Why It's So Damn Hard to Put Internet in the Subway
AUG 21, 2015 @
12:30 PM popolarmechanics.com
"We have guys working down there while there are live
trains going through the system and people on the platform."
And while getting the internet underground is
hard enough, making Wi-Fi work on a subway platform in particular is even
harder. Despite being enclosed and technically indoors, the subway is actually
considered an "outdoor environment." According to Cornish, subway
temperatures can fluctuate from below freezing to over 100 degrees. That's a
huge difference from putting an electronic system into an office building,
which may never change more than ten degrees year-round, depending on who's got
control of the thermostat.
SUBWAY TEMPERATURES
CAN FLUCTUATE FROM BELOW FREEZING TO OVER 100 DEGREES
The other problem is water. And not just
puddles or errant drips from street-level. "The entire stations are
pressure hosed," Cornish says, not that you would necessarily think that
when you go down there. But electrical components don't get special treatment
in the subway station; they need to be able to handle the hose. Add to that a
persistent sprinkling of brake dust—particles of metal sprayed into the air all
day as trains pull into the station—and you can see why you'd need some seriously
rugged equipment.
NYC's Wi-Fi project is coming along, but other
cities already have it beat. In 2007, Hong Kong and Buenos Aires became the
first cities to install Wi-Fi in their subway systems. Today, Hong Kong's
subway is fully connected, while Buenos Aires has only 13 of 84 stations
connected, despite early plans to the contrary. Complications are unfortunate
but inevitable. There are plenty of places for rollout to get hung up. Every
subway station in unique in terms of depth and layout. Unfortunately that
requires creating an individual design for each, and in New York, Cornish
notes, that means each and every station has to be approved separately.
"There's a significant amount of engineering and project management behind
each station's design and approval." It's a long and arduous process that
has to be completed long before the actual wiring begins.
While being disconnected underground may cut
into your Facebook time, subterranean internet has its upsides as well. A
2014 Gallup poll
showed that the average American with a full time job worked between 44-49
hours a week. The workday bleeds into the rest of our lives thanks in large
part to round-the-clock email, texts, and other forms of communication. It's a well-covered
issue.From Monday through Friday, your average 50-minute daily commute might
be your only true respite. Sure, internet will certainly make it easier to
stomach getting stuck at the station, but it'll hurt when you get that email
from work just as you're descending the steps. So try to enjoy
the freedom of zero bars while you still have the chance. It won't last long.
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Good Netiquette to all!
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For a great email parody, view the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTgYHHKs0Zw&__scoop_post=bcaa0440-2548-11e5-c1bd-90b11c3d2b20&__scoop_topic=2455618
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