-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
VTEC - Free Wifi from 16th May
- Thread starter westv
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
For goodness' sake. Just make it free without strings.
If wifi with strings keeps the fares down I'm all for it.
CallySleeper
Established Member
You'll get codes emailed to you for ten hours consecutive hours of access each.
T+Cs:
1. Your free Wi-Fi code(s) entitles you to 10 consecutive hours of on-board Wi-Fi access in Standard accommodation on Virgin Trains East Coast services.
2. There is no restriction regarding which code can be used for which journey.
3. One code is provided for each passenger in your booking.
4. 10 hours' free Wi-Fi access will start from the moment you log on to Virgin Trains East Coast Wi-Fi.
5. Virgin Trains East Coast cannot replace lost codes.
6. Codes have no cash value.
SS4
Established Member
I guess that means the speed is going to plummet as everyone and his dog starts using it
Silver Cobra
Member
Just received an e-mail today from them containing four codes to use. I'm booked to travel with them as part of return journeys on advances to Blackpool and Cleethorpes in June, so that's one code for each direction of each journey.
My journeys above were booked back in March, so it seems they are retroactively issuing the codes. If you haven't received an e-mail with codes for your journeys yet, I imagine you will soon.
My journeys above were booked back in March, so it seems they are retroactively issuing the codes. If you haven't received an e-mail with codes for your journeys yet, I imagine you will soon.
fairysdad
Member
Are these T+Cs taken verbatim from the VTEC site/press release? I'm wondering if they really mean 'device' rather than 'passenger' in what they're restricting its usage to... might get some annoyed passengers who want to use their tablet and laptop at the same time!
That's verbatim from the email that contains the code
Steveman
Member
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2016
- Messages
- 405
Still in the dark ages in this country.
Stewart2887
Member
- Joined
- 29 Apr 2013
- Messages
- 104
Quite good free wifi on Scotrail, well to North Berwick and partly on Tweedbank. Tells you how many people are using it so you know what performance to expect. Why can't they all be like that
They don't all have Transport Scotland breathing down their backs?
Exactly. It should be made clearer to people that it uses the same networks though, some expect fibre optic speeds no matter the location.
I'd be interested in what people use to define 'useless'. In my case I don't watch streamed films, porn or otherwise, I don't watch pop, I just access web sites for info (e,g newspapers, BBC, this site of course (
). I go to GE and GSV. as a result, and possibly Where's the Path for insight of how the land looked in the 30s and other geo info and timetables ----- and so on.Is VTEC likley to be 'useless' for that sort of use or is it this downloading lark that causes the problem? How do other providers compare?
Last edited:
In my experience, they've made it slow enough already so as not to cause any nasty surprises!
I'm not actually worried about high speed, rather a consistent connection and low latency. The latter helps browsing massively, and nobody wants to try and work online and find that when submitting changes/updates you get an error and lose your work or changes.
Of course using mobile data has similar issues, but I find it more stable in the long run.. Plus one already said how much better mobile data will be in the future, especially for EE users.
The more people on a train the worse the connection is I find but sometimes I am surprised when it does work fine and the train is busy
Lately on GWR on North Downs Line the WiFi hasn't worked for me.
Never understood why some want to charge and others don't. I do wonder if South West Trains could charge for the service on busy trains and keep it free on the less busy ones.
Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
Lately on GWR on North Downs Line the WiFi hasn't worked for me.
Never understood why some want to charge and others don't. I do wonder if South West Trains could charge for the service on busy trains and keep it free on the less busy ones.
Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
theironroad
Established Member
Don't give them ideas.....
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
So only AP tickets get this...I hope that's wrong.
So someone paying £25 for and advance ticket gets free Wi-Fi but someone paying £100+ for a walk up ticket has to pay for wifi....the world has gone mad!
47271
Established Member
- Joined
- 28 Apr 2015
- Messages
- 2,983
Streaming, you've got to be joking.I'd be interested in what people use to define 'useless'. In my case I don't watch streamed films, porn or otherwise, I don't watch pop, I just access web sites for info (e,g newspapers, BBC, this site of course (
Is VTEC likley to be 'useless' for that sort of use or is it this downloading lark that causes the problem? How do other providers compare?
I used to try to use train wifi for work.
So you login to wifi and go into all of your online apps as you leave a large station somewhere. You look away from your laptop for 10 minutes to check papers or notes. You go back to the computer. It's hung up because of dead spots, the train's going too fast, too many users or because it objects to two minutes of lack of activity on my part. It's useless.
I keep a Vodafone dongle on the go and the LED gives me a constant eye on the signal and connection. By contrast train wifi gives you no hint about its likely performance or speed.
I'm not having a go at VTEC, it's a universal problem.
Consistent connection definitely trumps speed. In the current situation streaming media is never going to be possibly on the likes of trains but a consistent connection (which VTEC don't have) means it is useable in the majority of cases. I've said it before, but the best in train WiFi I have used is XC when travelling for work (so the cost wasn't a direct issue). Where the mobile tethering was haphazard and up and down like a yoyo, barring odd tunnels I was able to maintain a stable VPN connection on the XC WiFi and was able to email and use RDP etc and got plenty done as a result
Kite159
Veteran Member
I've used the free Wi-Fi a few times, and it's mostly been OK.
cactustwirly
Established Member
The GWR WiFi is the best IMO, it's free and you don't have to give your life story away (unlike Chiltern)
greaterwest
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2014
- Messages
- 1,431
I don't often use train wifi, but GWR is hands down the best one I have used, at least on the HSTs. I haven't used the WiFi on the Turbos so I can't comment on those.
VTEC's is an unfunny joke and the fact that they have the cheek to charge £4.95/hr or £9.95/24hrs is just astounding.
SWT's worked in Buriton tunnel when I last used it, but I can't be bothered to keep logging in (I used it before it required a free account) so I couldn't say whether that's the case now.
It did have acceptable speeds, however.
VTEC's is an unfunny joke and the fact that they have the cheek to charge £4.95/hr or £9.95/24hrs is just astounding.
SWT's worked in Buriton tunnel when I last used it, but I can't be bothered to keep logging in (I used it before it required a free account) so I couldn't say whether that's the case now.
It did have acceptable speeds, however.
I found on their Turbos and sometimes it worked and other times it doesn't. When it doesn't work I am presented with what looks like a spam Web Page with links that you wouldn't wish to click on in case they infected your computer. This occurs across multiple devices and not the same ones everytime. I know my devices haven't been hacked as such.
Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
Last edited:
cactustwirly
Established Member
Interesting, this has never happened to me
Marton
Member
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2008
- Messages
- 664
Works OK at the south end. A bit slow, but that's the problem for being the first generation I suppose.
My experience of GWR was appalling on one return trip to S Wales.
My experience of GWR was appalling on one return trip to S Wales.
BurtonM
Member
It's crap on VTWC as well, and still £4/24 hours.
- Status