What I wanted to know
Prior to buying my ticket, I wanted to know the following about the Megabus WiFi access:
1. How fast was it? Would it be like dialup, or a T1?
2. Were there any connectivity restrictions? Could I remote into a JangoMail server and deploy a new feature? Could I use GoToMyPC to access my main workstation in Chicago?
3. Were there power outlets available? My laptop battery only lasts four hours, and my trip was six.
Googling got me nowhere, as nobody has documented in detail experiences with Megabus's WiFi, so hence the purpose of this article.
To all tech executives, sysadmins, and those that like to make their web app better while travelling between cities, this article's for you.
Network Settings
The above screenshot shows my network settings after connecting to the wireless network with SSID MEGABUS - 64184. Note that I manually put in the DNS server of 8.8.8.8 in an attempt to get around the network's web site blocking, however my attempt was futile.The Speed
The speed various greatly depending on whether the bus is moving or stationary. While stationary, I got reasonable high-speed access. I ran this speed test which shows that I was getting near T1 speeds on the download.
Above speed was while bus was stationary at Indianapolis stop.
Above speed test was while bus was in route, half-way between Indianapolis and Chicago.The speed between Cincinnati and Indianapolis was the slowest of all, but unfortunately I did not capture a speed test screenshot during that portion of the trip.
Port Blocking
All connectivity, except to ports 80 and 443, and DNS lookups, are blocked:
- I could not ping any of our servers.
- I could not FTP to our server.
- I could not connect on port 25 to any mail servers.
- I could not Remote Desktop into any servers.
- I could not use GoToMyPC to connect to my workstation.
Additionally, the WiFi service uses OpenDNS to block many web sites. While I was able to read and respond to email via GMail, and browse Facebook, the following sites were blocked:
- MySpace
- Google Docs (at docs.google.com), which was odd, because most other Google services were available
- Nerve
Because it was an OpenDNS based block, I suspected that switching to Google's new public DNS server (8.8.8.8) might be a workaround to the blocking. I manually set my Windows TCP/IP settings to use 8.8.8.8 as its DNS server rather than the one dynamically assigned by DHCP, but to no avail. The sites were still blocked, redirecting me to an OpenDNS message.
The WiFi service is provided by a company called Saucon, and it is free.
Power Outlets on Megabus
There were no power outlets on my bus from Cincinnati to Chicago, but I've read (insert link) that some buses do have outlets.
Resources
For the official Megabus Saucon WiFi Terms of Use, that you must agree to right when you connect, is here: http://www.saucontds.com/us/index.html
Wikipedia entry on Megabus - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabus
Megabus Home page - http://www.megabus.com, which oddly enough when I just visited, gave me:
Shocking that the site goes offline EVERY DAY for 3 hours. In our world of real-time, mission-critical everything, I'm surprised that they would sacrifice 12.5% of the time they could be selling tickets. JangoMail, which I'd imagine is a far more complex app than Megabus's web site, has maintenance running on the back-end almost constantly, and we rarely go offline.
Ajay,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review of the Megabus WiFi. docs.google.com should not have been blocked, and this has been corrected.
I'd like to point out that there are many more ports open than you list.
80, 8080, 443 (http/https)
5222, 5223 (jabber xmpp / google talk)
110, 143, 456, 587, 993, 995 (pop3, imap, .... email)
5190 - 5193 (AOL Instant Messenger)
1863 (msn messenger)
1352 (Lotus Notes)
1667 (groupwise)
5050 (Yahoo! Instant Messenger)
Port 25 is blocked to eliminate malware attempts to spam email. Unfortunately, this is far more common than it should be.
MySpace appears to be classified as video sharing, which is why it is blocked. In general, our content filtering is done to reduce traffic, as many people typically share the same connection. One person watching a movie on youtube would significantly degrade the experience for all of the other passengers. Other websites, such as Nerve, are blocked because of the environment. Coach USA does not want people surfing for questionable content while on the bus.
As for DNS, you'll never be able to bypass it. :)
Best Regards,
Mark Deneen
Saucon Technologies
I am pasting a ping google.com -t that I let run for the entire from from DC to Pittsburgh. As you can see, the MegaBus wireless DOES "work" although it is HORRIBLY intermittent and when it DOES "work" the latency is usually over 1 entire second for each packet that you send. Consider the insanely high number of lost packets and just TRY to do something that requires a heartbeat response. Turntable.fm for example, impossible to use. It's a website with chat, music, and cartoons that bob. Hardly a bandwidth-sucker. I'm copying/pasting this entire post into notepad because chances are, when I click "publish" it's going to error out and I'll lose everything I typed in here. Yay technology! At least it's not like 2012 or anything... sigh....
DeleteAjay and Mark, thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is now on a Megabus from NYC to Boston and has a LOT of work to do. She called to say she could receive e-mail but could not send it from Outlook through Port 25.
Google led me to Ajay's post, and per Mark's suggestion I had my daughter try Outgoing SMTP port 587. It works and she is happy.
Regret this has nothing to do with JangoMail but wanted to say "thanks" to you both. Mark, should Megabus add something to their FAQs?
-Dan in NH
How about opening up port 22 so we can get some work done?
ReplyDeleteI'm on a megabus right now and the reason I took megabus rather than fly is to relax and get some work done. I can't FTP into any of my clients' sites so I guess I have nothing to do except surf and catch up on facebook. Glad I found this post, thank you because otherwise I would be driving myself crazy. Would be great if port 22 were open. Otherwise, the megabus is nice.
ReplyDeleteOut of curiosity does megabus run off of a mobile network?
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ReplyDeleteI'm on a MegaBus right now from NYC to Boston. It is nice. I use cPanel for many of my sites so am still able to manage without using FTP. I can understand their need to block FTP however as it will mostly consist of large file uploads/downloads.
ReplyDeleteOne problem I am having on my bus trip is that even though there are power outlets, the entire second floor of the bus is without power. No lights and no way to power my computer and cell phone. MegaBus does seem to have a support line which they mentioned in the little welcome video at the start of my trip, but I unfortunately cannot call since I have no cell power.
For others with similar problems: This is their general phone number (though I am not sure it is the number you need to call for tech support): 1-877-GO2-MEGA
I've used Megabus in Canada last week (Toronto-Montreal). The connectivity worked for about 20 minutes, and suddenly stopped (the network was still there, but no Internet available on my iPod Touch nor my laptop) for the rest of the trip.
ReplyDeleteWould there be a way to conceive some sort of self check system that would reboot the system in case of a failure?
I've taken the Megabus from Albany to New York four times in the last three weeks and had the same problem as pmxau each time: I can get online perfectly for a few minutes at the beginning of the trip and then the internet disappears. My iPod Touch settings still say "connected" to the Megabus network but there's no service, no ability to surf or access e-mail.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the bus right now, going from Chicago to Ann Arbor. I have the same problem as the last two people who posted. It seems to be on, but when I go to connect to the Internet the customary agreement page does not show and it tells me I am not connected to the Internet (tried both phone and laptop, several times). I've made this trip several times now and the only time wifi worked for me was once, on a round trip last summer. It was really nice. What happened? How come now it does not work? Is there a way to at least tell us when it does not work or how to troubleshoot?
ReplyDeleteI took a Megabus from Hampton to DC and back a couple of weeks ago and had NO internet service whatsoever. The wireless router on the bus was active, but the connection dead-ended there.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit deceptive to claim to have Wi-Fi on board if it doesn't connect to the 'net.
Ditto the last three comments, Charlotte to DC. I love the magabus concept, but was skeptical about the wifi service, especially with the disclaimer on the website. Neither my BB nor my laptop will function on the wireless service. There are power ports at each seat (single decker) and they all have a green light that flashes intermittently or sometimes holds constant, without being told - I imagine that its some sort of wireless indicator. A little more effort with the wireless functionality or communication would have been nice.
ReplyDeleteDitto on a recent trip from Cincinnati to Chicago.
ReplyDeleteThe bus driver actually chuckled when I asked if wifi was available (cincinnati to chicago route). That says a lot. They shouldn't promise what they can't deliver.
ReplyDeleteI have taken four trips on megabus with no wifi available after the first 10 minutes
ReplyDeleteIm on st louis to chicago and concur with the last half dozen posts. Hey mark, how bout we stop throttling so we can actually use the internet longer than 10-20 minutes?? Rip off!
ReplyDeleteI'm done with Megabus now this is the third time this has happened to me with the wifi problems! Says I have a connection but the landing agreement page won't show. In the DC area there is also Bolt Bus and MVP which offers wi-fi. My colleagues have taken it and managed to get things done. I will definitely blog, tweet, and fb as well about Megabus' poor performance and service. I will be sure to share about Saucon technologies especially among the IT and business community. When in doubt just fly or go with anyone other than Megabus.
ReplyDeleteJust want to add my experience. I've taken five or six megabuses - never got wifi, only the connected but can't surf thing - same as other riders. My daughter got wifi once but that's it.
ReplyDeleteEven without the wifi I'd still take megabus because of the cheap prices, but I have no life like you guys do :)
I'm on Megabus now and have to post this with my iPhone. NO internet from NYC to DC. on May 28. I wish I booked another bus! Wifi worked for all of 10 minutes when we left.
ReplyDeleteHate Megabus and Coach Canada. No respect for their clients. No warranty for wifi, for being on time, for a driver, for a bus or even for a seat. Treat their clients like animals by overloading their buses. ALWAYS late, A L W A Y S. Service is garbage: no customer service, no manager on site except an innocent driver. Never again.
ReplyDeleteI'm on my way to Detroit from Pittsburgh, and I have the internet! The internet has not cut out yet (one hour and some change in), and we also have outlets at each set of seats. I'd also like to mention that the seats are clean and the bus is nice, as is the driver. I can't connect to the Minecraft multiplayer server from here, but really... I can look out the window and be happy that I'm not flying. No body scans, and I'm not crammed or uncomfortable. Also, no luggage fees! For one dollar, this rocks.
ReplyDeleteOn a megabus from Pittsburgh to New York and I haven't been able to connect so far and I'm over an hour into my trip. Guess it just was too good to be true. Having the same problem as many of the other people, I am able to connect to the access point but it keeps saying there is no internet access. Guess that's why the tickets are so cheap.
ReplyDeleteFolks,
ReplyDeleteWifi on a moving bus is not exactly like having a wire connected to your computer. Yes, you should be able to get some decent connectivity, but if you also have 50+ people all accessing the same hub, chances are you'll see some latency. THAT'S also why you can't access video, streaming content, and stuff that is potentially questionable - because unlike YOU super genuiuses, there's also a lot of people that know NOTHING about network security and inevitably will download files, viruses, and all sorts of crap that could compromise the quality of service for everyone.
Use it to check email, write a few posts, etc. But for heavy duty coding and file manipulation - c'mon... are you really that dense?
Who said anything about coding, file manipulation, or streaming? We're talking basic internet access. Most people on the bus don't even try connecting after the first few minutes, because it's so sporadic. I've never been on a crowded Megabus. Most seats are vacant, and very few people are even attempting to connect to anything. If you ever do get connected, you might be able to open your webmail and even open a message (or two if you're lucky!) Then, when you try to open the next one or click on a link, you get nothing but maybe an error message for anywhere from 5 - 30 minutes. It will finally come back for a few seconds or minutes and then it's down again. They really shouldn't even be able to advertise "free wi-fi" when they know that it's down more than up. Either fix it, or stop the false advertising!
DeleteI've experienced situations like those mentioned up top. I can connect to the net at the start of the trip from my ipod, and now my tablet, but after no more than an hour into my 4 or 6 hour trip, it just dissapears. I found this place by looking for info on something I could do to fix this, to regain net. But I guess this is just common, and there's no way to fix it. Otherwise.. I say.. always take your own roll of toilet paper. I'd love to give an earful to the person who designed.. and the other who PASSED the bathroom design on the double deckers. NO SINK! NO WATER! NO PAPER TOWELS! And on my trip??? NO SANITIZER!! all adding up to absolutly ZERO fun on a moving bus, with NO TOILETTE PAPER... and a very heavy period. I had blood everywhere! Couldn't avoid it. Girls don't hate periods for nothing ya know.... I had to clean my hands with my own spit, and thank gawd.. the few tissues I had on me.
ReplyDeleteAbout 2/3 of my trips on Megabus have had wi-fi. This latest trip down on a Sunday was a heavy travel day and megabus had charted extra buses. But I rode was from another company and had neither wi-fi nor power, nor extra legroom. It was clean but an ordinary bus. I am now writing this on my return trip. Top deck of a double deck. Wi-fi is slow on a lightly loaded trip and the power does not work.
ReplyDeleteI am on a bus from DC to New York. Aside from being extremely late, I too noticed these sites are blocked.
ReplyDeleteI've been able to send mail through outlook, but only using Gmail. Don't know if there are any hangups with exchange.
Thank goodness I don't have to use Google Docs.
I spend a lot of time in developing nations in Africa. Saucon's service is very similar to the slow internet I experience there.
Thank you Jangomail, and shame on you Saucon and Megabus.
I took BoltBus on the way here and that web experience was slightly better...
KJ
Holy fucking shit I never wanna take megabus!! Just reading about you new service in knoxville & i would rather take the "Middle Passage ". GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT MEGABUS!! You have a good idea but you're trying to exploit every passenger. Get your head out of your ass and provide the customers what they want.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't connect at all from NY - DC, on feb 16th. I've been using megabus for a few times, and there was NO reliable connection, only spotty, long delay and failure to connect, if you count on wifi to do work, then I can't recommend megabus. But then wifi while traveling, whether on bus or train, I don't see any praise for "reliable" service.
ReplyDeleteOn the bus right now .... No wifi. This is my second time taking it between Boston and NYC, both times struck out on internet. They should fix their sh*! or don't advertise. The only reason I took this bus instead of Fung Wah was for the purported Internet. Besides that it was total chaos getting on the bus. They are going to lose a lot of customers because of a poorly run business.
ReplyDeleteAlso on a bus from Cle to Chicago...no wifi. Says I'm connected but I can't access anything. Took the megabus a month ago and had the same experience.
ReplyDeleteAlso on a bus from Cle to Chicago...no wifi. Says I'm connected but I can't access anything. Took the megabus a month ago and had the same experience.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with me Pittsburgh to Philly and back. No WiFi connectivity. They shouldn't advertise it with a big space on their website if it's never available.
ReplyDeleteOn a Megabus right now 8/23/12 and NO internet connection, even though wifi says it's connected. This has happened everytime I ride this bus! And like many of you said, I too have work to do. I will be contacting them.
ReplyDeleteDitto a thousand time over. Took bus from Nashville to Memphis for lower price and WiFi service. Could not stay connected to internet for more than five minutes. At this rate I'll just fly next time and pay for reliable airline WiFi.
ReplyDeleteOn a bus now from Nashville to Chicago. I wish I saw this before I booked the ticket. I took a Greyhound from St. Louis to Memphis and the internet worked fine the entire time.. Megabus only worked until we started moving.. Every time I reset the adapter I get less then 5 minutes before it times out and the computer still shows me connected.
ReplyDeleteWill never take MegaBus again and shall be sharing this will the twitter, facebook and blog followers of my road trip. They must not know what "broadband speeds" are because I had to tether my phone to get anything to work.
PLUS two buses arrived at the same time and the first one couldn't even answer a yes or no question. Driver just pointed at a sign and walked away. At least Greyhound drivers have always been kind and courteous.