would cut down on people jumping / being pushed onto the tracks and knocking out key stations. With the savings from less delays and cancellations it should pay back the investment in a reasonable amount of time, and if that meant the prospect of air conditioning even better.
Re: Bollox to the wifi
Innumerable reasons why this is much more difficult that people imagine. The only reason they are there on (part of) the Jubilee line is that they were designed in from the off - everything on the extension has them, from Westminster to Stratford. Don't forget, the Jubilee used to terminate at Charing Cross - the stations to the north have no PEDs (platform edge doors).
Re: Bollox to the wifi
That challenge was by Ken years ago, it was for cooling the station platforms rather than trains.
It was won and the system was trialled at Victoria, they pumped groundwater around heat exchangers and out into the sewers to remove heat (a very elegant system as they only needed to add heat exchangers to the existing pumping system), it wasn't expanded by BoJo, he's far more interested in covering everything in adverts for very little return.
Re: Bollox to the wifi
I still don't understand why they convert the heat to electricity. There are vacuum diodes that can do this already, and since efficiency isn't the key requirement here, they are probably quite suitable. I did suggest this approach during the competition, but didn't get anywhere :(
Re: Bollox to the wifi
..Don't covert the heat to electricity...
Re: Bollox to the wifi
It wasn't expanded by Ken either. IIRC he had time to do it before losing his job.
Soap dodgers
If only. I've come across enough people who evidently missed their annual bath for the second time that it has put me off using the tube altogether. Eugh.
Re: Bollox to the wifi
What about a convertible soft-top tube train?
Re: Bollox to the wifi
Everything from westminster to Stratford, except canning town, west ham and Stratford, which are above ground, so no doors there. Don't travel much east huh?
Perfect for sidejacking.
Most people don't know the first thing about security, so expect to hear some stories.
Not a monopoly
From www.virginmedia.com/wifi
"After that, full internet access will be available to customers of Virgin Media and selected networks, as well as on a Pay As You Go basis."
Woo-hoo another paid for wifi service
As a vodafone customer, i was always supposed to have bt wifi when out and about... never worked.
When i come across a wifi area where i have to put a card, i just can't be bothered with it.
If i really need internet i can share the phone's 3g
Outside of europe, wifi is everywhere and usually free. Just another reason why the UK is getting less and less competitive.
At least not many people will be using it, due to delay in the sign up process.
This topic is closed for new posts.
