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> The budget of the WiFi4EU initiative is EUR 120 million between 2018 and 2020. Looks like this is not a new thing, it would be nice to have a more unified ex

by dewey 2y ago

> The budget of the WiFi4EU initiative is EUR 120 million between 2018 and 2020. Looks like this is not a new thing, it would be nice to have a more unified experience across the EU (Just like https://eduroam.org https://eduroam.org), but I wonder if it would be more useful to have a unified minimum data cap on mobile networks instead of building out WiFi coverage across cities?

lxgr 2y ago
Wi-Fi has the advantage of being usable on devices without a cell modem as well, such as most laptops, e-readers etc. That said, now that many phones support dual-SIM, I do wish there was a low-friction way to connect to a local 5G network without downloading an eSIM profile and all that.
- chrisweekly 2y ago
  Doesn't tethering (laptop <- wifi -> phone <- 5g -> internet) solve that?
  - lxgr 2y ago
    Largely, but not everyone has unlimited data (especially not when traveling), and my laptop battery is much larger than my phone's too.
    - chgs 2y ago
      I’m currently charging my phone from my laptop. And tethering off my phone as the wifi on Amtrak (which could be great if it had a starlink dish on the top) is awful and keeps going back to unauthorised. I haven’t really had much signal problem and I’m not travelling through particularly built up areas (on the New York to Miami train, nearing the GA/FL border)
      - lxgr 2y ago
        That definitely works, but it requires a cable, balancing two devices on a potentially small seatback tray etc. On most trains I've traveled on, Wi-Fi (if available) also works much better since the antenna for that is usually on top of the train, and windows are sometimes coated with a metallic paint to keep out solar radiation.
    - moffkalast 2y ago
      Nobody has unlimited data in reality, it's just a marketing term. All providers will throttle you down to nothing at some point sooner or later.
      - lxgr 2y ago
        Throttling or deprioritization is a thing, but it's definitely not "nothing" across the board. How usable a deprioritized connection still is heavily depends on the network and location in question.
    - efdee 2y ago
      "(especially not when traveling)" In the EU there are no roaming costs so it's not any different when travelling.
      - cubesnooper 2y ago
        When I travel to Europe, my North America–only cell service doesn’t work at all. I definitely appreciate free Wi‐Fi at my destinations.
        efdee 2y ago
        When I travel to North America, I get a 6 EUR/day data deal that transfers my EU 5G quota to the US. Demand better from your companies.
        lxgr 2y ago
        How does one “demand better” from a handful of giant corporations? Did you personally negotiate that plan with your phone operator? Besides that, neither tethering (for reasons other than cost, mentioned above) nor international roaming (increased latency) are a perfect replacement for fast local Wi-Fi at this point.
        efdee 2y ago
        It's that dreaded government intervention thing. (also: increased latency for roaming?)
        fragmede 2y ago
        fwiw, T-Mobile works internationally, and esim data providers like airalo make it easy to have data at your destination.
      - lxgr 2y ago
        That’s not quite true: There’s a limit to the amount of data usage your provider has to grant you at no additional cost, and mine enforces that. It works out to a 16 or so GB/month limit, on an otherwise >50 GB/month plan.
est 2y ago
Exactly what I thought. eduroam was everywhere. If you setup for their authentication mechanism, you get the funding.
- satyamkapoor 2y ago
  Love eduroam
- mysteria 2y ago
  The authentication and registration requirement would be good from a legal perspective, but bad from a privacy one. Then again the alternative is cellular data which is tied to an account anyways.
  - jeroenhd 2y ago
    Eduroam provides an authenticated tunnel to your home network which provides you with connectivity. The quality of said authentication varies by institution and some provide much better security and privacy than others. The level of privacy you can expect depends on what country you're in and what institution your account is from. So yes, Eduroam is no different than roaming on any 4G/5G network, but it's also not worse. If anything, I trust the backend security of Eduroam providers more than I trust mobile carriers.
    - addandsubtract 2y ago
      How do you get access to eduroam, when no longer active at a university?
      - sulandor 2y ago
        become active again. e.g. alumni programs can be eligible

by dewey 2y ago

lxgr 2y ago

Wi-Fi has the advantage of being usable on devices without a cell modem as well, such as most laptops, e-readers etc. That said, now that many phones support dual-SIM, I do wish there was a low-friction way to connect to a local 5G network without downloading an eSIM profile and all that.

chrisweekly 2y ago
Doesn't tethering (laptop <- wifi -> phone <- 5g -> internet) solve that?
- lxgr 2y ago
  Largely, but not everyone has unlimited data (especially not when traveling), and my laptop battery is much larger than my phone's too.
  - chgs 2y ago
    I’m currently charging my phone from my laptop. And tethering off my phone as the wifi on Amtrak (which could be great if it had a starlink dish on the top) is awful and keeps going back to unauthorised. I haven’t really had much signal problem and I’m not travelling through particularly built up areas (on the New York to Miami train, nearing the GA/FL border)
    - lxgr 2y ago
      That definitely works, but it requires a cable, balancing two devices on a potentially small seatback tray etc. On most trains I've traveled on, Wi-Fi (if available) also works much better since the antenna for that is usually on top of the train, and windows are sometimes coated with a metallic paint to keep out solar radiation.
  - moffkalast 2y ago
    Nobody has unlimited data in reality, it's just a marketing term. All providers will throttle you down to nothing at some point sooner or later.
    - lxgr 2y ago
      Throttling or deprioritization is a thing, but it's definitely not "nothing" across the board. How usable a deprioritized connection still is heavily depends on the network and location in question.
  - efdee 2y ago
    "(especially not when traveling)" In the EU there are no roaming costs so it's not any different when travelling.
    - cubesnooper 2y ago
      When I travel to Europe, my North America–only cell service doesn’t work at all. I definitely appreciate free Wi‐Fi at my destinations.
      - efdee 2y ago
        When I travel to North America, I get a 6 EUR/day data deal that transfers my EU 5G quota to the US. Demand better from your companies.
        lxgr 2y ago
        How does one “demand better” from a handful of giant corporations? Did you personally negotiate that plan with your phone operator? Besides that, neither tethering (for reasons other than cost, mentioned above) nor international roaming (increased latency) are a perfect replacement for fast local Wi-Fi at this point.
        efdee 2y ago
        It's that dreaded government intervention thing. (also: increased latency for roaming?)
      - fragmede 2y ago
        fwiw, T-Mobile works internationally, and esim data providers like airalo make it easy to have data at your destination.
    - lxgr 2y ago
      That’s not quite true: There’s a limit to the amount of data usage your provider has to grant you at no additional cost, and mine enforces that. It works out to a 16 or so GB/month limit, on an otherwise >50 GB/month plan.

est 2y ago

Exactly what I thought. eduroam was everywhere. If you setup for their authentication mechanism, you get the funding.

satyamkapoor 2y ago
Love eduroam
mysteria 2y ago
The authentication and registration requirement would be good from a legal perspective, but bad from a privacy one. Then again the alternative is cellular data which is tied to an account anyways.
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  Eduroam provides an authenticated tunnel to your home network which provides you with connectivity. The quality of said authentication varies by institution and some provide much better security and privacy than others. The level of privacy you can expect depends on what country you're in and what institution your account is from. So yes, Eduroam is no different than roaming on any 4G/5G network, but it's also not worse. If anything, I trust the backend security of Eduroam providers more than I trust mobile carriers.
  - addandsubtract 2y ago
    How do you get access to eduroam, when no longer active at a university?
    - sulandor 2y ago
      become active again. e.g. alumni programs can be eligible