Tag: Gatwick Airport

To the airline that can’t get wifi right

So, from the great wifi experience with Premier Inn earlier this week, to today’s naff one with BA.

I’m in BA’s lounge at Gatwick, and using their wifi service. Yes, it’s free, but it really is shockingly slow.

Is this IP over Gastropod carrier?
Is this IP over Gastropod carrier?

Let’s take a quick look at the radio spectrum with Wifi Explorer…

5G Spectrum, not congested, but lots of SSIDs on the same Aruba radioheads.
5G Spectrum, not congested, but lots of SSIDs on the same Aruba radioheads.

There’s an uncongested 5GHz spectrum, and the networks which are visible are all originated from the same three Aruba radio heads, so even though there’s multiple SSIDs on the same channels, at least they are orchestrated.

2.4GHz is a somewhat different story.

BA-wifi-Gatwick-lounge-2-4G-spectrum
Icky, congested 2.4GHz.

However the one which really has earned the “slap” has to be the “wide” 2.4GHz signal…

No1 Lounge Staff, thanks for breaking it for everyone.
No1 Lounge Staff, thanks for breaking it for everyone.

Apparently, the staff at the No1 lounge think their own wifi is so bad, they have brought in their own DrayTek access point and are happily stomping over 60% of the 2.4GHz spectrum with their ridiculous wide signal.

It might be free wifi here, but it’s barely useable. šŸ˜¦