INTRODUCTION
WiFi is everywhere, from cafes to bus stops, trains to airports, It is a service that people on the going value highly. Airplanes are flying in the sky where there is no network connection because of the clouds. The wifi is not working in airplanes because of the internet connection which is not available.
DOES AIRPLANES HAVE WIFI?
Yes, there are two systems to provide wifi on airplanes that are ground-based transmission systems, antennas, and satellite systems.
AIR TO GROUND
The Air to the ground is based on the towers. The towers on the ground are sending signals to the plane for WiFi. There is somebody in the upper part of the airplane that is a transponder and takes signals from the ground. It always works on the ground only because it is not possible that the airplanes are always above the ground sometimes they are above the lake, sea, etc. The speed of the wifi is low so we can’t imagine that all 200-300 passengers are getting good wifi connectivity speed on a plane or not so when you are on board the air to the ground system is activated.
The Air to the ground system still works sometimes if the plane connects to the towers. The aircraft begins to pick up the different cell tower signals and allows users within the plane to start sending and receiving messages and emails. Unfortunately, the speed is almost at 3 Mbit/s compared to your 4G/ LTE mobile phones which can provide speeds up to 30-40 Mbit/s but, it is enough to check your messages. The internet speeds are equal to the mobile data networks. The connectivity of the wifi or internet is not too good.
SATELLITE BASED COMMUNICATION
Satellite-based communication helps to provide the internet connection to airplanes. It still works with the Ku band. The transponder is fitted on the upper side of the airplane that helps to communicate with the satellite and the satellite communications to the ground station. The process helps to send wifi signals to the airplanes. It is faster than the ATG system with a maximum of 50 Mbit/s.
But, it is still relatively slow which is not too good for the internet because this speed is for whole passengers on the plane. Satellite wifi suffers from latency issues that don’t affect transmission. Also, the internet speed gets slower the more airplanes are transmitting on one satellite, and they are not that many out there yet. You can able to connect the internet but don’t get good connectivity of wifi on airplanes. The antennas adjust their position because it helps to receive the wifi signals so, that people can connect with it to get data and use the internet freely.
KA-BAND
Ka-band is the fastest wifi service available on airplanes, and satellite wireless service provider “Viasat” powers ka band with the “ViaSat-1” satellite which is more powerful than the Ku band satellite. It promises to speed up to 70 Mbit/s to each aircraft. This speed is similar to the speed that you use at your home and allows you to stream videos and upload photos on social media platforms.
ViaSat ka band satellite covers the United States, and Viasat-2 covers the Canada and parts of Europe. Those airlines claim that this combination of satellite service wifi will allow their passengers to watch shows and movies and stream music from Spotify. The Ku-band is better than Ka-band because it has higher performance and helps to transfer the data more conveniently. It has a higher frequency so, that’s why it is good to transfer the data easily. Make sure to put your phone in flight mode.
CONCLUSION
Internet is necessary nowadays, people can’t live without the internet. During the covid situation, all work, and studies can be done by internet only. People use social media platforms or business platforms for their work and studies like google meet, zoom for attending the meetings and lectures. People use the internet to watch movies, communicate, chat, upload stories, and post when there are on the flight. People are getting bored easily without the internet. Airplanes provide Wifi to their passengers but, because of connection or network issues, they won’t be able to connect their devices to wifi.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
1. Does airplanes provide free wifi service?
Yes, some airplanes provide free wifi service.
2. How can we know the password of the wifi?
You can ask the air hostess, and sometimes, it’s already written on your seat sideboard.
3. Does all airplanes have wifi?
Maybe, you can ask them about the wifi is available or not.
4. Is it safe to connect the wifi service on airplanes?
Yes, you can first put your phone on flight mode then you can able to on your wifi.
