How reliable is wifi?

[rdaky]

So how reliable is the wifi at Ft. Wilderness? Is it strong enough that my kids could stream zoom or a google meet for class? We actually aren't planning a Disney trip right now, but we are planning a trip to Orlando to house hunt and need a campground with decent internet since our kids are 100% virtual for this school year. Experience tells us that almost every campsite out there has terrible internet. Just wondering if this is even an option?

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Last time we were there it seemed highly dependant on how busy the Fort was.

 

[garneska]

Reliable? Nope not if you ask me. We routinely go to the fort for two weeks and work a good portion of the time and most of the time we are on a hotspot because it is NOT reliable. It can be fine but it can also suck.

 

[Teamubr]

Like Big DDaddy said, it seems to be dependent on the number of people. I've also noticed the evening are much worse. Kids in camp streaming YouTube I imagine. Mornings are early afternoons were generally decent.

This year? I'm not sure. Occupancy is pretty low right now, but they are keeping people tighter with closed loops. I know there are several people on here that have been there in the past month. Hopefully they will chime in. My DS' friend is coming down and has an online test in one of his classes that the professor won't let him take early (by 1 day), so he will need to get on BlackBoard at a designated time. I told him he can always hot spot off my phone. Cell service is pretty decent regardless of carrier.

j

 

[Teamubr]

Like Big DDaddy said, it seems to be dependent on the number of people. I've also noticed the evenings are much worse. Kids in camp streaming YouTube I imagine. Mornings are early afternoons were generally decent.

This year? I'm not sure. Occupancy is pretty low right now, but they are keeping people tighter with closed loops. I know there are several people on here that have been there in the past month. Hopefully they will chime in. My DS' friend is coming down and has an online test in one of his classes that the professor won't let him take early (by 1 day), so he will need to get on BlackBoard at a designated time. I told him he can always hot spot off my phone. Cell service is pretty decent regardless of carrier.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

I echo what Teamubr said...

 

[bama_ed]

Also, FWIW, there is a separate wifi network down at Pioneer Hall/Trails End that is separate from the wifi network among the camping loops (different network name). Or there was for the past several years.

The Fort was among the last resorts to get wifi for its camping paying guests. But there had been for years prior to that a wifi network in place at PH/TE, the Meadow Trading Post area, and the Outpost checkin lobby area (what I refer to as the public spaces). I remember staying in 900, 1000, 1500 back in the day with no wifi but going over to the Meadow TP sit in a rocker (facing 900) or at a picnic table out back facing the pond to soak up the public space wifi. The TE porch usually had a strong guest signal too.

Point is if there is a "must do" wifi event and the camping loop service level doesn't cut it, the public spaces have a separate network (or did) that provides IMO a more steady level of service. That's something I'll check out when I am at the Fort in October (to see if the network names are still different).

Bama Ed

PS - and yes in the camping loops the later it gets the slower the wifi gets. I was staying at the Fort the night they cut over the camper wifi and made it publicly available (had gotten a cable modem in the camper when I had checked in). The wifi was super fast that first day and night!

 

[rdaky]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like it may or may not be doable. We've stayed at a variety of campsites and we've basically learned that at most campgrounds/RV resorts, "free wi-fi" means they don't actually have wifi that works. LOL.

 

[Stork]

....at most campgrounds/RV resorts, "free wi-fi" means they don't actually have wifi that works. LOL.

I think it's better than most other campgrounds, KOA and the like. But, to link our pet-cam to our smart phone app, we stream the video with our AT&T NightHawk hot spot. Tried it with FW wifi and it just wasn't consistent enough to provide peace-of-mind that our dog and the 5er temp were both okay. FWIW.

 

[proudmomof4]

We just came home from FW a week ago tomorrow. DS23 had several MS Teams meetings he had to participate in for his grad school studies. I know he had said that if the Wifi didn’t work he would hot spot off his phone. I never did ask which route he went, I’ll ask him later today, he’s in a different time zone and wakes up at student hours, ie afternoon.

 

[Bishoparc]

I can attest that in the 200 loop it was not useable at all, even for my phone to hit the MDE app. Had to stay off wifi.

 

[Stork]

...deleted

 

[Teamubr]

Hmmm...talking about sleep schedules...sounds familiar...

Same here. DS is 22 and his best friend who is here 1/2 the time is 21. They both work evenings (3-11) at Sams and sleep until 1pm or later. The friend is a senior in speech pathology and has two 8am classes this semester. He gets up, does the virtual class and goes back to bed until 1. It cracks me up.

j

 

[proudmomof4]

Just heard back from DS, he used wifi for his Teams meetings, but the router was mounted right next to our site.

 

[nomorethan8]

Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube worked flawlessly at 2100 loop. Zoom worked with a few hiccups.

I can attest that in the 200 loop it was not useable at all

Had the same experience there last year.

 

[Sjm9911]

Last year it was hit or miss. As stated it depends how many are on at the same time you are. Unfortunately there is no way to know that, so it works when it works. And dosen't when it dosen't.

 

[Stork]

...so it works when it works. And dosen't when it dosen't.

For a moment there, I thought your name was Yogi Berra. Kind of like, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

 

[Tallis]

I guess it all depends on how good/crappy your wifi at home is. I think the Fort has amazing wifi, so that should give you an idea of what we deal with at home.

 

[flutegarden]

I can attest that in the 200 loop it was not useable at all, even for my phone to hit the MDE app. Had to stay off wifi.

Did it work fine just using your cell data? I only care about it for book LLs and am perfectly fine using my data for this -I'm hoping that works. I have tMobile if that matters.

 

[Teamubr]

I have always had decent cell service (Verizon) at the Fort and the parks. I think most cell providers have pretty good coverage across WDW.

j