fezzington

@LarryJ is right, the internet is turned on at that point (or, at least, the FA panel indicates as much)... but I'd imagine he's a bit busy on the other side of the flight deck door to notice that often, the satellite doesn't hold a steady connection until the steep turns/banks/climbs stop (which tends to be after the sterile chimes).

quantumslip

I've had some odd behavior with wifi when it had hiccups. After access comes back my phone is suddenly connected to wifi calling. I actually got a phone call once while up in the air, as well as texts. Seems like during reboot or something not everything is blocked so my phone is able to make the connection and once it connects it stays connected. Not sure what happens if I disconnect afterwards.

Note the above was all with me paying for internet access.

sfo789

Wonder if there's something a bit more complicated/inconsistent going on here. About 2/3 of the time (sample restricted to non-Gogo domestic craft), Internet via unitedwifi.com shows "unavailable" until about 10k ft, at which point it activates; however, a significant chunk of the time, it shows available and works just fine immediately after pushback. Haven't noticed any significant disparity based on plane type (I fly mostly 738 and 9). Is there a technical difference or something the crew does differently that might be the reason for this?

LarryJ

Well, I'm the one who throws the switch just before pushback so I'm pretty sure that's when it happens.

The internet should start working within a couple of minutes as long as you're at a CONUS airport and the antenna has a good view of the satellites. I wouldn't be surprised that there are interruptions during maneuvering after takeoff. If it isn't working reliably have the F/As let us know so we can try a reset.

GBadger

Either that, or they can't figure out how to block it either and decided to spin it into something positive...

Count me in as someone who has been able to use iMessage in flight without paying for internet on UA.

eeflyer

I know I've gotten iMessages on a DirectTV enabled plane before, but I don't remember the model. However, on a 757 today, no dice. Internet was there, but no iMessage nor gmail. Next flight is on another 757, but I'll keep track in the future.

I'm pretty sure that the last time I was on a 737 (don't remember the variant), iMessage worked there.

diburning

Does United use satellite wifi for all of their aircraft (even the GoGo equipped p.s. fleet)? ATG (air to ground) systems don't seem to work well if at all below 10kft

MatthewLAX

Always on 739s for me.

NewYork1K

PS uses ATG4 and indeed cuts off at 10,000.

Lawyerneering

Somewhat related issue. I know that if you purchase wifi, streaming video is not supported. But about half the time, I can get streaming audio (Spotify app or Apple music) to work. And about 20 percent of the time, I can get YouTube to work. What gives? I think at minimum we should be able to stream music, which doesn't take much bandwidth.

sbm12

Limited bandwidth and higher costs of such for those who stream as that consistently consumes data versus the bursty nature of "regular" browsing patterns.

The lowest quality option on Spotify is 96Kbps. That doesn't seem like a ton of bandwidth but a Gogo ATG4 connection tops out around 10Mbps to the plane, assuming optimal conditions. That would tap out at 100 users. And, again, assumes optimal conditions that you'll never see in real life.

The satellite service generally have more capacity to the plane - somewhere in the 40-80 Mbps peak speeds today - but it is far from unlimited.

PhillyPhlyer40

Last time I had an issue with it working I requested this and was told "the pilots fly the plane, they don't have a reset switch. It will need to wait until we can pull in for maintenance.

I often get SMS messages, not iMessages on my iPhone.

Usual bird is 738,739 with direct tv and wifi that I don't purchase.

pushmyredbutton

Same. 739's are 100% in my book. If you try to send a picture...that's when I've had issues.

Mike Jacoubowsky

737 ORD-SFO Nov 2nd. IFE and Internet access stopped working mid-flight and it was at that point text messages (iPhone) worked. Also got notifications of emails but unable to download them. Continued to have text messaging capability throughout rest of flight.

Could have been a coincidence; maybe I didn't have any text messages or notifications prior to that.

LarryJ

I'm sure there are a lot of things about the galley equipment that I don't know, either. LOL

In the 737, I have two wifi/internet related switches in the cockpit. One removes power from the system and can be used to reset. The other controls the system which disables the satellite transmitter when below 10,000'. DirecTV airplanes has one additional switch which controls power to that system.

The second switch is used to enable the satellite transmitter, and internet access, when we push back and to disable it again when we arrive at the gate at the destination. Before the below 10,000' access was approved, the switch always stays in "Normal" and the switching was handled automatically. Now, to provide gate-to-gate internet, we use the switch to override the 10,000' cutout at pushback. It is important that the satellite transmitter be disabled if maintenance is conducted in the area of the dish or when deicing crews could be near the dish due to the power output of the transmitter. That's why we must disable the system on each gate arrival.

In any case, if it isn't working correctly we need to know up front so that we can try a reset and, if that doesn't work have maintenance fix it.