GWR Wi-Fi problems?

[Mag_seven]

Any other GWR passengers on here having problems with GWR Wi-Fi? I was on a GWR HST on Friday and there was no internet connection -exact same today (Monday). Same problem on both smart phone and tablet.

 

[chris11256]

Funnily enough I'm having the exact same problem on c2c. Both yesterday and today trains are reporting no connection available.

 

[D1009]

Any other GWR passengers on here having problems with GWR Wi-Fi? I was on a GWR HST on Friday and there was no internet connection -exact same today (Monday). Same problem on both smart phone and tablet.

The wifi on GWR HSTs has never been brilliant, I've almost given up on it. I find it tells you there is an internet connection, but it's too weak to be usable. The wifi on the DMUs to which it has been fitted is far better.

 

[Dhassell]

GWR HST WIFI didn't work today on the 1900 Bath to Taunton.

 

[theironroad]

On a gwr Guildford to Gatwick yesterday, it came up as an available network but wouldn't let me sign in etc....

 

[superalbs]

No WiFi on GWR working for me on 29th July, but Facebook and Facebook Messenger for some reason, did work on all trains.

 

[vicbury]

No WiFi on GWR working for me on 29th July, but Facebook and Facebook Messenger for some reason, did work on all trains.

That's quite common on open networks that require one to sign in. Someone more technical will be able to explain the reason why - I think it has something to do with ports.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I quickly gave up with GWR WiFi on my ALR in June when I did a lot of high milage runs with them.

 

[Mag_seven]

Thanks for all the responses - doesn't look like it is just me!

 

[cactustwirly]

Works fine for me on the Turbos and most HST sets, there's the occasional set which has faulty WiFi.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Also had issues on the 1737 Paddington to Swansea on Sunday, but I expect that was probably because I was going through the Patchway and Severn Tunnel!

Equally 150233 on the 1012 Bristol Parkway to WsM on Saturday was a bit hit and miss too.

 

[yorkie]

Any other GWR passengers on here having problems with GWR Wi-Fi? I was on a GWR HST on Friday and there was no internet connection -exact same today (Monday). Same problem on both smart phone and tablet.

I did a few journeys in June. I gave up on it, as it was useless.

 

[Paul Kelly]

As a general rule I find it to be OK on Thames Turbos but barely usable on HSTs unless it's a very quiet train, which suggests there isn't enough capacity for all the passengers on a HST that would want to use it. But there are also fairly regular occasions where train doesn't seem busy but it just doesn't really work at all, so there's probably another regular fault there somewhere too.

 

[Siemens Staines]

As a general rule I find it to be OK on Thames Turbos but barely usable on HSTs unless it's a very quiet train, which suggests there isn't enough capacity for all the passengers on a HST that would want to use it. But there are also fairly regular occasions where train doesn't seem busy but it just doesn't really work at all, so there's probably another regular fault there somewhere too.

I would agree that in general that it is better on Turbos than on hsts, but yesterday I failed to get it to work on either and neither train was especially busy. There is still at least one Turbo, 165118 if I recall correctly, where the network offered is still called FGW rather than GWR. Their best WiFi seems to be on the 387s, but they have a slightly different system from the rest of the GWR fleet where you log in with an email address and password (as per SWT).

 

[D1009]

I travelled to Exmouth this morning on a 150/2 + 153 formation, and was able to pick up the wifi from the 150/2 in the 153.

 

[SwindonBert]

I find it highly variable - sometimes it's really good, other times it's not usable. There appears to be no rhyme nor reason as to why, I've been in full coaches with good reception / been virtually the only person & nothing.

Best recently was on a trip between Looe & Liskeard

 

[CapitalStar378]

GWR HST wi-fi is a waste of time, I've been told by GWR that there's barely any coverage in rural areas, which is about 80% of the journey from CDF to PAD. Well worth their exorbitant fares then :roll:

 

[jon0844]

GWR HST wi-fi is a waste of time, I've been told by GWR that there's barely any coverage in rural areas, which is about 80% of the journey from CDF to PAD. Well worth their exorbitant fares then :roll:

What system is used on the HSTs?

Even four years ago I found coverage to be pretty good on 3G with Three, and now I would expect EE, Three and Vodafone to have done a lot of work to provide both 4G coverage, but also a lot of spectrum (by the end of the year, and likely sooner, all Vodafone 3G 2100MHz will be switched to 4G).

Icomera's setup allows multiple connections to be aggregated, so you can benefit from whatever networks have the best connection at any given time/location.

Of course it has to be setup to do so, with agreements in place with the appropriate networks.

 

[HowardGWR]

On their web site GWR say
'Browse the web while you’re on the move with free WiFi on most of our services.'

I suppose this is the get-out ('most'). Whenever you can't get any service, you are on the train that isn't one of the 'most'.

Anyone know what they contracted to do in their agreement with DfT?

 

[Michael.Y]

Question in Hansard:
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2017-03-30.70152.h

Background and (surprise surprise) Tory U-turn
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...twork-fast-cheap-wi-fi-trains-internet-access

GWR HST wi-fi is a waste of time, I've been told by GWR that there's barely any coverage in rural areas, which is about 80% of the journey from CDF to PAD. Well worth their exorbitant fares then :roll:

I didn't know the cost of your ticket entitled you to free Wifi. I thought it entitled you to a journey between two places.

The coverage is decent enough with the obvious proviso of rural areas having slighly patchy coverage due to national 4G infrastructure beyond GWR and indeed mobile operators' control in this NIMBY country. Also tunnels. I find it's worst in the Thames Valley, possibly due to local capacity vs demand from a highly populated area.

Also don't forget GWR use at least two, possibly three different wifi systems - the one on the 150s and 158s is not the same as the one on the HSTs for example.

All the HST Wifi is managed by an external company so chances are it's a problem at the contractor's end that will be solved in due course.

 

[D1009]

I didn't know the cost of your ticket entitled you to free Wifi. I thought it entitled you to a journey between two places.

The coverage is decent enough with the obvious proviso of rural areas having slighly patchy coverage due to national 4G infrastructure beyond GWR and indeed mobile operators' control in this NIMBY country. Also tunnels. I find it's worst in the Thames Valley, possibly due to local capacity vs demand from a highly populated area.

Also don't forget GWR use at least two, possibly three different wifi systems - the one on the 150s and 158s is not the same as the one on the HSTs for example.

All the HST Wifi is managed by an external company so chances are it's a problem at the contractor's end that will be solved in due course.

A post which sums up the approach of many railway staff to customer service, whatever is advertised over and above conveying you from A to B, you shouldn't expect it as you're not entitled to it, and if it's not there it's always someone else's fault.

 

[tgrb]

In my experience GWR WiFi on the HST from Kemble or Chippenham to Paddington is a waste of energy trying to use. I do however fail to get excited / upset about the availability or lack of WiFi on trains (except the tube) as I just use my phone with no having to log in etc etc, with more and more people having more data on the phones I think WiFi on trains will become irrelevant before it works properly. I use EE most the time on my trips and it serves me well - I used to have a voda sim in my laptop too but the EE coverage is so good now it's not worth having as an alternative/backuo

 

[TractiveEffort]

http://nomad-digital.com These are the HST wifi providers and in my experience, it's as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

 

[Temple Meads]

GWR HST wi-fi works for me more often than it doesn't, and it's normally down here in bumpkin land.

 

[Parallel]

The wifi tends to work for me better on the Class 15x units with it, than the HSTs. It hasn't worked for me at all on the last five HSTs I've used.

ATW is by far the most reliable for me though. I wonder if it's because each carriage has got two of those grey box things screwed to the panelling on the roof. (Not sure what they're called... Boosters?) rather than just the one that GWR has in each carriage on their 15x units.

 

[jon0844]

http://nomad-digital.com These are the HST wifi providers and in my experience, it's as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

Ah, so that might be the cause of the issues. I believe they had a very variable product on Southern and Heathrow Express (assuming I am right, as my memory fails me right now).

Icomera seems to have a pretty good setup. I was damned impressed with the service on the GN 387s recently. Pretty much blanket coverage from King's Cross to Ely.