On the road
Long trains and coaches: how to get through with your phone
The signal comes and goes, on-board wi-fi almost never delivers and the battery is finite. What to prepare before boarding.
Claudia Ferrán 5 min Photo by Attila Pál on Unsplash A long overland leg is the part of the trip where the phone gets used most and works worst: the signal comes and goes, and the on-board wi-fi, if there is any, is shared by two hundred people.
Before boarding
- Download what you are going to watch, read or listen to. Only that guarantees a bearable journey.
- Download the map of the route and the destination.
- Keep the ticket outside the app, as a screenshot or a PDF.
- Charge the phone and the power bank. There are few sockets on board and they do not always work.
- And check whether the route passes through another country, which changes the tariff mid-journey.
Point three saves the most grief: inspectors, platform changes and apps that will not open without coverage.
Why the signal drops
Because of tunnels, unpopulated stretches and speed: at two hundred kilometres an hour the phone keeps changing mast, and every hop is a micro-interruption. It is not your plan: it is physics.
The on-board wi-fi
It usually stretches to messaging apps and checking timetables, not to video or video calls. Many operators limit it explicitly, and on international trains the provider changes when the border is crossed.
If the route crosses a border, watch out for this: roaming in the European Union.
Saving battery on the way
- Low brightness and battery saver from the start.
- Aeroplane mode on stretches where you know there is no signal: searching for a network is what uses most.
- Downloaded material instead of streaming video, which stutters anyway.
- And wired headphones if you have them, since they use less than wireless ones.
Frequently asked questions
Is there internet on long train journeys?
The mobile signal comes and goes because of tunnels and unpopulated stretches, and the on-board wi-fi usually only stretches to messaging apps.
Why does the signal drop so often on the train?
Because of tunnels, areas without coverage and because at high speed the phone keeps changing mast.
What should I download before boarding?
Series, music or books, the map of the route and the ticket saved outside the app.
How do I save battery?
Low brightness, battery saver, aeroplane mode on stretches without signal, and downloaded material instead of streaming.
