Wi-fi already airborne?

January 6th, 2009

So, I have to consider this a rumor still...but the source is pretty trustworthy.

A friend flew up to ANC on 119 last night (3/17) - SAN - SEA - ANC and told me when using their laptop for other work, she noted a wireless signal. She said she wasn't able to actually get online, but she found a signal.

Is she pulling my leg, or is it installed and just not being passenger tested yet???

Didn't do the work of finding out which aircraft this was...but I think that could be discovered easily enough.

119 is a 737-900, and the test is supposed/'>posed to be a 737-700, so I'd be a little surprised if that WIFI signal was anything other than a blip. Intriguing none-the-less.

I have seen ad-hoc networks listed when I've flown or taken the train before (an ad-hoc network is where someone uses their computer to host a wireless network). Probably someone who just forgot to turn their ad-hoc network off.

agreed. i can usually find an ad-hoc network if i turn on wireless briefly on any flight. usually several of them.

I believe there was a virus called "public wifi" out there not to long a go in fact there where even posts here on ft about it!

She was picking up WiFi signals from other laptops on the flight... likely those set up as Ad Hac networks. The other laptops could be a row away, or even right next to you, so you should see good signal strength.

I've found many laptop users have no idea how to turn Wifi and Bluetooth on/off.

Yes. I'm still amazed at the number of otherwise-intelligent appearing travelers who leave their cell phone network broadband access cards enabled in their laptop PC card slots when they use the laptops on a flight.

Talk about a battery suck.

And I concur -- what the OP likely is seeing is other laptops on the flight who have enabled ad hoc WiFi networking and forgotten to disable it.

In open, interference-free space, 802.11g signals will work for about 150-300 feet. I doubt you were that close!

Not sure why someone would have an ad-hoc network set up with the SID of us airways wifi, but I highly doubt you were within range of a US aircraft.

At least I hope not!:eek:

Signal from another aircraft maybe?

I was on a Northwest 757 in January probably over New Mexico...

Noticed my handheld wifi had either turned itself on or been turned on by an app...

To my surprise, it had found a wifi signal from "us airways" and was showing 2 out of 5 possible bars.

At 30,000 feet!

Some people make their ad-hoc WiFi look like a company's access point in order to phish passwords and sensitive data, or hack.

Not sure why someone would have an ad-hoc network set up with the SID of us airways wifi, but I highly doubt you were within range of a US aircraft.

I work in the security industry. Almost every hotel I walk into has an adhoc network with an SSID called "Free Hotel WiFi". Not malicious, just proving a point. If it happened to be the week of Mar 3-7, well, I know there's a lot of security professionals that were down there at that time.

I was on an AS 737-800 SEA-LAS a few days ago, and I had my iPhone on and realized I had forgotten to turn on the airplane mode. When it offered me the wireless network "us airways wifi" I was a little shocked and it had a few bars, it wouldn't work, though. I was thinking we passed close to one of their birds.
In open, interference-free space, 802.11g signals will work for about 150-300 feet. I doubt you were that close!

Not sure why someone would have an ad-hoc network set up with the SID of us airways wifi, but I highly doubt you were within range of a US aircraft.

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Wi-fi already airborne?

January 6th, 2009