CMK10

I've used the Wifi on a pair on NER trains this year. On the first one it was barely usable while on the second one it was actually not half bad. So basically, like everything else with Amtrak it's inconsistent.

Analise

That answers my question about Wifi performance on my upcoming 6:55am NER to Boston. Count on nothing! What about Verizon cellular data?

physioprof

Verizon works great all the way between NHV and WAS (with just a few little blank spots, like when you are under the Baltimore Harbor). I don't ever bother with Amtrak WiFi. I have much less detailed experience between NHV and BOS, but I think it it pretty reasonable.

milesmilesmiles

"Used" it RT Metropark to Union Station this week. Terrible both ways

hi55us

I have found that it hasn't been that bad between NYP and BOS. If the train is < 75% full it is pretty quick. On sold out summer trains it takes some patience and some different website navigation skills (like loading multiple websites while at a station with a good connection).

Has anyone else seen the new logon page? They did a great job improving it and providing information on the location of the train.

CMK10

I took the Adirondack from New York to Montreal last week and the Wifi was frankly terrible. It didn't work at all for long stretches of times and at others it was barely usable. It was slightly better on my phone but using it on my computer was a waste of effort. I wish they'd either sell a premium version or make it all for pay because as of now it's the next thing to useless.

KENNECTED

My experience is this depends on the equipment being used.

I've been on trains where there were many people, but the service was slow. I've been on a train where we had NO service at all.

Seems Amtrak is paying more attention to the wifi on board as it's a prime marketing tool.

StayingHomeIsBetter

I tried it last night on NER... terrible.

Only sites I could access without multi-minute delays were sites somehow related to AMTRAK.

VKurtB

The new logon screen is one of the best I've ever seen anywhere. The WiFi itself is fine where tracks run close to highways, and crap where they don't. Duh, right? By the way, I also carry a MiFi box, and where Amtrak's WiFi stinks, so does my own device. No surprise. It's called lack of cellular signal. You want to experience "lack of signal" raised to an art form? Try the Cardinal south and west of Charlottesville, VA. Whoa!

StayingHomeIsBetter

Perhaps.

However, my experience this week indicated a train-specific quality issue.

Northbound from PHL to NYC during the morning, I had no problem.

Southbound from NYC to PHL, late evening, with a very empty train... unusable.

VKurtB

Funny you should say that (funny strange, not funny ha-ha). Cellular acquired WiFi has been undergoing a general degradation in speed very recently in my experience. I own TWO different brands of portable WiFi boxes with two different carriers. In the last 60 days or so their speeds have both become HORRENDOUS on far too many occasions. I have no idea what kind of router hardware Amtrak is running, but two different personal devices on two different carriers both going all molasses in January slow at the same time might speak to a systemic issue - like too many people hitting cellular due to device overload.

If all these new users would just realize that this service is for me, not everybody. \snicker (Have I made the sarcasm clear enough?)

moka

Although not specific for this thread, this is a good place for me to ask..

Does anyone have a hotspot that they use on the NER? Which company has the best service/plans?

I only travel 2-3x a month, but absolutely need wifi when I do.

seat38a

Based on LOSSAN's doc http://www.octa.net/pdf/LOSSAN%20Bus...an%20FINAL.pdf
It looks like in California, the State and local agencies managing the Amtrak services are looking to invest in better internet and not wait for a national solution.

VKurtB

I have a theory, and right now that's all it is, about recent degradation of WiFi both on Amtrak and generally. I hate to say it, because I love the company's products, but it might be Apple's fault. Why?

Both the brand new Apple Music, and the few months ago altered Photos app in iOS are, at least until they get all internally set-up, BANDWIDTH HOGS! The user gets no indication but both Music and Photos are chewing up massively more bandwidth than their predecessor products. Photos needs to upload every photo from every Apple device you have onto their servers, and then download a version of it onto each other Mac or iOS device you own, IF you use Photo syncing, which is now defaulted ON, and you get NO indication how much bandwidth you're chewing up, but you ARE chewing. It affects YOUR page loads, AND everyone else's.

Second, Apple Music. There are two "gimme my stuff so I can play it where I want" portions to the Music app. It used to be that if you wanted to have tune X readily available, you have to have it on your device. No more. In Apple Music, Apple has fallen in love with "streaming". Streaming is also known as bandwidth hogging. The other and older way to get your stuff on your earbuds is the older and less hoggish iTunes Match. When you obtain a new device, iTunes Match is ALSO a bandwidth hog, until it gets all set up, which can take weeks, really it can. After it does get all set up, the only way you are a bandwidth hog is when you choose to listen to a track NOT on that particular device. Streaming Apple Music is ALWAYS hogging bandwidth for ALL songs.

So some of this bad WiFI we're all seeing is the fault of our device supplier, not our WiFi one. Apple built these services for the Silicon Valley, where wireless bandwidth is massively over-available and massively cheap, almost zero cost. Hey Apple, the NEC ain't like that. If Apple and Google want to wage this services war, we're ALL going to need to invest in MASSIVE build-out of additional bandwidth infrastructure. Until then, at least when you're on Amtrak, use your Apple device with its 2010 level capabilities, and we just might all have a better WiFi experience. Download your roadtrip tunes to your device before you go, as in the old days, and turn off your Photo library syncing. Then you can safely take off the pig snout.

moka

Went back and forth today from BAL-NYP. Wifi was ok for basic googling and news, but forget about pulling up any heavy web pages.