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WIFI across all your devices

Cooper80
Explorer C

SWA should offer WIFI services across all your devices instead of just one when you sign up and pay for it on that particular flight. Options are always good. They lead in the baggage arena as far as airlines go so next should be the WiFI. Important to me as a business traveler. I carry a phone laptop and Ipad. Multitasking is sometimes required.

28 REPLIES 28

Re: WIFI across all your devices

pchaddy
Explorer C

I've signed in to multiple devices without issue, it may be because I am A-List Preffered and my access is free though. 

Re: WIFI across all your devices

Cooper80
Explorer C

Tried it a couple of times with no luck.

Re: WIFI across all your devices

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@pchaddy wrote:

I've signed in to multiple devices without issue, it may be because I am A-List Preffered and my access is free though. 


It is definitely due to your A+ status, the regular wifi purchase doesn't have any method of transferring the purchase from device to device without a login - the router doesn't have any way to know that iPad A is the same customer as laptop B.

 

But that is nice to hear that A+ is for multiple devices, i wasn't sure if you only got one each flight or mutiple. 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: WIFI across all your devices

Utjsh83
Explorer C

A list preferred can. Other pay customers cannot. I agree that this should be fixed.

Re: WIFI across all your devices

mwilcox1
Explorer C

Gogo on AA used to allow multiple devices for one purchase, however, I recall the price was at least double or triple the SWA wifi.   What really is disconcerting is that SWA is using social media tools for support eg:  Facebook Messenger.  There is no reason for us to trust Facebook, twitter or google w/ our data.  IMHO Southwest is compromising their integrity using FTG, plus SWA used to be very supportive member of the open source community which helps all of us.   

Re: WIFI across all your devices

gsking
Aviator C

I don't think you realize that most of us have no clue what supporting the open source community has to do with using wifi on an airplane.   

Re: WIFI across all your devices

skidz
Explorer C

I can tell you from a technical perspective this isn't as easy as it sounds.  When your device is given wifi access it's identified on the wireless network based on a hardware address on the device.  There's nothing to tell the access point which devices belong to which people.

 

To do somthing like this there would have to be some type of sign-in, similar to what you have at a hotel, to tie different devices to the same person.  

Re: WIFI across all your devices

msturtz
Explorer B

United has this figured out, at least on the long-haul/international -- as long as you put in your frequent-flyer number, if you shut down and move to another device, you can "move" the already-paid-for service to another device without paying again.

 

Failing that...  If you're technical, consider a travel router.  Connect to your own hotspot, browse to the hotspot's web page and tell it to connect to the airplane WIFI.  Now buy the service like you would have before -- it'll be tied to your travel router rather than whaver device you use.  If you need to switch devices, just connect to your own hotspot again.

Re: WIFI across all your devices

celliott113
Explorer C

I believe the sign-in process would be simple. They ask for your RR Number (optional) at time of purchase. This number could be made mandatory/required for multi-device use. With that number, it would tie back to your account.

 

When initial sign up occurs, your MAC Address is then registered to that RR Number. Now SWA could do a couple of things, either allow only 1 device at a time or multiple devices up to a limit (i.e. 1-3 concurrent devices).

 

At signup with your 2nd device the website could have a section "Already paid for WiFi? Input your RR Number at time of purchase here." At that point, after entering that and pressing enter, it'll do 1 of 3 things:

 

A.) Click "Transfer Connection" to use your new device and start browsing. (This would be used as the initial option if they allow only 1 device at a time)

 

B.) Click "Connect" to use your new device and start browsing. (This would be the initial option if SWA allows multiple devices)

 

C.) Click "Swap Device" to use your new device and start browsing. (This would be the initial option if SWA allows multiple devices and the subscriber has reached their limit)

 

Option C.) would then allow the user to select which device to remove before adding the new device. This is a very easy system and common practice solution most public WiFi locations utilize ranging from hotels, to RV parks and Marinas.

 

I'm sure SWA's WiFi partner/provider can offer such a system. It's not a new technology to do so on the back-end.