Comments on: Wi-Fi Rail about to sign a deal with BART http://blog.matthewgast.com/2008/04/09/wi-fi-rail-about-to-sign-a-deal-with-bart/ A former physicist tries to make sense of technology Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:44:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: matthew http://blog.matthewgast.com/2008/04/09/wi-fi-rail-about-to-sign-a-deal-with-bart/#comment-41782 matthew Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:18:27 +0000 http://blog.matthewgast.com/?p=197#comment-41782 I'm not surprised that the signal reaches into the tubes from the platforms. As Boeing found out when doing testing of 802.11 on airplanes, a metal tube is an excellent container for radio signals. I somehow can't believe that this makes BART the most innovative system in the world. The Altamont Commuter Express first installed Wi-Fi in 2003, and a wide variety of train systems have been working on installing Wi-Fi since then. The big difference with Wi-Fi Rail is using 802.11 as the connection from the train to the Internet. That may provide faster service, but the large number of access points required and the noted difficulties with 802.11 handoffs at high speed could be problematic. I’m not surprised that the signal reaches into the tubes from the platforms. As Boeing found out when doing testing of 802.11 on airplanes, a metal tube is an excellent container for radio signals.

I somehow can’t believe that this makes BART the most innovative system in the world. The Altamont Commuter Express first installed Wi-Fi in 2003, and a wide variety of train systems have been working on installing Wi-Fi since then. The big difference with Wi-Fi Rail is using 802.11 as the connection from the train to the Internet. That may provide faster service, but the large number of access points required and the noted difficulties with 802.11 handoffs at high speed could be problematic.

]]> By: Bart http://blog.matthewgast.com/2008/04/09/wi-fi-rail-about-to-sign-a-deal-with-bart/#comment-41140 Bart Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:58:42 +0000 http://blog.matthewgast.com/?p=197#comment-41140 FYI..the reason the service is spotty in the tunnels at this point is because the antennas and radios have not been installed on the BART cars yet. Each car essentially needs a "bridge" consisting of an antenna and a radio to carry/persist the network connection to the riders. WiFi Rail delivers the network/internet to the car, then the car delivers it to the end user (pda, laptop, ip phones, etc). When BART signs off on the deal, the cars get lit up, the tubes get lit up, and BART riders get incredibly fast internet. The fact that people are getting any connectivity at all in the downtown SF tunnels between stations is a testament to the strength of the signal on the platforms. Believe it or not, BART is the most innovative mass transit system in the country, if not the world. 100 million yearly riders. A system-wide wifi deployment paves the way for not only passenger wifi access, but also train monitoring/maintenance and homeland security applications. Its a win-win deal for BART and its patrons. FYI..the reason the service is spotty in the tunnels at this point is because the antennas and radios have not been installed on the BART cars yet. Each car essentially needs a “bridge” consisting of an antenna and a radio to carry/persist the network connection to the riders. WiFi Rail delivers the network/internet to the car, then the car delivers it to the end user (pda, laptop, ip phones, etc). When BART signs off on the deal, the cars get lit up, the tubes get lit up, and BART riders get incredibly fast internet. The fact that people are getting any connectivity at all in the downtown SF tunnels between stations is a testament to the strength of the signal on the platforms.

Believe it or not, BART is the most innovative mass transit system in the country, if not the world. 100 million yearly riders. A system-wide wifi deployment paves the way for not only passenger wifi access, but also train monitoring/maintenance and homeland security applications. Its a win-win deal for BART and its patrons.

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