Upgraded Wi-Fi service rolled out across all four parks this week

[mm121]

Most will be pleased by this, but I will continue to stubbornly refuse to use the wifi, and will actively avoid using my phone at WDW as much as possible. Too much other fun stuff to look at in the parks to be buried in my phone looking at FaceTime or hashtaging my Instagrams.

Now, if Disney ever developed an app for the bus system that displays real time arrival info, I would use that extensively.

the main place would be great to see the internet work, is in the line queues.

as thats a time of the day when you aren't really doing much else, so you can post things without having to take a true break wasting time.

the biggest question is how well it works when there are thousands and thousands of people using it.

thats one thing that i always run into at like street festivals and other events, internet that works fine day to day, is total crap under a heavy user load.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

I had issues yesterday evening with an LG G3 Android device and just decided to fall back to LTE. My device does use the 802.11b band, but also the a/g/n/ac bands.

Thanks for the update, as much as I love my G3, I have noticed I haven't been able to use WDW WIFI at all since I got it in October. I'm wondering if there is some incompatibility with how the phone authenticates network access...

 

[cspencer96]

I've had reports that the first gen iPhone and iPod Touch are not working. There may be more to the upgrade than elimination of b, but I'm not sure what else would cause those early devices to fail.

It's potentially the method of authentication, if that's the case. Some older devices also don't play well with zero-handoff between access points, which I can assume and hope Disney is implementing in some fashion better than it has been previously.

 

[KCL]

Here's my speed test from Magic Kingdom this morning. Wish I had one from last weekend but it definitely feels speedy browsing Photopass pictures.

But was it consistent? My worry is that you'll have that speed if you can connect but that it will constantly fade in and out.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'll be eagerly following the early reviews.

I've had reports that the first gen iPhone and iPod Touch are not working. There may be more to the upgrade than elimination of b, but I'm not sure what else would cause those early devices to fail.

Who's using a first gen iPhone? Those people don't deserve Wifi.

I kid, of course.

 

[mm121]

Who's using a first gen iPhone? Those people don't deserve Wifi.

I kid, of course.

i doubt a first gen iphone can even run the app at all. as it stopped being supported for the latest ios years and years ago

 

[Communicore]

Glad this is upgraded. The wifi at Liberty Square, specifically the area with the rocking chairs, is so slow. Also more opportunities for people to Instagram everything they ate.

 

[Communicore]

I'll be eagerly following the early reviews.


Who's using a first gen iPhone? Those people don't deserve Wifi.

I kid, of course.

Yea I overheard someone at the store wanting to buy an iPhone 2, because that way they can say they own an iPhone even if not the recent version.

 

[Jon81uk]

Please tell me this is sarcasm.

If not- you do realize that you don't need 18mb/s speed to tweet or text- and that you could have done it just as easily with the old wifi?
"Disney has good news? Not in this house- I won't allow it!"

But now you can upload that shaky video of pirates before you've even left the ride!

 

[Rasvar]

Cast Members are already using an app that does this exact thing. I would imagine it would be rolled out to either MDE or maybe screens near the stops

The cast member busses are run by an outside vendor. They actually use the same app that is used at my university. I found it amusing when I accidently started the app and it told me when the next bus would arrive backstage.

I think the bigger issue with the mapping for Disney Transport is their dynamic dispatch system. In most bus systems, the bus is going to continue on the same route for most of the day. Disney tends to change the route at the parks. So it makes it harder to have software that can predict when your next bus is coming in, especially at the parks. Just think how ticked off someone might be if they see the route they want to take coming into the parking lot and hurry to the stop only to see it disappear from the app.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Could it be a WEP, WPA, WPA2 thing?

IIRC, it's an open network i.e unencrypted so it doesn't use any encryption protocol. If that is the case then wep/wpa etc is not applicable.

If it wasn't an open network and they were using a password then a change to a newer protocol would mean some older devices could no longer connect.

 

[Rasvar]

IIRC, it's an open network i.e unencrypted so it doesn't use any encryption protocol. If that is the case then wep/wpa etc is not applicable.

If it wasn't an open network and they were using a password then a change to a newer protocol would mean some older devices could no longer connect.

Also, a friendly reminder, checking your emails on the non-encrypted link may not be the best thing. I usually avoid checking bank and credit cards when on open wifi, but that is just being extra cautious. Almost all of those should be SSL encrypted but why take the risk?

 

[007mickey]

I wish they'd put back those cell phone charging stations in Tomorrowland, and then put them everywhere around the parks. They were super useful, especially if Disney is encouraging us to use our phones more and more.

Pretty sure I'll be in the minority with this but I wish Disney wouldn't encourage this.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Pretty sure I'll be in the minority with this but I wish Disney wouldn't encourage this.

Oh, I agree. But with the $2 billion+ they spent on this fancy stuff, they're going to be encouraging it. I'm just saying I'd prefer to have a phone that's not dead to book FPs and stuff.

 

[007mickey]

Oh, I agree. But with the $2 billion+ they spent on this fancy stuff, they're going to be encouraging it. I'm just saying I'd prefer to have a phone that's not dead to book FPs and stuff.

You bring up a good question(s) as I'm about to go for the first time since all this stuff has been fully implemented. How "friendly" do you find the kiosks? Is your phone easier to deal with all things MDE than a kiosk?

 

[RayTheFirefly]

You bring up a good question(s) as I'm about to go for the first time since all this stuff has been fully implemented. How "friendly" do you find the kiosks? Is your phone easier to deal with all things MDE than a kiosk?

I'm not a fan of the kiosks. In my experience, there has always been a long line to them, and half the time I get to the cast member and he or she says "oh, the system is malfunctioning today, we can't do that function right now." The phone is just as easy to deal with as the kiosk, without the wait. IMO.

 

[007mickey]

I'm not a fan of the kiosks. In my experience, there has always been a long line to them, and half the time I get to the cast member and he or she says "oh, the system is malfunctioning today, we can't do that function right now." The phone is just as easy to deal with as the kiosk, without the wait. IMO.

With the phone the easier of the two and this wifi upgrade, are they still making you use the kiosk for your 4th, 5th, etc. FP after your first 3 are done?

 

[RayTheFirefly]

With the phone the easier of the two and this wifi upgrade, are they still making you use the kiosk for your 4th, 5th, etc. FP after your first 3 are done?

To be honest, I can't remember. Someone else may I know. I believe so.

 

[Smillies]

But was it consistent? My worry is that you'll have that speed if you can connect but that it will constantly fade in and out.

Generally yes, but not always. Either the connection is rock solid and fast, or it's connected but bogged down (?) and not working (i.e. the speed test app can't even initialize but it shows I'm on the wifi). But that seems to be infrequent.

 

[mm121]

The cast member busses are run by an outside vendor. They actually use the same app that is used at my university. I found it amusing when I accidently started the app and it told me when the next bus would arrive backstage.

I think the bigger issue with the mapping for Disney Transport is their dynamic dispatch system. In most bus systems, the bus is going to continue on the same route for most of the day. Disney tends to change the route at the parks. So it makes it harder to have software that can predict when your next bus is coming in, especially at the parks. Just think how ticked off someone might be if they see the route they want to take coming into the parking lot and hurry to the stop only to see it disappear from the app.

do they have a way to know when there are people waiting? especially cases when there are alot of people waiting

i just know at night time it seems like you have to wait a really long time sometimes, so would be great to have some kind of button or something, like a crosswalk button to press when a bus is needed.

how do they know to send a second bus? do some busses just roam around and dynamically change their destinations as needed? or do people just have to wait for another regularly scheduled bus

i know legal wise and people complaint wise (as people would complain that they were either being delayed, or other people were getting preferential treatment) they can't but occasionally its too bad that they can't design a special bus for the scooters/wheelchairs etc that would hold more than 2

With the phone the easier of the two and this wifi upgrade, are they still making you use the kiosk for your 4th, 5th, etc. FP after your first 3 are done?

if thats still the case thats kind of silly, but i know they dont want everyone using lots of fast passes, so they work to make it as difficult as possible