First Great Western orders revamp & roll-out of WiFi network across 23 stations

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Providing the hardware, backend and support all cost money though Btline. Some WiFi providers do offer free connection as an added value to their main business. Coffee shops, pubs, trains (1st Class) etc, all offer free WiFi. Some municipal/community areas also have free local WiFi networks.

Whilst all free at the point of use, there is still a cost to be met by the service provider. That is recouped in other ways such as increased patronage, local rates, or factored in to the price of goods or services sold as the main part of their business.

As for BT's home hotspots. Less said about them the better. Bandwidth and fair use policy often come in to play when you have someone using and abusing your connection.

[bobm]

As for BT's home hotspots. Less said about them the better. Bandwidth and fair use policy often come in to play when you have someone using and abusing your connection.

Without wishing to divert the thread off course - have you experience of this?  I thought if you opted to allow someone to use your router under the BT Openzone scheme the two halves were kept separate and if there was a problem they could tell if it was you - or joe public logging in via openzone and track them through their password?

[Btline]

Yes, you always have priority and the access is separated. I think it is a good idea. It also allows you to use BT Openzone hot spots for free too. You're paying for it in your broadband deal.

Now if only BT were the only telecommunications company, then we'd have every home with a free hotspot!

[EBrown]

From Jo on Twitter/FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website.

Introducing WiFi to more stations
Starting in March 2012, we will start to introduce Wifi into 13 more stations and better capabilities at the current 10 stations. The stations that will benefit from complimentary WiFi soon are:

• Cheltenham Spa
• Cholsey
• Ealing Broadway
• Gloucester
• Goring & Streatley
• Maidenhead
• Oxford
• Pangbourne
• Taunton
• Tilehurst
• Tiverton Parkway
• Twyford
• Westbury

[Btline]

Shocking that Finstock hasn't been included...

[paul7575]

Exactly.    I was looking forward to being able to get on the interweb at Mottisfont and Dunbridge...

Paul

[Bristolboy]

And one important benefit of WiFi. It doesn't eat into your data allowance.

Nor does viewing webpages or viewing emails. It's only downloading attachments/files/viewing videos etc. that actually count towards your data allowance. (at least that's how I understand it works, mine is unlimited regardless  )

It depends on the network but in all cases I know the internet and emails are included in the limit. Plus even unlimited wifi is not truly unlimited in many cases with fair usage policies (some as low as 250mb per month or less than 10mb per day). considering viewing some individual webpages can be well over 1mb and streaming videos etc are much higher. I always use wifi wherever possible, but then I am something of a data hog - according to netcounter on my android phone I have used well over 50gb (50,000mb+) in the year or so since I bought it (most of that on wifi). another factor is the 3g network is becoming saturated to capacity in some areas at peak times (in a similar way to how phones don't work at new years) and so the mobile networks are keen for people to use wifi instead of 3g etc. I am surprised fgw don't provide it on their trains-especially considering they sell the train as a more productive travelling option for business people!

[Lee]

Exactly.    I was looking forward to being able to get on the interweb at Mottisfont and Dunbridge...

Paul

Ah yes. As an aside, when travelling back on a late Cardiff-Portsmouth service, you know it's time to give the laptop a rest when passing through the signal-free world that is M&D land...

[IndustryInsider]

Pangbourne and Tilehurst now have banners up advertising that free WiFi is now available.