wifi and outlets!

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theworldis

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 13, 2014
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17
taking the SWC and LSL. does amtrak have Wi-Fi now? Can I stream with it? and please tell me I'll have access to outlets hopefully at my seat?!
 
theworldis said:
taking the SWC and LSL. does amtrak have Wi-Fi now? Can I stream with it? and please tell me I'll have access to outlets hopefully at my seat?!
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Sorry, neither the SWC nor the LSL have Wi-Fi onboard. You will need to use your phone's data connection, or get a Wi-fi card if you really can't do without internet connectivity.

Outlets, yes. All seats and bedrooms have power outlets.
 
Even when there is wifi, please note that the amtrak connect service does not have speeds that would allow streaming of netflix, amazon prime movies, etc. Or even really downloading anything.
 
theworldis said:
ah who needs wifi anyway lol. outlet is important
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You'll find that there are stretches of the SWC with little or no cellphone service. Personally, I find one of the best things about train travel is telling everyone who might need to be in touch with me that while I'm on a train, they'll just have to leave voicemail messages. It's always possible to check voicemail (and/or connect to internet by cellphone) at least once a day on any of Amtrak's routes, and answer messages then.

Actually, on most routes that's possible most of the time. As long as I can get away with it, though, I'm going to maintain that once-a-day expectation. :ph34r:
 
Amen, sister.

tricia said:
Some time away from All-Connected-All-the-Time can be really GOOD.
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No kidding. Love being on the SWC or CZ or EB.

I'm retreated. Bother me next week. Can't comment on your cat picture, not at home. (But I can't say that real-time cause ----- I'm off the gorram net. !!)
 
We don't have "smart" phones so I purchased a pre-paid hot spot, mostly in case things went "off the rails" as they almost did. For the most part, we are staring zombies on the train... in between sleeping and eating.... :)
 
we are bringing some dvds to play on the laptop that'll be enough, along with my book. I will be going clear across the country so I'm bound to get bored eventually lol
 
Concerning outlets, I would bring a surge protection power strip to plug things into. There are times when they had shut off power to the passengers, and I would be concerned about a power surge breaking electronics. But that is just me :) I was warned from others to do this also.

Bruce
 
My personal opinion only: Many say something like "I'm going to be on the train for days and will read these 5 books I'll bring." Many times they read only a few pages of the many pounds of those books. I would download them onto my phone or computer that I'm going to bring anyway.
 
MInd you, I am on a over night train for about 23 some odd hours. I tend to bring several sets of DVD's to watch on my laptop and DVD player. I also do email and cruise online forums and such when I have signal to do so. I don't tend to read much as I also like to look out the window.

Bruce-SSR
 
Our wifi spot was around $100. and then you can load for a week or month. Worth it for us - secure and available, when and if needed. I call it peace of mind insurance.
 
I take several hot spots with me, My GS3 which is Sprint and can roam. Virgin Mobile, which just uses Sprint, doesn't roam, and Net Zero, not sure what it uses. They are all capable of 4G service. The Net Zero doesn't do 3G, the others does. There are also two different variants of 4G service. The Net Zero uses the weaker of the two and is hardly worth taking with me as I hardly get service as compared to my VM model.

When traveling, mobile hot spots are only as good as the carrier you are connected to. When on the Silver Star, especially in the Carolinas to just about Florida, I only get service when near major cities. That is getting better, but still I can go for periods of time without service.

If you price different pay as you go hot spot models, check out which provider they use, check out their coverage maps.

Bruce-SSR
 
I've stopped bringing paper books or magazines, as I seldom read them. I also seldom read books on my iPad, so I've left that behind, as well. If I feel really bored, I could always read or listen to music or watch movies on my iPhone, but I never seem to get bored. The one or two times I brought work projects along, I wound up sitting there just looking out the window.
 
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amamba said:
Even when there is wifi, please note that the amtrak connect service does not have speeds that would allow streaming of netflix, amazon prime movies, etc. Or even really downloading anything.
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They completely block those sites, including you tube and those annoying little videos that auto play on many sites these days.
 
Most of the smart phones these days have the ability to setup a personal hotspot. I have an iPhone 5s through Verizon. It is only 20.00 more a month to use personal hotspot without messing with your contract. Turn it on when you need it and shut it off when not needed. Also, with the extra 20.00 you get like 2G more data so you wont exhaust your regular data plan. Instead of buying a separate device for 100+, use the money to turn your phone on as a hotspot. Since there are outlets already, running out of power should not be a problem.
 
seat38a said:
Most of the smart phones these days have the ability to setup a personal hotspot. I have an iPhone 5s through Verizon. It is only 20.00 more a month to use personal hotspot without messing with your contract. Turn it on when you need it and shut it off when not needed. Also, with the extra 20.00 you get like 2G more data so you wont exhaust your regular data plan. Instead of buying a separate device for 100+, use the money to turn your phone on as a hotspot. Since there are outlets already, running out of power should not be a problem.
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I do the same thing with my GS3 through Sprint. But I am limited to 2 gig a month. When I use my Virgin Mobile Hot spot device, while connected to 4G, its unlimited usage for how long I use it. I tend to use my GS3 as a backup to my VM device.

Like everything having to do with cell service, not all carriers are the same.

Bruce-SSR
 
Silver Star rider said:
seat38a said:
Most of the smart phones these days have the ability to setup a personal hotspot. I have an iPhone 5s through Verizon. It is only 20.00 more a month to use personal hotspot without messing with your contract. Turn it on when you need it and shut it off when not needed. Also, with the extra 20.00 you get like 2G more data so you wont exhaust your regular data plan. Instead of buying a separate device for 100+, use the money to turn your phone on as a hotspot. Since there are outlets already, running out of power should not be a problem.
Click to expand...
I do the same thing with my GS3 through Sprint. But I am limited to 2 gig a month. When I use my Virgin Mobile Hot spot device, while connected to 4G, its unlimited usage for how long I use it. I tend to use my GS3 as a backup to my VM device.

Like everything having to do with cell service, not all carriers are the same.

Bruce-SSR
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How is your VM Hotspot working for you out there? I have one and out here in CA it is terrible. The speeds are like Grrrrrrr
 
seat38a said:
Silver Star rider said:
seat38a said:
Most of the smart phones these days have the ability to setup a personal hotspot. I have an iPhone 5s through Verizon. It is only 20.00 more a month to use personal hotspot without messing with your contract. Turn it on when you need it and shut it off when not needed. Also, with the extra 20.00 you get like 2G more data so you wont exhaust your regular data plan. Instead of buying a separate device for 100+, use the money to turn your phone on as a hotspot. Since there are outlets already, running out of power should not be a problem.
Click to expand...
I do the same thing with my GS3 through Sprint. But I am limited to 2 gig a month. When I use my Virgin Mobile Hot spot device, while connected to 4G, its unlimited usage for how long I use it. I tend to use my GS3 as a backup to my VM device.

Like everything having to do with cell service, not all carriers are the same.

Bruce-SSR
Click to expand...
How is your VM Hotspot working for you out there? I have one and out here in CA it is terrible. The speeds are like Grrrrrrr
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When I am on the Star heading to Orlando, I run into issues in the Carolinas and Georgia between major cities. I can go for periods of time without a signal. But with each new trip every year, it is getting better. There are two different types of 4G signal. The VM uses the older, less desirable 4G, Wimax i believe. The GS3 uses 4GLTE. Speed wise?? I really just so simple things like email, web surfing and sometimes Glympse, a app that shows current location on a website with a map. I have plenty of movies to watch on DVD or digitally on my smartphone or laptop.

Bruce-SSR
 
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