{"video_id":"x8xUzF__hcg","title":"How Does Airplane Wi-Fi Work?","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2017-05-06T14:58:16Z","duration_s":357,"segments":[{"start_s":0.16,"end_s":6.799,"text":"When you think about it, air travel really isn't all that great. I mean,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":3.84,"end_s":11.759,"text":"sure, you can get from New York to LA in 6 hours. But unlike driving where you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.679,"end_s":16.96,"text":"can pull off the highway and hit up the nearest Arby's when you get a hankering,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":14.88,"end_s":23.439,"text":"when you're on a plane, you're basically crammed into a 500 mph glorified bus","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":21.039,"end_s":28.08,"text":"with wings and a bunch of sweaty strangers. And if you decided to step","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.0,"end_s":32.559,"text":"out for a snack, well, I hope you packed your parachute. But even though the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.48,"end_s":37.6,"text":"airlines have been hitting us over the head recently with bag fees and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":35.44,"end_s":43.68,"text":"disappointing food offerings, they have at least tried to make flying a little","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.64,"end_s":47.039,"text":"more tolerable by offering us inflight","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.68,"end_s":50.239,"text":"wireless internet. Huzzah.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.039,"end_s":53.28,"text":"But how exactly does Wi-Fi work when","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":50.239,"end_s":57.52,"text":"you're six miles off the ground? Why is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":53.28,"end_s":60.0,"text":"it so spotty? And is it possible to make","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":57.52,"end_s":65.04,"text":"it better in the future? Well, when inflight Wi-Fi first became a thing in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":62.399,"end_s":69.84,"text":"the early to mid 2000s, it usually worked by beaming an internet connection","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.2,"end_s":74.88,"text":"to a transponder attached to the plane using satellites, similar to how folks","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":72.479,"end_s":79.84,"text":"in rural areas without cable, DSL or fiber infrastructure use satellite","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":76.96,"end_s":84.72,"text":"dishes to get online. Today these systems are still in use along with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.32,"end_s":90.799,"text":"another system called airto ground transmission or ATG. This takes the form","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":88.0,"end_s":97.36,"text":"of towers similar to cell phone towers which have the advantage of being a lot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":94.079,"end_s":100.64,"text":"cheaper than satellite internet but they","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":97.36,"end_s":103.2,"text":"obviously only work over land. I haven't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":100.64,"end_s":107.84,"text":"seen any floating cell phone towers on open barges yet. And there are other","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":105.36,"end_s":112.96,"text":"disadvantages too. Not only do these towers suffer from geographical","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":110.96,"end_s":119.439,"text":"restrictions, but the service they provide can be painfully slow. As anyone","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":116.88,"end_s":125.52,"text":"who's ever tried to stream anything on a plane probably knows. In the US, for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.479,"end_s":128.64,"text":"example, there's only a 3 megahertz","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":125.52,"end_s":131.36,"text":"slice of the radio spectrum assigned to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":128.64,"end_s":137.28,"text":"airline internet. So you compare that to the average home Wi-Fi connection which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.76,"end_s":138.879,"text":"can use anywhere from 20 to 160","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":137.28,"end_s":144.48,"text":"megahertz. So this ends up meaning then that ATG","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":141.84,"end_s":148.879,"text":"systems don't provide great speeds usually somewhere in the neighborhood of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":145.92,"end_s":153.36,"text":"about 5 megabit per second. Satellite internet is faster with speeds of up to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":151.36,"end_s":158.64,"text":"50 megabit per second on what's called the coup band, which is the same range","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":156.0,"end_s":164.319,"text":"of spectrum used to be satellite TV to your house. But with how many people can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":162.319,"end_s":170.16,"text":"fly on an average commercial airliner like the Boeing 737 at once, even a 50","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.239,"end_s":174.48,"text":"megabit connection can mean doing something as simple as downloading a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.84,"end_s":180.48,"text":"word document can be frustratingly slow if lots of passengers are connected at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.2,"end_s":183.28,"text":"the same time. One of the reasons, aside","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":180.48,"end_s":189.28,"text":"from the usual corporate greed, that Wi-Fi costs extra on your flight. And","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":186.72,"end_s":193.76,"text":"current tech also requires airlines to bolt bulky antennas onto their planes.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":192.159,"end_s":198.56,"text":"These are heavy enough to have a significant effect on the plane's weight","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":195.92,"end_s":203.12,"text":"and aerodynamics, meaning higher fuel costs, which are passed along to you,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":201.04,"end_s":208.239,"text":"the poor sucker who's just trying to fly home for Christmas.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":205.28,"end_s":213.36,"text":"But the days of inevitably crappy in-flight internet may finally be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":210.4,"end_s":218.879,"text":"numbered as major air carriers are now starting to install CAB band KA band","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":216.56,"end_s":223.68,"text":"satellite antennas which have the potential due to their higher bandwidth","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":221.36,"end_s":228.48,"text":"to reach hundreds of megabytes per second enough for streaming even on a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.319,"end_s":233.36,"text":"crowded plane where lots of people are trying to connect. In fact, JetBlue in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":231.28,"end_s":238.08,"text":"the United States has already deployed the new tech on some of its planes. So,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.239,"end_s":242.4,"text":"keep an eye out if you'll be using them to get to your final destination. And","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.72,"end_s":246.799,"text":"even better than that, actually, some of the new CAB band antennas, such as one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.959,"end_s":251.28,"text":"being developed by the Kimeta Corporation in Washington State, are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":248.959,"end_s":256.16,"text":"much thinner and less power hungry than their predecessors, encouraging airlines","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":253.68,"end_s":260.0,"text":"to install them on more planes without having to worry about how they'll affect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":257.919,"end_s":264.639,"text":"flight performance. So maybe one day soon you'll be able to live stream your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":262.32,"end_s":269.28,"text":"next transcontinental flight and show your captivated audience just how","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":266.96,"end_s":275.759,"text":"appalling the condition of the lavatory really is. Speaking of the lavatory,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":273.919,"end_s":280.72,"text":"nope, I can't tie this together at all. Okay. Are you racing against the clock","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":277.919,"end_s":284.72,"text":"as a freelancer, a small business owner? It's challenging, yes. But with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":283.36,"end_s":289.52,"text":"growth of the internet, there's never been more opportunities for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":286.4,"end_s":292.639,"text":"self-employed. And to help meet this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":289.52,"end_s":295.28,"text":"need of all these small entrepreneurs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":292.639,"end_s":299.919,"text":"everywhere, FreshBooks is excited to announce an allnew version of their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":297.68,"end_s":304.639,"text":"cloud accounting software. It's been redesigned for the way you work. It's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":302.32,"end_s":309.84,"text":"the simplest and easiest way to be more productive, more organized, and freaking","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":307.84,"end_s":314.639,"text":"most importantly, especially when you're starting up, to get paid quickly. You","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":312.96,"end_s":318.72,"text":"can create and send professionallook invoices in less than 30 seconds. You","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.8,"end_s":322.24,"text":"can set up online payments with just a couple of clicks to get paid up to four","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":320.56,"end_s":326.08,"text":"days faster, which like can be the freaking difference. And you can even","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":324.08,"end_s":330.639,"text":"see when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to all those","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":328.56,"end_s":334.639,"text":"guessing games. So, FreshBooks is offering a 30-day unrestricted free","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":332.96,"end_s":339.12,"text":"trial to our viewers, and all you got to do to claim it is head over to freshbooks.com/techquicky","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":337.68,"end_s":343.6,"text":"linked in the video description and put techquicky in the how did you hear about","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":341.28,"end_s":346.16,"text":"us section. So, thanks for watching, guys. If you like this video, like it.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":344.96,"end_s":350.0,"text":"If you disliked it, dislike it. If you want to check out our other channels, we've got them linked there or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":348.88,"end_s":355.039,"text":"somewhere, probably around here somewhere. Leave a comment with video suggestions. And as always, don't forget","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":353.28,"end_s":357.68,"text":"to subscribe for more videos just like this one.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"When you think about it, air travel really isn't all that great. I mean, sure, you can get from New York to LA in 6 hours. But unlike driving where you can pull off the highway and hit up the nearest Arby's when you get a hankering, when you're on a plane, you're basically crammed into a 500 mph glorified bus with wings and a bunch of sweaty strangers. And if you decided to step out for a snack, well, I hope you packed your parachute. But even though the airlines have been hitting us over the head recently with bag fees and disappointing food offerings, they have at least tried to make flying a little more tolerable by offering us inflight wireless internet. Huzzah. But how exactly does Wi-Fi work when you're six miles off the ground? Why is it so spotty? And is it possible to make it better in the future? Well, when inflight Wi-Fi first became a thing in the early to mid 2000s, it usually worked by beaming an internet connection to a transponder attached to the plane using satellites, similar to how folks in rural areas without cable, DSL or fiber infrastructure use satellite dishes to get online. Today these systems are still in use along with another system called airto ground transmission or ATG. This takes the form of towers similar to cell phone towers which have the advantage of being a lot cheaper than satellite internet but they obviously only work over land. I haven't seen any floating cell phone towers on open barges yet. And there are other disadvantages too. Not only do these towers suffer from geographical restrictions, but the service they provide can be painfully slow. As anyone who's ever tried to stream anything on a plane probably knows. In the US, for example, there's only a 3 megahertz slice of the radio spectrum assigned to airline internet. So you compare that to the average home Wi-Fi connection which can use anywhere from 20 to 160 megahertz. So this ends up meaning then that ATG systems don't provide great speeds usually somewhere in the neighborhood of about 5 megabit per second. Satellite internet is faster with speeds of up to 50 megabit per second on what's called the coup band, which is the same range of spectrum used to be satellite TV to your house. But with how many people can fly on an average commercial airliner like the Boeing 737 at once, even a 50 megabit connection can mean doing something as simple as downloading a word document can be frustratingly slow if lots of passengers are connected at the same time. One of the reasons, aside from the usual corporate greed, that Wi-Fi costs extra on your flight. And current tech also requires airlines to bolt bulky antennas onto their planes. These are heavy enough to have a significant effect on the plane's weight and aerodynamics, meaning higher fuel costs, which are passed along to you, the poor sucker who's just trying to fly home for Christmas. But the days of inevitably crappy in-flight internet may finally be numbered as major air carriers are now starting to install CAB band KA band satellite antennas which have the potential due to their higher bandwidth to reach hundreds of megabytes per second enough for streaming even on a crowded plane where lots of people are trying to connect. In fact, JetBlue in the United States has already deployed the new tech on some of its planes. So, keep an eye out if you'll be using them to get to your final destination. And even better than that, actually, some of the new CAB band antennas, such as one being developed by the Kimeta Corporation in Washington State, are much thinner and less power hungry than their predecessors, encouraging airlines to install them on more planes without having to worry about how they'll affect flight performance. So maybe one day soon you'll be able to live stream your next transcontinental flight and show your captivated audience just how appalling the condition of the lavatory really is. Speaking of the lavatory, nope, I can't tie this together at all. Okay. Are you racing against the clock as a freelancer, a small business owner? It's challenging, yes. But with the growth of the internet, there's never been more opportunities for the self-employed. And to help meet this need of all these small entrepreneurs everywhere, FreshBooks is excited to announce an allnew version of their cloud accounting software. It's been redesigned for the way you work. It's the simplest and easiest way to be more productive, more organized, and freaking most importantly, especially when you're starting up, to get paid quickly. You can create and send professionallook invoices in less than 30 seconds. You can set up online payments with just a couple of clicks to get paid up to four days faster, which like can be the freaking difference. And you can even see when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to all those guessing games. So, FreshBooks is offering a 30-day unrestricted free trial to our viewers, and all you got to do to claim it is head over to freshbooks.com/techquicky linked in the video description and put techquicky in the how did you hear about us section. So, thanks for watching, guys. If you like this video, like it. If you disliked it, dislike it. If you want to check out our other channels, we've got them linked there or somewhere, probably around here somewhere. Leave a comment with video suggestions. And as always, don't forget to subscribe for more videos just like this one."}