Boeing Abandons WiFi in New 787

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003540074_boeing25.html">http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003540074_boeing25.html</a><br /><br /><i>"Boeing has abandoned its plan to install a wireless inflight-entertainment system on the 787 Dreamliner, one it had touted earlier as saving weight and complexity by eliminating wires. Boeing will substitute a wired system with cables running to each seat row, instead of a wireless antenna at each row, to feed movies and music to passengers' seats."</i><br /><br />Ironically, the wired system will weigh less than the wireless system since part of the aircraft won't have to be thickened to support the access points. This really shouldn't affect most laptop users as most have built in CAT5 ports. PDA users though are in a different boat. It is rare that a PDA/Smartphone user has an accessory that snaps into the device to accept Ethernet cable. This leaves you with the alternative of using something like the <a href="http://www.wiflyer.com/">WiFlyer</a> if you can find an AC port for it, but now you are setting up a WiFi network on the plane which will probably be a no-no. So, I guess if you are at 40,000 feet, you need a laptop to check emails. :(

[PPCRules]

Once again showing that you should have specified a CF slot when you chose your PocketPC model.

[daS]

I thought this was to be a dedicated wireless system specifically for the in-seat entertainment system and not a general purpose Wi-Fi for passenger access to the Internet on their own computers.

[Ed Hansberry]

Once again showing that you should have specified a CF slot when you chose your PocketPC model.
How many Pocket PC phones come with a CF slot?

[eagle63]

...thickened to support the access points

What in the world does this mean? What kind of access point requires a plane to be thickened?? Sounds a little fishy to me.

[yada88]

there's a simple solution. find someone on the plane with a mac laptop, ask if you can check your email, and make their mac into a Access Point (which takes 2 clicks).

[Deslock]

there's a simple solution. find someone on the plane with a mac laptop, ask if you can check your email, and make their mac into a Access Point (which takes 2 clicks).
Yep. Not trying to instigate a flame war with this question, but will Vista do that too? (seriously... I don't want to hijack the thread... I'm just curious as I haven't seen this listed as one of Vista's features).

Another possible option: get a pocket access point. I grabbed a Linksys WTR54GS (http://www.jiwire.com/linksys-wtr54gs-product-review-1.htm) last month back when they were $13 after rebate (http://dealmac.com/deals/Linksys-WTR54-GS-Travel-Router-with-Speed-Booster-from-13-after-rebate/147137.html). It's a sweet little unit.

[h3seaking]

[quote=yada88]Another possible option: get a pocket access point. I grabbed a Linksys WTR54GS (http://www.jiwire.com/linksys-wtr54gs-product-review-1.htm) last month back when they were $13 after rebate (http://dealmac.com/deals/Linksys-WTR54-GS-Travel-Router-with-Speed-Booster-from-13-after-rebate/147137.html). It's a sweet little unit.

I am an airline pilot and I use a Nokia 770 internet tablet instead of a laptop on most trips. Don't have to take it out for security, very light, I've ripped movies for it. etc. Anyway, I have one of these Linksys WTR54GS for the hotels that don't have wireless. Works like a charm. Very small and handy.

[ADBrown]

Yep. Not trying to instigate a flame war with this question, but will Vista do that too? (seriously... I don't want to hijack the thread... I'm just curious as I haven't seen this listed as one of Vista's features).

Well, I don't know about two clicks, but Windows XP can do this. For that matter, so can Windows 98. Internet Connection Sharing.

[Paragon]

...thickened to support the access points

What in the world does this mean? What kind of access point requires a plane to be thickened?? Sounds a little fishy to me.

Yeah, that sounds a bit weird to me too. Especially when on one flight the guy next to me weighs 125 pounds while on the next the guy wieghs 375.

How much can a couple of pieces of aluminum weigh? ;)

Dave

[daS]

...thickened to support the access points

What in the world does this mean? What kind of access point requires a plane to be thickened?? Sounds a little fishy to me.
The article that Ed linked to indicated that the 'thickened' areas were in the ceiling. That would make sense and it also is logical that the ceiling tiles in an aircraft cabin would be as light as possible if they are not bearing any weight. Of course there must be a framing structure to the ceiling and I would have thought that it would better to mount any new hardware there. Also, probably due to various FAA regs regarding fire safety, I would think that the access points would have been quite different than the $100 Linksys unit you can get at Frys. :wink:

Also note that the original article (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003540074_boeing25.html) seemed clear that this was never a general purpose Wi-Fi (it didn't even say it was Wi-Fi, just wireless) network, but one specifically for the in-seat entertainment system. Nothing implied that passengers would have been able to connect to it with their own computers, so it's really a non-issue as far as Internet connectivity goes.

[Deslock]

Yep. Not trying to instigate a flame war with this question, but will Vista do that too? (seriously... I don't want to hijack the thread... I'm just curious as I haven't seen this listed as one of Vista's features).

Well, I don't know about two clicks, but Windows XP can do this. For that matter, so can Windows 98. Internet Connection Sharing.
Back in the day I used ICS (on Win2k if memory serves) to share a dial-up connection. I didn't know it could also be used to create an ad-hoc WAP.

Not that I'll ever actually need it for this, but I got curious and looked it up. For posterity: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/bowman_02april08.mspx

[Janak Parekh]

What in the world does this mean? What kind of access point requires a plane to be thickened?? Sounds a little fishy to me.
Well, most airlines are designed with incredibly tight tolerances for wiring (among other things, the A380's massive delays have been cited due to wiring difficulties). It might be that the additional space needed for antenna installations was difficult to find in such a configuration that ensured good reception.

--janak

[Paragon]

It might be that the additional space needed for antenna installations was difficult to find in such a configuration that ensured good reception.

Then I think they would have stated that they needed more room for the antennas, instead of saying the thicker metal weighed too much, right?!
.....and if there were wiring problems, why would they go with a wired system in place of Wireless?? Hmmm.....

Sorry Janak. :)

[Janak Parekh]

Then I think they would have stated that they needed more room for the antennas, instead of saying the thicker metal weighed too much, right?!
.....and if there were wiring problems, why would they go with a wired system in place of Wireless?? Hmmm.....
I'm not pretending to say I have the final answer on this. It was just a hypothesis. I do agree it could be Boeing oversimplifying the explanation. My original point was that the electrical and network wiring in the airplane is incredibly complex, and that issues can crop up after the initial design. Maybe there was some interference that prevented good reception without more antennas, which would imply more space is needed to set up access points, etc. Who knows. ;)

(And where does the article say "thickened metal"?)

--janak

[Paragon]

(And where does the article say "thickened metal"?)

--janak

I just paraphrased what Ed quoted from the article.



Ironically, the wired system will weigh less than the wireless system since part of the aircraft won't have to be thickened to support the access points.

Have a good day Janak. :)

[cmariotti]

Saw this on TV... their solution is an ethernet cable for each seat. Dumb... just wait until one runs off the runway and a few people die because of ethernet trip-wires throughout the plane... sounds dangerous to me.

[Janak Parekh]

I just paraphrased what Ed quoted from the article.
Yes, I read that, but nowhere does Ed say "thickened metal". I got the idea that they'd have to increase the amount of space in the airline, thereby increasing its overall dimensions. Nor does the article talk about needing thicker metal.

--janak

[Paragon]

I just paraphrased what Ed quoted from the article.
Yes, I read that, but nowhere does Ed say "thickened metal". I got the idea that they'd have to increase the amount of space in the airline, thereby increasing its overall dimensions. Nor does the article talk about needing thicker metal.

--janak

LOL, Janak. We're talking about access points, not school buses. :)

[Janak Parekh]

LOL, Janak. We're talking about access points, not school buses. :)
Look, this is not an argument worth having, especially because neither of us are airplane engineers. That said, I have deployed wireless access at customers, and it's a lot trickier than you may initially think to get things right.

Anyway, that's my last two cents on the discussion.

--janak

[yves]

well, I'm just about this ICS again. by theory, you could just ask you seat neighbour if he'd enable a ad-hoc connection and share the wired connection with you. or anyone brings a small AP (think of the La Fonera by fon) to the airplane.