Passenger Trains > WiFi & LDT

If I were to ride Amtrak from Los Angeles to Washington DC, would WiFi be available along the way? If so, where would it be?

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

In the McDonald's at Chicago Union Station.

You might consider investing in or borrowing a 3G or 4G thumb drive. That would give you access where ever there's a cell phone signal. Where there isn't a cell phone signal, there won't be wi-fi. T-Mobile used to have them for $20 a month with a goodly amount of hours.

I have ATT version

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

Without bringing your own broadband, your web access will be relegated to lounges like the LA and Chicago Metropolitan Lounges. The USB broadband sticks are OK, but not as powerful as a mobile hotspot. Having tried several services over the years, I have found that Verizon seems to have the best coverage across the overall Amtrak LDT network. For $100, you can buy their prepaid Jetpack and add no contract service for $15/$60/$90 (250Mb/3G/6G). Refill as needed depending on your usage patterns. Verizon's map looks like this currently:

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Or, you could live without WIFI, like I do.

Ptolemy Wrote:
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> Or, you could live without WIFI, like I do.

Not to mention using your abacus and buggy whip!! :-)
C.
Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

CarolVoss Wrote:
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> Ptolemy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Or, you could live without WIFI, like I do.
>
> Not to mention using your abacus and buggy whip!!
> :-)
> C.
> Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)

They work well too. I've written 11 books without ever using WIFI, a laptop, or a cell phone. It can be done.

Ptolemy Wrote:
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> CarolVoss Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ptolemy Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Or, you could live without WIFI, like I do.
> >
> > Not to mention using your abacus and buggy
> whip!!
> > :-)
> > C.
> > Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)
>
> They work well too. I've written 11 books
> without ever using WIFI, a laptop, or a cell
> phone. It can be done.

OK, I'll bite.
A. You must have used a typewriter, longhand, or a dictation device which someone else had to convert to a digital format.

B. Did anyone read the books?

Posted from Android

chugchug Wrote:
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> Ptolemy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CarolVoss Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Ptolemy Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Or, you could live without WIFI, like I do.
> > >
> > > Not to mention using your abacus and buggy
> > whip!!
> > > :-)
> > > C.
> > > Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)
> >
> > They work well too. I've written 11 books
> > without ever using WIFI, a laptop, or a cell
> > phone. It can be done.
>
> OK, I'll bite.
> A. You must have used a typewriter, longhand, or
> a dictation device which someone else had to
> convert to a digital format.
>
> B. Did anyone read the books?
>
> Posted from Android

I believe Ptolemy is a paleontologist and I am sure that his books are not what you would regularly find on the NYT best seller list. :-)
C.,

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
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> Without bringing your own broadband, your web
> access will be relegated to lounges like the LA
> and Chicago Metropolitan Lounges. The USB
> broadband sticks are OK, but not as powerful as a
> mobile hotspot. Having tried several services over
> the years, I have found that Verizon seems to have
> the best coverage across the overall Amtrak LDT
> network. For $100, you can buy their prepaid
> Jetpack and add no contract service for
> $15/$60/$90 (250Mb/3G/6G). Refill as needed
> depending on your usage patterns. Verizon's map
> looks like this currently:

Interesting map and I would have to agree. I have ATT and found when traveling in the SE last year, that their 4G service was found wanting. Cell phone worked but not iPad.

Note he didn't say he doesn't use a computer. He just doesn't need it accessible by wi-fi. It shouldn't take a tech genius to figure that out.

There was a recent study done on trips and those who take them with camera phones. They found that, at the end of the journey, those who went with a camera were far less likely to know what they saw - even know what the objects they took photos of. I have seen this on railfan trips and model railroad layout tours. These guys come in, take photos of EVERYTHING, yet have no clue of what they have seen.

The same thing happens on the train. I can sit in the lounge, and see - maybe - one other person actively looking at that which is passing by - while most are involved in their cells/laptops/tablets/DVD players (or hunting for a charging spot).

The absolute best trips I have taken were those on longer trips, in the short domes (of the CZ or the UP - for some reason the GN & NP trips were not as memorable - for me and there are lots of reasons for that), at night, quietly watching those portions of "unappealing scenery". Those that condemn areas of the country as "fly over" country have no perception off the country as a whole, they haven't a clue as to the issues facing those who settled it. There is nothing more thought provoking (and thought creating) than rambling along at 80mph on a moonless, clear night in the high desert. But...most people now would be chained to the tyranny of their devices.

William Blake ("William Blake !!!! - a favorite movie) said in Milton that there were chains of imprisonment related to the high technology of the day - milling. Today, most are absolutely owned by their devices. Don't believe me? Ask someone how often they can NOT answer a phone, spend a night with someone without looking at a phone once, enjoy something - nature, architecture, a train ride - without the need to be distracted by devices. They can't do it. So...attention spans decrease, life (and increasingly, movies and TV) are down to frantic kalidescopic bits of partially related material that looks like the results of an acid flash, interpersonal communication is lost, rhetoric is inflamed (as people search out media they agree with, and not people they might not) - and people can not stand being - they must be distracted. And most will tell you, without the least amount of remorse, that they hate to read. The dumbing down of the world is a true thing, and Idiocracy is not 500 years away (not a favorite movie in terms of acting, writing or direction, but in concept is dead nuts on).

[And lest you perceive me as a Luddite, I should mention I have been in IT for more than 40 years, and have continually been on the bleeding edge of technology and communication. I have created and installed systems from New York to Osaka, including satellite, microwave, cabled and wi-fi and just about any business (and quite a few er...non-business) systems programmed/as project lead. But I realized early, that being chained to a device (beeper in those days when only doctors and drug dealers had them) is a tyranny that is self-imposed, and one I would not willingly descend to]

We have had a good experience with our Verizon hotspot while traveling in the west and Midwest. Coverage has been good in rural areas. Further, it has been more reliable than some hotel wifi services. Our limit is 6 GB/month which has not yet been a problem.

Obviously, it is likely there will be some holes in coverage while riding Amtrak...canyons and some remote areas, but enough coverage to keep up on email, news, and the latest Trainorders postings.

Amenities are being cut back, so don't expect to see it on the LDT. Let's just hope the LDT survive.lol

Posted from Android

I'm failing to see the connection attempting to link onboard Internet access during travel to self-imposed tyranny. Melodrama aside, Internet access while riding the LDTs is merely a helpful resource to bring along -- much like my scanner, maps, and camera. Enroute Internet needn't compete with interesting scenery and onboard social interaction. Nighttime is one example of when it's nice to do some online inquiries about news, weather, and research about things you saw during the day.

One of the most valuable uses for onboard Internet is sorting out Amtrak IRROPPS. I've found that doing my own online legwork to find acceptable solutions works best. Rather than asking the agent what your options are, you can dictate what they need to be and ask for the agent's assistance in making it happen.

CarolVoss Wrote:
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> chugchug Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ptolemy Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > CarolVoss Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Ptolemy Wrote:
> > > >
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > >
> > > > -----
> > > > > Or, you could live without WIFI, like I
> do.
> > > >
> > > > Not to mention using your abacus and buggy
> > > whip!!
> > > > :-)
> > > > C.
> > > > Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)
> > >
> > > They work well too. I've written 11 books
> > > without ever using WIFI, a laptop, or a cell
> > > phone. It can be done.
> >
> > OK, I'll bite.
> > A. You must have used a typewriter, longhand,
> or
> > a dictation device which someone else had to
> > convert to a digital format.
> >
> > B. Did anyone read the books?
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> I believe Ptolemy is a paleontologist and I am
> sure that his books are not what you would
> regularly find on the NYT best seller list. :-)
> C.,

I'm an archaeologist and historian. My books have been on both the NY Times and Amazon best seller lists, and have been reviewed by the NY Times, the New Yorker, the Christian Science Monitor, the London Times, and NPR, among others. Sales are good; royalties last year paid for a trip to Europe for myself and my wife. I write out my manuscripts in longhand and then enter them into the computer in my study (I will not compose on the computer), and do the later editing from printouts. One of the reasons I prefer to travel by train is that it gives me a chance to think; not carrying a laptop or cell phone means no one can bother me. It can be done.

I am not terribly comfortable revealing this information but when someone suggests no one reads my books I find it hard to keep quiet.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/14 17:05 by Ptolemy.

No melodrama, cold facts. Can you honestly say you *COULD* take the trip without the cell, camera, etc. - without feeling anxious? I don't know many who could take a 30 minute trip with those conditions. The chains we bind ourselves with are often worse than any other. Still don't see it? Next time your phone rings, really FEEL the reaction to that noise. Leave your devices off for a day and see if (a) you can do it (b) if it is beneficial or a negative (c) WHY do you consider it a negative (or benefit)?

Why is it tyranny? It's a self-imposed restriction to life. Look up the definition of the word. If you *MUST* carry devices, if you got to the point where you *MUST* be connected, if you're at the point where you MUST be kept informed up-to-the-minute then you've abrogated much of what being human is. It means you can't simply enjoy the scenery as it passes by, it means you can't enjoy simple things - it's not unlike the commercial of the mother & father so involved in a new drink that they completely miss out on all of their baby's new antics and milestones.

All of those things you carry are obviously fine, and all of them are very useful. All of them can and should be used, perhaps often. The problem comes when you can't sleep with the anxiety that perhaps, just perhaps, a new e-mail has been sent, a phone call or text missed, a new photo posted. And when you bury your face into the screen and not see what you missed.

Why go on a train at all in those circumstance, why not take a plane, get there faster, get all the updates as they happen, ditto with e-mail, texts, etc.? Where is the benefit of the experience without ...experiencing it? The way some people are, they'd honestly get more out of a TO discussion than a trip. So do it, there is no reason then to take the trip.

But..consider the detriments - loss of memory (let your phone memorize numbers, contact information and calendars - researchers found this has contributed significantly to loss of memory); loss of life (texting and driving, cell phones and driving (and, just like DUIs - "That's only for those schmucks, I *KNOW* I can do it!"); loss of attention span and focus; eye strain; hearing issues; headaches; can't go to the neighbor store without a voice telling you where to turn; etc. It pays you to be able to disconnect once in a while without anxiety. Therein is the crux - if you can do so, and enjoy the experience for what it is, then you have no tyranny - melodrama or no.

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
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> I'm failing to see the connection attempting to
> link onboard Internet access during travel to
> self-imposed tyranny.

Sorry to break it to you, but I cannot find a SINGLE talking point in your latest soliloquy that's even remotely applicable to me or my travels. I dunno who you are attempting to lecture, but perhaps it's time to step off of whatever soapbox you've placed yourself on until you have secured an interested audience.

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
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> Sorry to break it to you, but I cannot find a
> SINGLE talking point in your latest soliloquy
> that's even remotely applicable to me or my
> travels. I dunno who you are attempting to
> lecture, but perhaps it's time to step off of
> whatever soapbox you've placed yourself on until
> you have secured an interested audience.


The thumb drive is a good idea if you have a laptop but it's of no use to me and my Apple iPad.
I use Amtrak's wi-fi service on California corridor trains but service can be spotty and it won't allow downloads, which means no streaming video or even streaming radio broadcasts.

MarinCommuter Wrote:
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> The thumb drive is a good idea if you have a
> laptop but it's of no use to me and my Apple iPad.
>
> I use Amtrak's wi-fi service on California
> corridor trains but service can be spotty and it
> won't allow downloads, which means no streaming
> video or even streaming radio broadcasts.

That would be another strike against the USB broadband stick. As I mentioned several posts up, they're passable but don't compare to mobile hotspot devices such as the Jetpack. My guess is that the USB drives will be sunsetted by the majors in the not too distant future.