Virgin Media to supply Tube Wi-Fi

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Don't know never put a stop watch on it, have you?

I use the tube quite often, it depends what line you're on. Where stations are close together I don't think theres a massive difference in the avg time spent in the station v's avg time spent in the tunnel.

You may be right - the only time I usually use the tube is to/from KGX to LHR.

This is for, initially, 122 Z1 & Z2 stations so mainly U/G ones.

Still only at stations being my point, 3G coverage, where provided, is generally far more continuous.

Well we don't.

That's the problem. 3G was proposed in the past and dropped. Instead we end up with a cheap imitation - unlicensed, unregulated, unoptimized wifi. 3G was designed from the ground up to work on mobile handsets, while on the move, and in diverse environments. All of which were just hacked-on afterthoughts for wifi.

[Skie]

I wonder how many superhubs it would take to provide wifi to 1k people?

Actually thats an interesting issue. Train chunders into a packed platform and suddenly every device thats in-use tries to connect. Then it chunders off and cuts everyone off until it gets to the next station. Would be a fun project to try and figure out how to spec out the AP's.

[qasdfdsaq]

Pretty easy tbh. Each connected device takes up a fraction of a kilobyte of RAM, and even cheap APs come with several megs - the Superhub has 64MB for example, plenty for a hundred thousand clients.

The bigger issue would be the firmware being designed to handle it properly, and we all know how good the Superhub firmware is at challenging conditions...

In all likelyhood they'll probably use some industry standard managed LWAPs from the likes of Cisco, Aruba, or my personal favourite, Ruckus.. Anything less would be simply idiotic.

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

By the monkeys on the phone, a year ago.

That's a little disappointing seeing someone use that term of phrase.

[qasdfdsaq]

Making up lies to get me off the phone deserves nothing less.

[NVM]

Ruckus, with its beam forming abilities would be good, but the fact is that Cisco Aironet kit has kept appearing on main stations for several months now. Waterloo is a good example, but look around you will spot loads when you look for them.

Is it odd that Virgin Media managed to secure this contract over the regular people in this field like Cloud (Sky) and BT, and even "new-comers" like O2? I have tried to find another example of a Virgin Media public Wi-fi installation, and have so far failed to find a single example.

The London Underground environment will clearly be very challenging, travellers moving through a station will associate and disassociate with APs pretty quickly, and will move between AP domains (stations?) pretty rapidly.

I am wondering if Cisco can support these rapid changes in location / IP addresses. There are reasons that Manhattan has 20K Public Wi-fi APs above ground but far less in the NY MTA below ground.

A critical parameter will be how they cope with a train load of say 1,000 users with say 20% having Wi-fi enabled devices arriving and passing the first AP on a platform in a 15 second window as the train arrives.

[qasdfdsaq]

I've had - and continue to have - severe roaming problems on the Cisco Aironet kit, which is why I'm not a fan. Wireless roaming functionality on it, is by admission of Cisco's own senior engineers, a dirty broken hack which is yet to be fixed (though *might* be soon).

I also agree with your point about existing providers. VM have previously stated they are "interested" in providing WiFi in public places but as of yet have no deployments outside of trials that I'm aware of. The Cloud (using Ruckus kit) on the other hand, runs extremely well set up set up simultaneous dual-band 11n (144+300mbps) with beamforming and frankly, are the most advanced APs I'm yet to see on public hotspots.

Originally Posted by denphone

Excellent news for some of my family who live in London and who use the underground nearly every day.

thats good..

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by NVM

Is it odd that Virgin Media managed to secure this contract over the regular people in this field

No, it's called competition.

[BenMcr]

Boris answers WiFi questions http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/london-u...wers/201219804

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Boris answers WiFi questions http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/london-u...wers/201219804

So, cheapest bidder then (i.e. free)

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

So, cheapest bidder then (i.e. free)

where does it mention anything about "cheapest bidder"?

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Pierre

where does it mention anything about "cheapest bidder"?

Indeed.

[qasdfdsaq]

Can you confirm that no money is being paid to Virgin by the GLA under this contract?
No money is being paid to Virgin by GLA/TfL under this contract.

You can't get any cheaper than free.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

You can't get any cheaper than free.

On the contrary you'll note there are monies going in the opposite direction