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Old Oct 4, 2017, 7:10 pm
  #1  
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Southwest 737 wireless router locations

Does anyone know where Southwest Airlines tends to install wireless routers / equipment on their 737s?

As in what seat rows? Are they overhead or under the floor? How many routers are there?
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Old Oct 4, 2017, 8:24 pm
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Taken on a -700 in Row 1, here's a survey:



It seems they they only install two access points on a plane. Never been on an -800 or MAX so not sure how many those have.

Side note - there are several encrypted networks on those same access points. Wonder what they are for.

Bandwidth or signal to the access point is not a problem, it's the plane's Internet connection that is the bottleneck.

Last edited by elevatorgeek; Oct 4, 2017 at 8:29 pm
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Old Oct 4, 2017, 9:37 pm
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Originally Posted by elevatorgeek
Side note - there are several encrypted networks on those same access points. Wonder what they are for.
The handhelds the FAs have to charge for drinks probably use it.
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Old Oct 4, 2017, 11:40 pm
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Originally Posted by elevatorgeek
Bandwidth or signal to the access point is not a problem, it's the plane's Internet connection that is the bottleneck.
This.
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 10:08 am
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Originally Posted by elevatorgeek
Taken on a -700 in Row 1, here's a survey:



It seems they they only install two access points on a plane. Never been on an -800 or MAX so not sure how many those have.

Side note - there are several encrypted networks on those same access points. Wonder what they are for.

Bandwidth or signal to the access point is not a problem, it's the plane's Internet connection that is the bottleneck.
Thanks, How can you tell there are only 2 APs?
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 10:15 am
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Originally Posted by glg
The handhelds the FAs have to charge for drinks probably use it.
Those don't charge your card until you hit the ground, and maybe after that. They may plug them into a hardline somewhere. But they don't xmit mid-air.
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 10:45 am
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I prefer a window seat when using the in-flight wifi. I figure all my data is stored in the cloud, so it's best to be closer to my data.
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 4:27 pm
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Originally Posted by EqualOpp
Thanks, How can you tell there are only 2 APs?
Just by looking at the survey. The SouthwestWiFi signals on 1 and 11 are 2.4GHz and the other two are 5GHz. Most access points deliver on both frequencies. The other signals come out of the same access points.
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Old Oct 6, 2017, 9:46 am
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Originally Posted by elevatorgeek
Just by looking at the survey. The SouthwestWiFi signals on 1 and 11 are 2.4GHz and the other two are 5GHz. Most access points deliver on both frequencies. The other signals come out of the same access points.

Thanks for the explanation. If I reword what you are saying..there are 2 dual band routers/APs and they are transmitting on both frequencies. 2 channels each. 4 channels then means 2 APs?

Why is the rate so different for channel 44 for example? That is dependent on the connecting device's capabilities?

Does inSSIDer identify the model of the router (Cisco in this case)?
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Old Oct 6, 2017, 7:28 pm
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Originally Posted by EqualOpp
Thanks for the explanation. If I reword what you are saying..there are 2 dual band routers/APs and they are transmitting on both frequencies. 2 channels each. 4 channels then means 2 APs?

Why is the rate so different for channel 44 for example? That is dependent on the connecting device's capabilities?

Does inSSIDer identify the model of the router (Cisco in this case)?
Yes it identifies the manufacturer by MAC address. The other networks are likely slower due to being encrypted.
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Old Oct 6, 2017, 11:01 pm
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Originally Posted by photomikey
Those don't charge your card until you hit the ground, and maybe after that. They may plug them into a hardline somewhere. But they don't xmit mid-air.
I'm surprised, actually; other airlines with Wi-Fi on board (such as Delta) seem to charge cards immediately in my experience. Is there any other reason why those hidden networks would be there?
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Old Oct 7, 2017, 11:03 am
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Originally Posted by tmiw
I'm surprised, actually; other airlines with Wi-Fi on board (such as Delta) seem to charge cards immediately in my experience. Is there any other reason why those hidden networks would be there?
An AA flight I was on about a year ago had wifi and definitely did not charge until at least 1/2 day after the flight. I cancelled the card that evening and they did not try to charge until after I cancelled.
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Old Oct 7, 2017, 12:35 pm
  #13  
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Originally Posted by lougord99
An AA flight I was on about a year ago had wifi and definitely did not charge until at least 1/2 day after the flight. I cancelled the card that evening and they did not try to charge until after I cancelled.
Something with the Wi-Fi provider, maybe? The last Delta flight I was on used Gogo's satellite based system instead of the ATG one. (Does AA still use the ATG version? I haven't flown on them in a while.)
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Old Oct 8, 2017, 6:27 am
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Originally Posted by lougord99
An AA flight I was on about a year ago had wifi and definitely did not charge until at least 1/2 day after the flight. I cancelled the card that evening and they did not try to charge until after I cancelled.
I have heard (never tried) of people using expired CC or gift cards with no funds to buy drinks on WN, knowing that they weren't charged until later (and knowing there's no way to track who passed the bad payment).
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Old Oct 8, 2017, 8:53 am
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Originally Posted by tmiw
Is there any other reason why those hidden networks would be there?
A buddy of mine is a pilot for Air Canada and he told me once that crew have a separate, hidden network they can use. Perhaps it's a similar thing here. I don't know why there are so many though. I could see there being the public network, the crew network, and perhaps a management network (for use by a technician for configuring or troubleshooting the onboard wifi).
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