The Underground’s Virgin wifi service has been extended to Wanstead station, it’s been announced. It means that Virgin, EE, O2 and Vodafone customers can now get online while waiting on the crowded westbound platform, particularly for sending emails to the office warning that they’ll be late in. Or for checking Wansteadium.
Service has also been extended to Leyton and Leytonstone, but it’s not immediately clear what the point of that is, since they’re both overground.
Photo: Sunil060903
Is it free to access?
Not for O2 customers (like me!)
Yes Jane apparently for O2 too
Really? Oh I’ll try again. Thanks!
Don’t know if it’s a coincidence but within 24 hrs of logging onto internet on the Underground my email account gets hacked.
You could ask what is the point of any wifi above ground?
Because it’s faster than 3G. Because you can use it instead of using up any data quota you may have on your contract. Because it’s free.
The problem is, by the time you manage to connect, the train is leaving the station again so it’s only really any good if you’re waiting. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, but I would love it if there was wifi in the tunnels as well. One day perhaps.
I couldn’t understand how my phone was picking up a load of other wifi networks as well as the Virgin one, while I was on the platform. Does wifi penetrate the ground that much? Probably a stupid question but I really am a proper duffer at computer stuff.
No wifi would not penetrate the ground. It’s a complicated subject.
The networks you detect are created by other peoples devices. Someone may have a phone and a tablet. Their phone creates a wifi access point and the tablet can connect to it and then connect to the internet via the phone.
Clearly when you’re underground the phone won’t have reception though so it’s probably a bit pointless.
And how about the East bound platform and the foyer at the bottom of the escalators, for those undecided on which platform to wait on?